What Does a Profitable Wheat Farm Mean for Washington?

What Does a Profitable Wheat Farm Mean for Washington?

More than you might think.

If you live along the I-5 corridor, Washington wheat country can feel a world away. Drive east across the Cascades, however, and wheat fields become a defining part of the landscape—and an important part of Washington State's agricultural economy.

From Whitman and Lincoln counties to Adams, Grant and other wheat-growing regions, Washington wheat farms support local businesses, jobs, rural communities and a global agricultural marketplace.

Behind all of that is something pretty simple: farms have to be profitable to keep farming.

Wheat Farming Is a Business

It's easy to picture farming as planting a crop, watching it grow and harvesting it a few months later. The business behind that crop is considerably more complicated.

Long before harvest, Washington wheat farmers are making significant investments in seed, fertilizer, fuel, equipment, labor, land and crop protection.

Many of those costs must be paid before a farmer knows what the year's crop will yield—or what the market will ultimately pay for it.

Farmers operate with variables they can't always control. Weather changes. Input costs rise. Commodity markets fluctuate. Trade conditions shift.

And unlike many businesses, wheat farmers generally can't simply set a higher price for their product when expenses increase. Wheat is a commodity, and its value is heavily influenced by domestic and global markets.

That makes farm profitability critical to the long-term future of wheat farming in Washington State.

Why Do Profitable Farms Matter to Washington?

Farm profitability doesn't stop at the farm gate.

When a Washington wheat farm is financially sustainable, that farm can purchase equipment, hire employees, work with local service providers and invest in the next growing season.

Those dollars move throughout agricultural communities.

Farmers depend on mechanics, agronomists, truck drivers, equipment dealerships, grain elevators, accountants, lenders and many other businesses and professionals. Agriculture helps create an interconnected rural economy in which the success of one business can support many others.

A healthy agricultural economy helps keep Washington's rural communities working and growing.

Washington Wheat Connects Rural and Urban Communities

For Washingtonians living in Seattle, Tacoma, Everett or elsewhere along the I-5 corridor, wheat production may not be something you encounter every day.

But Eastern and Western Washington are more connected than they may appear.

Washington agriculture contributes to the state's broader economy while relying on transportation networks, ports, infrastructure, research, businesses and consumers across the state.

Wheat grown on a family farm in Eastern Washington can eventually travel far beyond the county—or even the country—where it was harvested.

That means the health of Washington's wheat industry isn't simply an Eastern Washington issue. It's part of a larger statewide agricultural system.

Washington Wheat Competes in a Global Marketplace

One of the most interesting things about Washington-grown wheat is just how far it can travel.

Washington's location provides access to Pacific Northwest transportation and export infrastructure, connecting wheat-growing communities with customers around the world.

That global connection creates opportunities, but it also means Washington wheat farmers operate within an international marketplace.

Trade relationships, transportation costs, commodity prices and global supply and demand can all influence the value of a crop grown on a Washington family farm.

For consumers, a loaf of bread or bowl of noodles may be an everyday purchase. For a farmer, the wheat behind those products is part of a much larger economic system.

Farm Profitability Helps Preserve Washington Farmland

There is also a long-term reason profitability matters: the future of farming itself.

A farm that remains economically viable is better positioned to reinvest in its operation, care for its land and prepare for the next generation.

For many Washington wheat-growing families, farming isn't simply a job. Farms may represent generations of knowledge, investment and stewardship.

But history alone doesn't pay the bills.

For farms to remain farms, they must have a sustainable business model.

Keeping Washington agriculture economically viable helps give the next generation the opportunity to continue producing food and caring for the state's working agricultural lands.

Policy Decisions Can Reach All the Way to the Farm

What does public policy have to do with a field of wheat?

Potentially, quite a bit.

Decisions surrounding transportation, trade, taxes, labor, environmental regulations, infrastructure and agricultural research can influence the cost of growing, harvesting and transporting Washington wheat.

Individually, a policy change may seem far removed from the grocery aisle. Collectively, these decisions can affect the economics of producing food.

That's one reason it's important for Washingtonians—whether they live in farm country or downtown Seattle—to understand the challenges and opportunities facing agriculture.

Understanding Where Our Food Comes From

You don't have to be a farmer to care about the future of farming.

Learning about wheat farming in Washington State creates a better understanding of where food comes from, the businesses and communities involved in producing it, and what it takes to keep farms operating year after year.

Washington wheat connects people and places that can sometimes feel worlds apart.

From family farms and small rural communities to highways, ports, businesses and tables across the globe, every bushel is part of a much bigger story.

And a profitable farm helps ensure that story can continue.

Learn More About Washington Wheat

The Washington Wheat Foundation works to connect people with the farmers, communities and industry behind Washington-grown wheat.

Whether you're interested in how wheat is grown, where Washington wheat goes after harvest, what it costs to produce a crop or how agriculture contributes to our state, there's always more to discover.

Because Washington wheat isn't just an Eastern Washington story. It's a Washington story.