Wheat farming in the U.S. heartland is in steep decline as low prices, prolonged droughts, and global competition push farmers to abandon the crop. Once the dominant crop from Texas to Montana, hard red winter wheat is no longer profitable for many producers.

In states like Kansas, Nebraska, and Oklahoma, farmers are turning wheat fields into pastures, hay, or replacing them with more profitable crops like corn and soybeans. Falling prices, which recently hit five-year lows, and rising input costs have made the crop unsustainable.

As Reuters noted, “chasing insurance payouts is not the best business model” for farmers, even though crop insurance allows them to recover revenue from damaged and/or loss of revenue. However, with wheat prices hovering around $5 per bushel, it’s not enough to stay afloat. Between 20% and 33% of the winter wheat crop has been abandoned annually since 2020.

Even in areas where wheat once thrived with minimal irrigation, farmers now invest in high-tech equipment to grow corn. The corn offers better returns. In Nebraska, wheat acreage has decreased by 50 percent since 2005.

Though the “amber waves of grain” remain a cultural symbol, the economic reality is forcing a shift away from wheat across the Plains. One farmer said, “It’s heritage, but there’s no profit.”

Read more about the declining wheat acreage here.