Your summer cookout could cost you more this year. That’s coming up on This Land of Ours.
The American Farm Bureau Federation’s 2024 summer cookout survey revealed record high prices.
“The largest price increases in the survey were for ground beef, which was up 11 percent, and lemonade, which was up 12 percent. The good news here is that we do have two items that went down in price,” said Farm Bureau economist Bernt Nelson. “The price of chicken breasts is down four percent as cases of high path avian influenza have decreased and chicken populations have recovered from the 2022 avian influenza outbreak. Our potato salad ingredients are four percent less expensive this year, even though egg prices are elevated above historic averages.”
Nelson says consumers are feeling the pinch of larger grocery bills.
“We have to note the record-high costs. We’re up 30 percent in just five years. This is causing some serious stress for consumers. That’s a big jump, and it’s forcing folks to make difficult decisions about the food they consume,” he said. “It’s also important to put this data in a global context, because Americans spend a smaller percentage of their money on food than most other countries in the world.”
Sabrina Halvorson
National Correspondent / AgNet Media, Inc.
Sabrina Halvorson is an award-winning journalist, broadcaster, and public speaker who specializes in agriculture. She primarily reports on legislative issues and hosts The AgNet Weekly podcast. Sabrina is a native of California’s agriculture-rich Central Valley.