On the Farm Grocery Price Tracker: What Are You Paying Less For?

HOLLINS, Va. ( WFXR ) — Part of what we do with our On the Farm reporting is to bridge the gap between farmers and consumers. The prices we all pay to put food on our tables are affected by what happens on farms around the world.

Since January, WFXR News has tracked the prices of four basic staples that might be found on the menu for an average family of four. For the sake of consistency, the prices are checked at the same grocery store in the Hollins area the first week of every new quarter.

Those staples and their current prices are:

• Four Pack Bone-In Chicken Thighs $2.49/Pound
• Bagged Salad $3.49/12 Ounce Bag
• Packaged Pre-Cooked Rice $1.59/8 Ounce Package
• Fresh Green Beans $2.99/12 Ounce Package

There have been price swings through the year, but how has that compared to the prices we recorded in January?

• Four Pack Bone-In Chicken Thighs $2.49/Pound
• Bagged Salad $3.49/12 Ounce Bag
• Packaged Pre-Cooked Rice $2.99/8 Ounce Package
• Fresh Green Beans $2.99/12 Ounce Package

For the most part, grocery prices have stayed the same. That mirrors federal inflation numbers, which show the rate of inflation slowing and stabilizing.

The biggest price difference since the start of the year has been the cost of that prepackaged rice. It has fallen $1.40 per package. A lot of that has to do with export restrictions being lifted by India and Pakistan. Those restrictions had limited the supply of rice.

As for farmers, while inflation has created higher prices, that does not necessarily mean farmers are making more on what they produce. That same inflation has driven up input costs for things like fertilizer, feed, fuel, and a host of other things vital to farming, and that has cut into the bottom line of producers. In addition, when weather affects crops and yields go down, it may create higher demand and higher prices, but farmers have less product to sell, and that usually translates into less cash for them.

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