August 16, 2017
This is “Our Past Is Present” from the Geary County Historical Society.
The price of
wheat has always been important to the farmers of Kansas. In August of 1914 an interesting comparison
was given of prices paid for wheat for the previous twenty years. The report was published by B. Rockwell Merchandise
and Grain Co., which in 1914 had been in the grain business in Junction City
for about 40 years.
The report
showed the lowest prices were 44 cents per bushel in 1894 and 45 cents in
1896. The highest prices were $1.01 in
1909 and $1.00 in 1910. In 1912 the
price for wheat was $1.04 per bushel.
The price
farmers would get for their wheat from September to December 1914 was difficult
to predict. If the foreign countries
arranged for safe transportation of the wheat across the ocean, the price might
go to 85 cents or a dollar. The impact
of WWI in Europe played a role in the challenge of getting wheat to those
countries.
Farmers who
were out of debt or were able to borrow money from the banks to pay their
threshing and grocery bills would be the ones who would make a good profit on
their 1914 wheat, and have enough money to support themselves and their
families for a while.
We all
depend on farmers to provide the grains and vegetables we want and need for our
diets. They deal with a changing market,
weather, pests, a “fickle” customer base and many other issues. Those of us who go to Dillon’s grocery store or
some other store for our food products usually don’t even think twice about
where the produce comes for. We mostly
just think about the price we pay for items.
Perhaps we could all do a better job of showing our appreciation to
farmers. Something to think about. Well, thanks for listening today. We look
forward to sharing another story about Geary History with you tomorrow on “Our
Past Is Present” from the Geary County Historical Society.
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