Wheat

[W. Gray]

The Kansas Wheat Growers Association in 2005 said that a loaf of bread contained five cents worth of wheat.

In an average year, Kansas wheat farmers produce enough wheat to make over 36 billion loaves of bread, or enough to provide each person on earth with six loaves of bread.

Wheat is not native to the US and the first hobby crop was planted in 1777. (There is only grain that is native to the US and that is wild rice)

Farmers received 3.17 for a bushel of wheat in one county in 1917.

In 2005, one county's wheat growers were receiving 3.27 a bushel.

[Diane Amberg]

Between the wheat berry and the consumer, I wonder how many people make their living from that loaf of bread...assuming they aren't Teresa and don't make their own.

[Rudy Taylor]

.... no, Diane, they're not Teresa.

Thank God there's only one of them.

Oh, get over it!  That was a good-friend joke!

Everybody around here is just getting too serious.  I think I'll have a cigarette. :-)

Rudy

[flo]

 

[Teresa]

.... no, Diane, they're not Teresa.

Thank God there's only one of them.

I resemble that remark.. LOL

[Diane Amberg]

Thanks Rudy...good one.

[Tobina+1]

Back to Diane's original question about how many people make a living from wheat... I'll take a stab at it...
Seed distributor
Seed salesman
Seed truck driver
Implement dealership (planter)
Implement service center/parts center
Grandpa/Grandma gopher services to pick up parts
Farmer
Farmer's wife (food delivery)
Herbicide/pesticide dealer and sprayers (optional; but should also go back and include seed research facilities for making seed resistant to weeds and pests)
Custom cutter operation and staff (also includes implement dealers, service centers, parts centers in this phase)
Grain bin dealer/installation (includes truck drivers)
Auger dealer/delivery (includes truck drivers)
Grain truck drivers (all truck drivers will also have dealers, service, etc. added as a sub-division)
Local Co-op or grain merchandizing employees
Railroad employees, engineers, repair crews
Flour mill employees
Flour packaging and distribution (there may be another set to truck drivers in between that last steps, depending on where the flour mill and the packaging location are)
Truck drivers to distribution location
Local delivery drivers to local stores
Retail grocery store employees (unloading, shelf-stocking, check-out clerks, bag boys, managers)
I'll stop there, but you could go as far as including car manufacturers (to drive to the store), oil companies (for gas for all the trucks and machinery), electric companies (to power all the flour mill operations and the grocery store lights), and so on.

Even in Teresa's case, unless she is planting the wheat by hand in her backyard, the grain she uses will also fall under the same intial steps through harvest.  Depending on where she gets it (direct from the farmer's bins, from the coop, or purchased from a retail store), there may be other sections of this list that apply.

Does that answer your question, Diane?   

[Diane Amberg]

It sure does! Thanks!!!    That's even more than I thought. And the baker and the yeast creator, and supplier and more!

[Tobina+1]

Isn't it amazing how cheap a loaf of bread is sold for when you look at that list?  Even with rising food costs, it still amazes me how much food moves around the country and still how little we pay.