Here's Hoping the Best for Wheat Farmers and all Farmers

I am, I suppose, protective of the farmer. So when I see a Facebook post saying a bushel of wheat brought a farmer $4.86 in 1972, same as it does now, yet bread cost only 25 cents a loaf back then, I become concerned.

Wondering if the wheat farmer, indeed, is in trouble, I messaged a few FB friends who are wheat farmers, and asked them. Only one replied, and he did not say whether he is struggling, he only confirmed that the figures in the FB meme were roughly correct. 

Found this, speaking of wheat farmers in Sumner County, Kansas: "Most producers should have some good wheat, but there were fields that suffered from either a prolonged lack of moisture or drowned out in recent storms. Quantity and quality exceed that of the last several years and are maybe even better than anticipated."

And, in a Spokane, Washington newspaper article, I found this: “The prices are well below the cost of production right now,” said fifth-generation wheat grower Terry Harding. “It’s very tough to make a living at this price point.”

And, from NBC news: "Extreme heat waves and drought due to climate change have the potential to shock the global food supply and send prices soaring, according to a new study."

National news should be tracking the plight of the farmer -- not just the wheat farmer, but all farmers and ranchers. We rely on these people for our substance. What happens to them carries great weight in what happens to our economy. Here's hoping the best for the farmer. 

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