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# GRAPHIC: What share of retail sales returns to farmers? Depends on the product.
- URL: https://www.investigatemidwest.org/graphic-what-share-of-retail-sales-returns-to-farmers-depends-on-the-product/
- Published: 2020-10-08T00:12:15.000Z
- Updated: 2020-10-08T00:12:15.000Z
- Description: More money spent on processing means less money for farmers.
- Author: Pramod Acharya, Midwest Center for Investigative Reporting
- Tags: Data Harvest, TP::Explainer, farms, USDA, #wp, #wp-post, #Import 2026-06-18 04:56

Over the past several decades, how much farmers have made from retail sales of their products has decreased.

In 1950, farmers received about 41% of what consumers spent on food. In 2013, the figure was about 17%, according to a [2015 Congressional Research Service report](https://fas.org/sgp/crs/misc/R40621.pdf?ref=investigatemidwest.org).

Over the years, more and more of the money has gone to manufacturers and distributors.

“An array of costs is layered on top of the price of a raw agricultural commodity at each stage of the marketing chain as it moves to the consumer,” the research service report noted. “As a result, the farm share of a food product’s price declines as it moves to the retail outlet.”

The foods consumers enjoy pass through a long journey to reach retail stores.

Fresh fruits and vegetables are often sorted, cleaned, trimmed and packaged, which affects retail prices, [according to the USDA’s Economic Research Service](https://www.ers.usda.gov/amber-waves/2018/august/monitoring-trends-in-retail-prices-and-farm-shares-of-food-products/?ref=investigatemidwest.org).

Foods that require less processing costs, such as whole milk or butter, lead to more money flowing to farmers, [according to the USDA](https://www.ers.usda.gov/data-products/price-spreads-from-farm-to-consumer/summary-findings/?ref=investigatemidwest.org).