There’s something sacred about watching golden waves of wheat ripple across a Wyoming field. For generations, that sight has symbolized perseverance, hard work, and the promise of feeding families across America. But behind that beauty lies a sobering truth — the cost of keeping this legacy alive has skyrocketed.
Let’s take a look at how the numbers have changed since 1975.
In 1975, a bushel of wheat sold for $4.00.
Today, nearly 50 years later, that same bushel brings in $4.09.
That’s an increase of just nine cents in half a century.
Meanwhile, nearly every cost tied to raising that wheat has multiplied many times over:
| Item | 1975 | 2025 |
|---|---|---|
| Fertilizer (per ton) | $212 | $900 |
| Combine | $30,000 | $1,000,000 |
| Diesel (per gallon) | $0.53 | $3.75 |
| Yield (national average) | 31.7 bushels/acre | 53.3 bushels/acre |
| Our yield | — | 22 bushels/acre |
Even with technology and improved national yields, the math doesn’t favor small farms. Progress has come — but profitability hasn’t kept up.
One bushel of wheat yields around 46 to 90 loaves of bread.
At today’s grocery prices — roughly $2.50 to $3.00 per loaf — that single bushel can become as much as $270 worth of bread.
And yet, the farmer who raised that wheat earns about four cents per loaf.
That’s right — from a $3.00 loaf of bread, the farmer takes home just $0.04.
Meanwhile, the credit card company processing the transaction earns roughly the same amount. The middlemen profit as much as the man who grows the grain.
Here’s how Gregor’s numbers break down:
30 bushels per acre × $4 = $120 per acre
Farming 1,000 acres = $120,000 gross
Credit card companies processing bread sales made from that wheat also earn around $120,000
It’s a sobering reminder of where value accumulates — and where it doesn’t.
From the outside, full grocery shelves make it easy to assume agriculture is thriving. But for family farmers, the numbers tell a different story. The price of fertilizer, fuel, insurance, and equipment keeps climbing, while wheat prices barely budge.
It’s not just about income — it’s about survival.
It’s about keeping land in the family, teaching the next generation responsibility, and preserving a way of life that defines communities like ours.
At Wyoming Pure, we share these truths not for sympathy, but for understanding. Every loaf of bread, every steak, every meal starts with someone who wakes before dawn to care for the land — often for pennies on the dollar.
When you choose to support local agriculture and family-run operations, you’re helping preserve a legacy that’s becoming harder to afford — and more important than ever to protect.
Because continuing the legacy isn’t cheap —
but it’s worth every ounce of effort.
– Tori & The Wyoming Pure Family
