Farm to Family Series

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Farm to Family Series

By Sarah Gravlee

PARK CITY - We've all felt the pain at the pump, but in recent months that aching is also getting worse at the grocery store. The price of gas and grain has hit record highs, but it's not just the consumer that's feeling the pinch.

Mike Bernhardt and his brother John farm about 1,000 acres in Park City. "Oh we grow everything." Mike said listing off a slew of their crops. With record-breaking wheat prices you might think farmers are rolling in the dough, but Mike said that's not the case.

"Actually if the income isn't up this fall there's gonna be a lot of farms in serious trouble because the costs are up so high," he said. "Just in the last year most of our costs have doubled or more. The fuel for this tractor February 2007 was half of what it is Sunday, Pesticides are up 2.5 times since last year."

Farm equipment is costing more and more. The cost of a tractor Sunday is about $120,000, 100,000 more than the Bernhardts tractor cost them 25 years ago. "It's hard really to justify new equipment and really this does just as good as the newer stuff," Mike said.

Mike said farming is hard work and not very lucrative, and admits he's considered getting out of the business. "I've thought about that," he said, "Anybody would be lying if the said they hadn't." He said he's kept the farm because of a deep emotional not everyone would understand.

"It's hard to explain. Only a farmer understands," Mike said with a laugh. "There's just something about the naturalness of it. Being close to God. There's just something in your blood that's hard to get out."

Once the food is harvested it needs to make its way to restaurants, grocery stores and bakeries.

Wednesday, Apr 30 at 10:28 PM Michelle wrote ...

Are you serious?! Your story was good until the last segment. Did you really think you were interviewing a "typical" Billings family? First, he is an engineer at the local refinery. They are one of the highest paid jobs in town. And then he admits he is going to take his family to Jimaca in a few weeks, then drive to Canada! I repeat.. Are you serious?! I'm sure they are a nice family, but they don't seem to be hurting too much financially. You lost a lot of credibility with me with that story.

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