The Prime Rib has been known to DC insiders as the home of the power lunch for more than two decades. There, lawmakers, business tycoons, and other high-rollers work on the deals that shape America.

It's a sight that would surprise most everyday Americans. No, it wouldn't be the décor, or the clientele, or the jacket-and-tie requirement that would supply the shock; it would be the menu, which boasts a $25 hamburger.

That's a lot more than a patty of ground beef runs at the local grocery store, but when you think about it, is the beef really overpriced?

A steak at the Prime Rib runs about $45, and besides the restaurant's signature shaved horseradish, that doesn't include a salad, baked potato, or any side dishes.

It's expensive, but so is producing that corn-fed cut of meat.

Not even taking into account the food distributor, the butcher, or even the cost and heartache of raising the cow, $25 for a tasty burger isn't so out of whack when you think about all it takes just for the cow to be corn-fed.

The process begins in the winter when the farmer decides whether or not to even plant corn—a hard decision that is largely based on price outlook.

Then there's the trip to the bank for a seven-figure loan; cultivating the field; purchasing seed; planting seed; protecting seedlings from insects and weeds; fertilizer application; pollination, which will largely determine the crop's success; countless trips through the fields to check the crop's progress and deal with unforeseen problems; harvest; drying and storing the corn; marketing the crop; transporting the corn to the buyer; and finally repaying the bank with interest.

If everything goes just right and prices are up, the farmer can hope to see a 10% return on investment, estimates Steve Yoder, a corn grower from Dalhart, Texas.

Of course, things never go quite right. "Each year starts out with hope and the dream of a perfect, profitable year," Yoder explains. "But before the seed sprouts, that balloon has usually burst."

Farming is risky by its definition, and according to Yoder, "We're always one bad storm away from a disastrous year." He recalls a single hailstorm a few years back that came just as the corn plants were pollinating.

"Walking around town, it was like there was a death in a family," he said. "The storm hurt everyone. It ruined the season's crop and stalled the town's economy."

Just this year, hundreds of corn farmers in Minnesota had to forgo harvest because of too much rain, electing instead to keep the crop in the field throughout the winter in hopes of salvaging a sliver of silage once the snow melted.

And even when Mother Nature cooperates and a bumper crop is realized, that trim 10% profit margin is shrinking. That's because the cost of farming is steadily rising.

A new combine with the corn attachment for harvest now costs around $350,000. A seeder to plant the crop: 175,000. The tractor to pull the seeder: $250,000. The sprayer to beat back pests and weeds: $250,000.

That doesn't even count the fuel needed to run it all, the money for seed and inputs to spread on the land, or the ever-growing expense of hiring workers to make the farm hum. And these are often the priciest line items in a farmer's balance sheet.

Factor it all in, and a $45 steak sounds about right. Of course, that cut of beef is so expensive because it has the Prime Rib name attached. The farmer's share is still about 84 cents.