Montana Farmers Struggle With Record Low Crop Production Despite Rising Wheat Prices

U.S. wheat prices have surged to $6.45 per bushel amid record-low production, yet Montana farmers struggle to break even.

Montana farmers, including Heritage Custom Farming co-owner Tryg Koch and Montana Farm Bureau Federation President Cyndi Johnson, face tight profit margins despite a sharp rise in wheat prices. Rising input costs for fuel, fertilizer, labor, and equipment repairs are outpacing commodity price gains, fundamentally challenging farm profitability in the region.

Wheat production in the U.S. has fallen to its lowest level since 1971, with total output forecasted at 1,531 million bushels, while winter wheat acreage in the Great Plains has dropped by 29 percent. Costs to produce wheat hover around $6 per bushel, nearly matching market prices. Fuel usage alone can exceed 300 gallons per day, and fertilizer prices have surged by more than 50 percent since 2018. Labor shortages persist, pushing Montana producers to rely heavily on the federal H-2A visa program, which currently has more than 3,200 workers in the state but a waitlist of 2,800. Farmers are responding by diversifying into lower-input crops such as peas and lentils.

Harvest season continues through mid-August 2026, with Canadian retaliatory tariffs on U.S. wheat set to take effect September 8.

As Record-low Wheat Crop Boosts Prices, Montana Farmers Barely Break Even
By Maggie Dresser, Flathead Beacon