How much did a bushel of soybeans (price farmers get) cost?
A bushel of soybeans (price farmers get) cost $7.57 in 1980 and $10.00 in 2024: 32% more.
Over the same years, prices in general (US inflation, measured by the consumer price index, CPI) rose about 3.8 times. That makes $7.57 in 1980 worth about $28.82 in 2024 money. So, after inflation, it is cheaper than in 1980: about 65% less in real terms.
In the years listed, the highest price was $11.30 in 2010 and the lowest $4.54 in 2000. The biggest change between two listed years came between 2005 and 2010, when it went up 100%, from $5.66 to $11.30.
Soybeans (farm price): price by year
| Year | Price | In 2024 dollars |
|---|---|---|
| 1980 | $7.57 | $28.82 |
| 1985 | $5.05 | $14.72 |
| 1990 | $5.74 | $13.78 |
| 1995 | $6.72 | $13.83 |
| 2000 | $4.54 | $8.27 |
| 2005 | $5.66 | $9.09 |
| 2010 | $11.30 | $16.25 |
| 2015 | $8.95 | $11.85 |
| 2020 | $10.80 | $13.09 |
| 2024 | $10.00 | $10.00 |
"In 2024 dollars" adjusts each amount for inflation with the CPI, so the years can be compared fairly. How this works.
Where the numbers come from
The average price US farmers received, from the US Department of Agriculture. Farm prices are averaged over the crop's "marketing year", which starts at harvest, and shown under the year it starts. The latest full year published is 2024. This is the price at the farm, far below what the same food costs in a shop.
Source: USDA National Agricultural Statistics Service: Crop Values 2025 Summary (Feb 2026), Field and Miscellaneous Crops Price, United States; plus Crop Values Final Estimates bulletins for earlier years. View the source.
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