Because of a 1938 law still on the books, the U.S. Department of Agriculture continues to prepare "parity pricing" data for U.S. agricultural commodities. Parity prices are the prices that farmers would receive, had prices kept up with farm expenses. Although the calculations are based on U.S. prices and expenses, Canadian parity prices would be similar and thus, the prices below are listed in Canadian dollars.
| Wheat (all classes), per bushel (bu) | $14.49 |
| Corn, bu | $9.91 |
| Milk (all), hundred pounds (cwt) | $45.67 |
| Honey, extracted, pounds (lb) | $2.03 |
| Barley, bu | $8.87 |
| Flaxseed, bu | $18.06 |
| Oats, bu | $5.18 |
| Potatoes, cwt | $19.85 |
| Soybeans, bu | $20.90 |
| Beef Cattle, cwt | $226.87 |
| Hogs, cwt | $152.24 |
The steep decline in farm commodity prices - relative to the cost of production and to our commodities - points out the increasingly unsustainable situation in agriculture. The decline in farm commodity prices is unparalleled in the economy. Gasoline has tripled in price since 1978: farm commodity prices have fallen. While producers of food get to be "more efficient", producers of other commodities get to be more profitable
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