This year, grocery store prices will be higher from a year ago. But USDA economists say the increases won’t be nearly as bad as last year.
Economist Matt MacLacklan predicts an increase of about 6% this year. “Without a major change in trends, we don’t expect to be going over 6%", he said. “For food at home, we are expecting prices increases to be between 4.4 and 6.1%. Right now, year to date, if we were to take just the average prices we have observed from July, we’re at 4.8% compared to 2022.”
Food shoppers last year saw grocery prices increase 11.5% from the previous year. The 6% estimate for this year is on top of that increase, as prices have not come down.
For next year, USDA estimates prices will increase another 2%.
Scouts say yields are landing close to USDA projections as they monitor drought pressure and abandonment concerns.
U.S. Wheat Associates is expanding into global fish feed markets, with early gains in South America and new opportunities emerging in Ecuador’s shrimp industry.
Cattle analysts say the U.S. beef cattle herd rebuild still faces major hurdles despite some minor positive signals noted in certain regions.
The Unger family says the operation focuses on land stewardship and on keeping more Hawaii-raised beef on the islands.
Dr. Robert Ellis joins us to discuss economic challenges in agriculture, available resources for farmers, and ways producers can evaluate practices to strengthen their operations.
While there is no guarantee a House vote will happen today, the measure has officially been placed on the congressional calendar.