Local Food

Is Food Inflation Heating Up July 4th Grills?

Wed, 25 Jun 2025 17:44:50 GMT

Two industry reports are shining a light on the cost of a July 4^th barbecue.

The economists at Wells Fargo calculate an at-home holiday party for 10 will cost $130. The menu includes chicken breasts, beef sliders, hot dogs, fresh fruit, a vegetable platter, potato salad, corn bread, cake, apple pie, ice cream, beer, wine and soda.

Dr. Michael Swanson, chief agricultural economist within Wells Fargo’s Agri-Food Institute, says year-over-year food inflation is 2.2%.

For notable food prices from the July 4^th report, he cites the following:

Ground beef: Up 7.4%
Boneless chicken breasts: Up 1%
Watermelon and strawberries: Down 0.6%
Potatoes: Up 1%
Egg prices: Up 40%
Ice cream (1.5 quart): Up less than 1%

Swanson says beef prices year over year have been running 6% to 8% higher.

“When you talk to somebody who’s a processor or a packer, there’s not a part of the cow that moves independent from the other parts of the cow so it’s all right in that category 6% to 8% on a year over year basis the last couple of months based on CPI,” he says.

He says for cost-savings, chicken offers the greatest opportunities in the protein category.

“When you look at the composite pricing from USDA, it’s right around $2.42 to $2.45 a pound — including everything from wings and breasts,” he says.

As for hot dogs, Swanson says the blend inside the casing will drive the price.

“If you go with the all-beef frankfurters, yes, they’re up substantially. If you look for a sausage or bratwurst that has a blend of pork and beef in it, you’re probably finding a much better bargain. Pork has been pretty flat year over year,” he says.

Swanson says the effects of highly pathogenic avian influenza are still being reflected in higher egg prices for menu items such as deviled eggs and salads.

As for ice cream, Swanson says the increase in cost is being attributed to additional labor expense in production.

“We’re seeing a little bit of inflation in that category, but just very modest. We have a good supply of cream and milk in the country right now. The dairymen are doing wel. So, what that reflects is kind of that cost of transformation,” he says.

Wells Fargo uses NeilsenIQ data for its analysis.

American Farm Bureau Market Basket Survey
Using its annual survey, The American Farm Bureau Federation says this year’s food prices are resulting in the second-highest cost for an at-home July 4^th barbecue since 2013 when the survey began.

“High prices don’t mean more money for farmers, however. Farmers are price takers, not price makers. Their share of the food retail dollar is just 15%. The cost of running their farm is up — from labor and transportation to taxes,” says AFBF associate economist Samantha Ayoub.

Per AFBF, this year’s cost for an Independence Day cookout will cost $70.92 for 10 people. Included in the calculations are cheeseburgers, chicken breasts, pork chops, potato salad, strawberries and ice cream.

Last year was the highest cost found by the survey at $7.39 per person.

Year-over-year retail price increases in 2025 include:

2 lb. of ground beef: Up 4.4% to $13.33
Pork and beans: Up 20¢ to $2.69
Potato salad: Up 6.6% to $3.54

Notable reductions, compared to 2024, in food prices per the survey were:

3 lb. package of pork chops: Down 8.8% to $14.13
Chips: Down 10¢ to $4.80 a bag
Hamburger buns: Down 2.6% to $2.35

Next-Gen Spotlight: Lindsay Baneck Is In the Business of Selling Memories

Wed, 17 Apr 2024 16:51:43 GMT

Lindsay Baneck grew up on her family’s farm about halfway between Madison and Milwaukee. Her parents are first generation operators growing corn, soybeans, wheat and hay. They also keep roughly 70 head of Angus cows. Along with the traditional operation, they run Jelli ’ s Market , a direct-to-consumer, U-pick produce business selling strawberries, blueberries and sweet corn, and more recently they added an orchard with a neighbor. After attending college, Baneck chose to return to the farm full time. As a manager, at 32 years old she has her eyes on the future.

How did you decide to come back to the farm?
I think deep down I always knew I wanted to come back and be involved somehow. Going to college at the University of Wisconsin-River Falls opened my eyes to the fact we have something special here on our farm. My dad talked to me when I was finishing up school. He said, “hey, you know, you’re welcome here. You don’t have to be here, but you are welcome here.”

What’s the best advice you’ve ever gotten about running a farm?
You can’t change the weather, but you can change your attitude. That’s something that we always live by. I mean, it’s basically, just about being positive. In 2019, my mom’s heart stopped beating and so she is now dealing with a brain injury. Luckily, she’s still here with us, but I had to assume her responsibilities.
I think going through everything with her was a life changing experience. That gave me a different outlook on life. If we can survive that then I can handle a drought or a hailstorm. You can get upset about things that are inevitable but at the end of the day, being healthy and having your family around is the most important thing.

What was the hardest part of getting started in farming?
The biggest thing I had to adapt to was my age. A lot of times people in the industry didn’t respect me because I was young. It helped people respect my dad, but I had to make a name for myself. I’m his daughter, but I might do things a little differently than he does. We have a lot of the same ideas and goals, but we also have different ideas and goals.

What goals do you have for the future?
I have a two-year-old daughter and I want to make sure that I start integrating her in this business. My older sister has a son and so I want to get him interested in the farm. I’m focused on setting our farm up for success so that if they want to take over someday then things are ready. All my goals are geared toward success and sustainability. That’s a huge word these days but for me, sustainability is making sure that our farm is profitable and set up to be passed on to the next generation.

What is the hardest part of working directly with consumers?
Communication is key. We have a Facebook page for our produce farm. We try to communicate as much as we can but that’s a full-time job in itself. There are so many people who are not connected to farms anymore, and I think they romanticize the idea of being on a farm. We’re getting so far removed from the farm that people are craving that experience. Those of us in this industry have to communicate with them but I also need to do chores, be a mom, go spray the strawberries, and make sure my employees are getting paid. How do I do all those things in a day and not lose my mind? That’s a huge struggle but I also remember, you have to communicate with your consumers because if you don’t, they’re not going to come buy your stuff.

What is your farm’s biggest opportunity?
Our biggest opportunity is getting consumers connected to the farm. I heard the other day agritourism is selling memories. People want those memories. Everybody’s concerned about input costs these days. Getting people connected to you really doesn’t require a ton of “input costs” on your end. It requires time and effort, but it’s not going to break the bank to get people out there to spend their money on your farm.

How do you use technology on the farm?
With our specialty crops, like strawberries, raspberries, and blueberries, there’s a lot of manual labor that goes into it. So, I am ready for the robots. When they’re affordable, I will have all the robots, all the droids, and all of the drones. I’m all for it. With the drones, my dad just said we’re getting one. It’s going to spray for us because we can’t get helicopters for fungicide around here anymore. So, my dad is riding that train and I’m like, let’s do it!

What advice would you give other young farmers?
Don’t be afraid to ask for help. I think there’s a mindset with the older generation that everything has to be a secret and you can’t ask for help. You don’t need to give everybody your life story and you don’t need to tell them your financials but if you need help with something, ask for help. Somebody out there can be a sounding board for you and so use people. People are OK.

Building a Sustainable Farm that Feeds and Educates in PR

Sun, 13 Aug 2023 12:00:00 GMT

By Efrén David Robles: Manati, Puerto Rico

The major crop on our farm in Puerto Rico is education and promoting the economic development of our island through agriculture.

We of course grow food for people to eat. That’s what farmers do, and our farm in Manati on the north central coast supplies our island’s gastronomic market with lots of leafy plants like lettuce, kale, arugula, cilantro, and pac choi, plus peppers, radishes, carrots, eggplants, mangos, and much more.

Our top customers are local restaurants, hotels, and a supermarket chain called La hacienda meat center.

Yet we also see ourselves as an educational organization whose mission is to advance economic development and sustainability through agro-tourism.

I grew up in a home with animals and plants, but we weren’t commercial farmers. Many people in my generation worked in the pharmaceutical and the bio-pharmaceutical industry, along with thousands of other Puerto Ricans. My wife was one of them. During a course to renew her chemist’s license, she learned about hydroponics and how this method of agriculture could support restaurants.

We had a piece of land that was well-suited for this kind of project, so we met with a couple of chefs, asked them what they needed, and started our farm and with friends created a collective farmer network that would supply the local market. We call our farm Frutos del Guacabo , which is named in honor of Chief Guacabó, an indigenous leader from the Taino period of history. His people were some of Puerto Rico’s original farmers.

Today, Puerto Rico imports about 85 percent of its food. While it’s good to be a part of a global food system, we believe that our island can do better. At Frutos del Guacabo, we are committed to the local economy and a farm-to-table strategy that allows us to meet the needs of the nearby gastronomic and cocktail scene.

We are also visible. We enjoy showing people what we do and how we work, inviting guests to come to our farm, an agro-culinary canvas, and see our operation firsthand. We call it “lunch and learn”, where we support a sustainable farm-to-table platform by producing and educating directly on a working farm. Consider this an open invitation to you for a tour, a meal, and an educational experience.

Many of our visitors are students from our area, and it’s important for them to see agriculture and an opportunity. We also receive people from around the world, including the global culinary community. Some are day-trippers who arrive on cruise ships that dock in San Juan. Others are spending more time on the island. They include chefs, bartenders, nutritionists, church groups, and summer campers.

What they witness is a small farm of incredible versatility, as we produce a wide range of products, including many seasonal crops. At workshops and culinary events, they watch and participate in the making of goat cheese, jams, and preserves. This shows how we not only raise plants, but we add value to the harvest product.

They also see our sustainability, which involves making the most of everything we have. For example, we squeeze passion fruit into juice, in a process that leaves behind the seeds. Yet we don’t discard the seeds. Instead, we caramelize them, allowing them to become crunchy textures in desserts. We do something similar with the skins of oranges. And after we use the fruit of pineapples to make jam, we ferment the skin to make hot sauces.

We want nothing to go to waste.

Best of all, however, is that visitors see our business model, which involves keeping our ears to the ground, listening to our customers, and responding to their needs with locally grown food. Puerto Rico is an island that imports about 85 percent of our overall consumption, but we have a climate and soils that allow us to grow a variety of products.

One of my hopes for my little farm is to demonstrate that not only can we supply local customers, but also to help Puerto Rican expand its food exports beyond the rum that has led the way for so long.

The value of this local production is creating a positive impact with a triple bottom line: A positive social impact. A positive economic impact. Increased food access and availability for all Puerto Ricans.

Farming is our family business and the axel of the agriculture ecosystem we are working in. We will never forget our first customers in our local market—and the educational value of showing how this commitment can allow a small farm to flourish with sustainable farming practices and a focus on knowledge transfer.

Efrén David Robles, with his family and team, grow herbs, fruits, vegetables and specialty products on their farm, Frutos del Guacabo, located in Manatí in north-central Puerto Rico. To their community, the farm also offers educational opportunities for visitors and society in general. Efrén is a member of the Global Farmer Network. This column originates at www.globalfarmernetwork.org