Modern Challenges In Wheat Production By Addison Perkins

There are a multitude of challenges facing today’s wheat farmer. Many of the struggles are consistent over generations, but in today’s world seem to hit on a bigger scale. The price of inputs, land being taken out of production for development, the affordability of labor, along with changing and challenging weather patterns are impacting a farming operation’s bottom line. We need to be aware of the challenging situation that farmers are in because these things are making it difficult to maintain profitability or achieve growth.

One of the leading challenges that farmers face is the cost that comes with the expenses required to produce their crop. Fertilizer, seeds, fuel, pesticide, and equipment costs are just a few of the many expenses that are required in order to produce a crop. Being cost-efficient can be a tricky balancing act. Global markets can have large swings on the price of grains or fuel, supply shortages on chemicals drive up costs, equipment upgrades and parts are costing more than ever before. Newer equipment is more efficient, but the technical advancements come with a price tag that many farmers just can’t afford. The pace of depreciation and value are not an equitable balance.

There are pressures in many areas across our country from urban development, creating a literal battle over ground. If profitability decreases or is unstable, farmers become more likely to divide and sell land for development. I recently read that farm owners aged 55 and older control 64% of agricultural land in the state of Oregon. It is estimated that nearly two-thirds of Oregon’s agricultural land will change ownership in the next 20 years. And the average age of Oregon farmers is 58 years old. If a farmer doesn’t have someone to take over their operation, selling their land might become their retirement plan. Rising land prices and challenging markets and expenses often make it more appealing to landowners (farmers or their heirs) and an ‘easy out’ to sell to developers for a guaranteed source of financial security.

Oregon recently passed a law that requires agricultural employees be paid overtime, previously farm labor was excluded. I’m not going to debate the politics of the law, but I will make the point that harvesting a crop can be incredibly time sensitive. Longer hours during peak times have always been a norm in farming. Some commodities take more labor than others, but this law will increase the payroll expense for many across the board and wheat farmers can’t ‘pass the buck’ and just sell this wheat for a higher price to offset the expense. This ties the farmers’ hands by having to juggle the added expense just to afford labor.

The challenges that wheat farmers face today are complicated, intimidating, and in many cases uncontrollable. To strengthen the wheat industry, we need to work together to find sustainable solutions and additional avenues of support. It’s our responsibility as a society to recognize the irreplaceable role that farmers play in our everyday lives, and their importance on a global, national, and local level.

Our 2024 Oregon Wheat Scholarship awardees each submit an essay with their scholarship application. Learn more about the scholarship program at https://oregonwheatfoundation.org/scholarship-program/

2024 Scholarship Essay: Addison Perkins