From a Wheat Seed
Every time a farmer plants their ground, it is a time of hope and cautious optimism. Optimism of a new start, a hopefully bountiful harvest, and hopefully, favorable markets. As I look out at the 2024 wheat crop now thriving and looking promising with the recent precipitation, it reminds me not only of how important wheat is to us farmers but also to our communities, our country, and our world. Wheat truly makes the world a better place.
Kansas is known as the “Wheat State”. There is a good reason for that. Kansas consistently ranks near the top of states in wheat production and many years ranks as #1. The first wheat in Kansas is thought to have been around 1839. Kansas became a state in 1861 so wheat was being grown in Kansas around 22 years before statehood! The first wheat planted in the United States was in 1777 as a hobby crop. In wheat history, that is still pretty recent, considering wheat has been cultivated since around 10,000 B.C.
Wheat is not always just “harvested” once. When wheat is used for pasture over the winter and spring for cattle, it actually is grazed by cattle to help provide a substantial part of their diet over the winter and spring. It can be grazed out by the cattle or cattle can be pulled off and then the wheat continues to grow and can be harvested as hay, silage, or grain.
The Kansas Department of Agriculture estimates the direct impact of the wheat industry to be $1.5 billion in output and 3793 jobs. That’s just the “direct” impact! The indirect and induced effects, make the total impact to the Kansas economy around $2.7 billion in output and around 11,247 jobs. Think about how all that helps to contribute to our households, our communities, our businesses, our schools and the list goes on.
We normally think of wheat as providing food for people or livestock around the globe but there are also many other beneficial uses of wheat that impact our daily lives. Some of the alternative uses include: insulation, charcoal, hair conditioners, liquid laundry detergent, medical swabs, wood substitutes, and as an adhesive agent.
Looking at this still young wheat crop, I see reason for optimism for this new year and hope that when I drive by these same fields in the summer that I will see the waves of amber grain ready for harvest and ready to supply our world with a product that we can be proud of and that benefits our society in so many ways. I hope that all of you can look out on these fields too and feel optimism that a new year can bring.
