Noticed the Food Price increases?

[JTE83]

What food items in your area increased in price? In Houston I didn't notice much of a change in food prices. Only Church's Chicken 3 pc special going from $1.99 to $2.49, it's $2.69 in other cities! And Waffle House stopped giving both Grits and Hash browns in their omelet special - it's now only either choice. Groceries are still way cheap here!

But it's in Chicago where I noticed big increases in food prices. I visited my favorite 2 pig out restaurants and they increased their prices. $3.60 2 Taco special with Orchata went up to $4.30. Quarter Dark chicken special went from $4.60 to $5.10! Aldi dry milk powder went up from $6.99 a box to $12.99! 25 lb rice bag went from $10.95 to $22.95!

My mom and aunt don't each much rice now and changed their rice diet! And they unexpectedly lost weight!

 

[ClemmonsHoo]

I started shopping at Whole Foods, and buying all organic and such when I noticed that it wasn't any more expensive than the chain stores around here. I don't buy any processed foods really, so mostly just stuff like fresh produce, meats, beans, avocados, spelt bread, etc. But just in the last week I noticed that instead of raising prices, they have cut the size of the produce bunches in half. For instance, it now takes two bunches of chard or kale to fill a bag where last week it only took one. The other stores around here tho have really raised prices a lot on almost everything. I'd say probably 20% since the first of the year.

PREDICTION: The future of food production in the US will revert back to locally owned small farms and backyard gardens over the next several years. It no longer makes economic sense to mono-farm and then transport the goods thousands of miles.

HOPE: Our govt will kill ethanol subsidies.

 

[Farmguy]

PREDICTION: The future of food production in the US will revert back to locally owned small farms and backyard gardens over the next several years. It no longer makes economic sense to mono-farm and then transport the goods thousands of miles.

HOPE: Our govt will kill ethanol subsidies.

I'm willing to bet that the future will be bigger farms, as a farmer for over 40 yrs I have a little experience in the field. Equipment has gotten so expensive that you have to cover thousands of acres to justify a new tractor/harvester etc. Labor is a killer and the smaller farms need more man power, the more labor you have, then you get killed on medical, worker protection etc etc. Small locally owned farms CANNOT produce the amount of food needed to feed the worlds. We (the world) currently has less than a 60 day supply of grain on hand at any time, 10 yrs ago we had 90-120. We have the same amount of acres under production that we did in the 50's, yet we produce 30% more food. Smaller farms will slow production.
Ground/acres will have to be protected as well as new acres brought into production to keep our food source stable until new genetic's are bred into plants to increase the plants ability to bear more. Organics will not make it except for a niche market, for mass production it is just too expensive.

 

[Powerful Pete]

Interesting your approach on the issue of large farms.

I work in the agricultural/rural development field. In many countries where I work my institution's have found that there is no need for each individual farmer to own all the equipment necessary for his own farm - often it makes more sense for some kind of a cooperative to own, maintain and rent out equipment as necessary.

If we are to address the issue of food safety and quality, you may find that higher quality products sometimes do better with smaller farms. On things like wheat or other cereals, obviously larger farms are the way to go, but we are all of course skirting around the farm subsidy issue... don't get me started on this.

 

[Farmguy]

I agree, most any time you increase the size of a operation/farm quality will suffer as you no longer have the owner with a hands on harvest. Hired help is in it for a paycheck, the owner is in it for the best product he can produce and he will see the results as he sells. However, as mechanical harvesters get more widely used and more advanced even with your smaller specialty crops quality will get better. Laser machines to check for stages of growth in small fruits and vegetables for example.
A machine that may cost $ 250,000-$500,000 and will stay in use for several years with no sick days can replace a crew of 70-80 labors. ( just rough numbers) The economics will drive most growers to that way of harvest, even if it means a co-op owning the machine and instead of the small grower. As soon as that happens, you have the same thing as a big corporate farm, just a bunch of small ones banding together to buy big machines. Same results, just different structure.

We have just went that route this year, buyer buys the crop standing and he takes all harvest risks, rain or shine, the crop is his.We have 3 machines for harvest, he shows up with 24-30, our 5 day harvest is his 6 hour harvest. At the end of the year we gain 1/2-3/4 tons per acre as the water was able to get turned back on that much faster, less stress to the plants.