Why I'm paying more at the grocery store.......

There are a couple of articles circulating on the internet about rising food prices and I wanted to link to them here in case you all aren't reading the same material I am. 

This piece in BusinessWeek explains why we aren't seeing the serious price spikes in prepared/processed food when compared to fresh produce and meat items.  The meats I buy have gone up at least 25% in the last six months, and it looks like next year will be really painful, as most livestock growers are taking their herds to market early because they can't afford to feed them.  That will leave less supply in the pipeline for '09, causing prices to rise again.  Egg prices are also escalating for much the same reason:  feed costs are skyrocketing, so growers aren't adding to their flocks.  Next year, lower supply=higher price. 

The second article I came across today via Dry Creek Chronicles.  It is a more personal story about a family farm in upstate NY and their struggle to bring input costs under control and make their business model work.  If you don't read the first article, please do read this one through.  The profits being made at the corporate level for these agribusiness food manufacturers are profane. 

Our chicken feed has gone up 100% in the 15 months we've had chickens.  When I rolled into the feed store lot last week for my bi-weekly stock-up, I was alerted to another 10% increase that will take hold this week.  This increase is 90 cents worth of fuel surcharges and 10 cents worth of actual feed.  Incredible.  All of you nice people who bought my eggs last fall at $2.00/dozen, let's hold onto the memories because at this rate, we'll never see that low level again.

And it's getting dry up here again.  We've been watering from the pond all week, running the gas-powered generator to fuel the pump to access the water.  If it rains, at least the water is free.  At this rate, we're paying for gas everywhere we look!

So when Publix runs a buy one/get one free on boxed pasta, my advice is to stock up.  Buy me a couple extras, too.  We like the bowtie shapes.