250 Years of Feeding America: Family Farmers Are Still Fighting for Their Fair Share
By Joanna GuzaJul 1, 2026 | 1:56 PM
WASHINGTON – As the United States marks its 250th anniversary this Independence Day, National Farmers Union (NFU) is releasing the updated Farmer’s Share of the Food Dollar for items typically found during an Independence Day cookout table. These figures reveal how much family farmers earn compared to what consumers pay at the grocery store — and a quarter millennium into this American story, the gap has never been wider.
“For 250 years, the stories of family farmers and ranchers have been woven into the fabric of this country,” said NFU President Rob Larew. “But on this anniversary, we owe it to them to be honest: corporate consolidation has left agriculture and food supply chains fragile and uncompetitive, squeezing the farmers who grow our food and the families who buy it. Two hundred and fifty years in, family farmers deserve better.”
Cookout Food
Retail Price
Farmer’s Share
Hamburger Buns (8 count, 15-16 oz.)
$3.49
$0.09
Ground Beef/Chuck (1 lb.)
$6.49
$2.42
Romaine Lettuce (1 lb.)
$3.99
$0.50
Tomatoes (1 lb.)
$2.49
$0.92
Watermelon (Red, seedless, whole, 15-20 lbs.)
$7.99
$2.85
Corn on the cob (4 count, 16-18 oz.)
$4.99
$0.89
Sliced Cheese (10 count, 8 oz.)
$3.49
$1.05
Potato Chips (Party size, 13 oz.)
$5.99
$0.26
Farmers and ranchers receive only about 11.8 cents of every dollar consumers spend on food, a figure trending toward historic lows. Farm bankruptcies rose 46 percent from 2024 to 2025, farm debt levels are at record highs, and input costs continue to rise as commodity prices remain low.
“These numbers tell the story of a farm safety net that isn’t working; one that is too often slow, inconsistent and disconnected from the realities farmers face, reacting to crises rather than preventing them,” added Larew.
As the Senate takes up its version of the farm bill, NFU is calling on lawmakers to go further — delivering structural reforms that keep pace with rising production costs, provide predictable disaster assistance and ensure federal policy supports family farmers rather than accelerating consolidation.
NFU’s Fairness for Farmers campaign is working to solve the monopoly crisis in food and agriculture. Through stronger antitrust enforcement, greater market transparency, and farm policy that restores fairness and competition, NFU is fighting to ensure the next 250 years are more just for the family farmers and ranchers who feed America.
Data for this publication were sourced from the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s National Agricultural Statistics Service. Retail prices are based on the Safeway (SE) brand in the Washington, D.C. area.
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