Small town wheat farmers face major challenges. With rising costs and dwindling yields there are hundreds of family farms struggling just to make the checkbook balance. With food shortages becoming a greater threat every passing year, securing the livelihoods of the people who produce our food is a must.

Farmers in America will face challenges in the next decade unlike any that have been seen before. Far gone is the dust bowl, modern day farmers face challenges such as high fertilizer and chemical cost. The high cost of a product so vital to growing a crop such as urea is extremely detrimental to farmers. The inability to pay for fertilizer will become a major issue in the coming years. Fertilizer already accounts for 35% of the operating costs of an average wheat farm. Most Nitrogen production takes place in Eastern Europe including Russia and China. The fact that Russia nor Belarus for obvious reasons are not shipping any Nitrogen to the United States is a major contributor to this shortage. Investments in stateside nitrogen production will be a major factor in how well family farms are able to survive this decade. Not only will fertilizer costs affect family farms but herbicide prices will as well. A gallon of Glyphosate in 2021 was 60 dollars a gallon in 2022 that price rose to 80 dollars a gallon. This uptick in chemical prices has taken a major hit on wheat farmers especially. Round-up which contains Glyphosate is one of the most common chemicals sprayed on a wheat farmers field. With a ratio of 40:1 If a farmer applies ten gallons of water per acre out of a 1,000 gallon tank he is applying a quarter of a gallon of Round-up per acre. This means that this farmer is spending roughly 20 dollars an acre on Round-up alone. When adding up the rest of the expenses a farmer must pay the equation in some cases is simply not profitable. The ability to raise a healthy crop but more specifically a wheat crop is a game of chance. However, the odds of winning are getting slimmer as farmers lose the ability to pay for the vital resources they need.

Many people in today’s city driven world do not understand the plight of the small town farmer. Where once farmers made up a majority of the population we are now few and far between. When someone has never seen or felt the sheer amount of work and stress required to grow a successful crop; how can they be expected to relate to the struggle of the farmer? This loss of perspective has caused our leaders to disregard the struggle of the average farmer. Unprecedented chemical and fertilizer costs are issues that directly affect the American people’s food security and they fail to be regarded. One farmer can’t do much to solve these pressing issues. However, farming interest groups such as the Oregon Wheat Growers League allow our small rural voices to be heard. If we want to protect our rural way of life we must come together.

2023 Scholarship Essay: McConly Underhill Wilkinson