Agriculture + Lifestyle
Farmers: The Real MVP of the Game
Posted on February 6, 2026 1:18 AM
Did you know that Sunday’s big game will be the second-highest day for food consumption, coming in runner up behind Thanksgiving. Which brings us to the real MVPs of the game, farmers. We should offer our gratitude to those that make our game snacks possible. Especially when majority of the game is surrounded by tailgating foods.
However, our farmers face tremendous hurdles every year to provide that food. From mother nature’s curveballs to economic challenges. “As fans gather around their TVs this Super Bowl Sunday, it’s worth remembering that every bite reflects far more than what’s on the plate,” the Market Intel says. “It reflects a highly coordinated agricultural system and the farmers and ranchers working every day to keep it running, even as economic pressures continue to mount well beyond game day.”
Let’s break down the most popular food items for the big game and their impact on the farming community.
Corn
The tortilla chip, made from corn, is probably the most consumed chip during big sporting events. Farmers plant over 90 million acres of corn every year. However, the amount of money those farmers make is historically low. Unfortunately, farmers are projected to lose an average of $173 per acre in their crop in 2026.
Potatoes
Coming in close behind the tortilla chip, is the famous potato chip. Did you know farmers grow nearly $5 billion in potatoes? Even though the demand for potatoes is high, farmers are faced with rising prices in labor, energy, and storage. Unfortunately, our potato farmers suffered close to $700 million in losses in 2025.
Poultry
The ever-popular chicken wing. Everyone has a favorite sauce, but even without sauce the hype is real. In fact, it’s projected that Americans will eat over a billion wings this weekend alone. In 2024 poultry was named one of the most valuable segments of our agriculture in the United States. Although the demand for chicken doesn’t seem to be decreasing at all, most poultry growers operate in a contract-based system. What does that mean? Well, simply put it means it doesn’t matter how popular chicken is, or how many billions of wings are consumed in one weekend, the grower receives the same payment. So, farmers don’t benefit from a rise in retail price, they’re already locked into their contracted set payment. Besides the locked in payout, growing poultry is expensive. Growers can easily invest over $1 million in specialized buildings and equipment.
Dairy
Do you plan to have pizza, queso or a charcuterie board at your next big game watching event? You have dairy farmers to thank for those items! The good news is milk production is at record levels and remains affordable for consumers. However, that may not always be the case. In 2024 the number of dairy farms in the United States dropped 60% from 2005. Many farmers cite rising production costs as the reason for getting out of the business.
“Farmers are proud to grow the food America’s families enjoy during their watch parties, and every other day of the year,” said AFBF President Zippy Duvall. “We’re fortunate to be blessed with such an abundant food supply, but the reality is, farmers are facing an economic crisis like we haven’t seen in generations. We’re grateful for aid the administration has delivered to farmers this year and do not take that for granted, but more steps are needed to ensure farmers can stay in business until markets improve. There will be only one winner in the game this Sunday, but everyone wins when we protect America’s food supply chain.” said American Farm Bureau President Zippy Duvall.
Content provided by Bakery & Snacks, Market Intel, American Farm Bureau