Lots of talk of inflation lately. Prices getting pushed up all over the place, but how does this happen? Even little Lida Farm is not immune from the pressures – we’re just one example of how this is coming about.
For over the last 10 years I’ve sold sweet corn at 50 cents an ear ($6 per dozen). Before that we were at 3 ears/dollar or $4 per dozen…that was around 2004-2008. I liked 50 cents an ear. I could more easily do the math at a farmers market and people weren’t locked into a dozen pricing. It was simple, straightforward, easy math. Now I’m back to making change with quarters and doing math in my head at the Pelican Market on Fridays – I’d like to think it keeps my brain healthy like doing crosswords. So, why would I want to make my life difficult?
Well, as a producer, prices jumped on me. At the farm we’re just as affected as anybody by the price of fuel, but we also saw a doubling of fertilizer costs, seeds go up by a third, and other inputs like compost go up together with the shipping necessary to get it here. Something had to budge and so we upped prices.
I think there’s some psychology to why we moved prices now, not unlike others. Because all other food prices were increasing around us, it became much easier to increase our own prices. Snickers bars have now broken $2. I’d like to think a person is getting more from an ear of fresh corn, which, if you put into head-to-head comparison with the Snickers is a downright bargain at 75 cents!
Where will it end? I don’t know for others, but for Lida Farm there’s nothing that will push a price higher this season – we’re not incurring any new price hikes that would affect us.
In the box:
- Sweet Corn
- Sweet Onions
- Salad mix
- Carrots
- Melon – farmers choice: There’s a mix of melons getting ripe, so many will get a Torpedo Korean Melon (yellow with white stripes), but some will get a cantaloupe or yellow watermelon.
- Mint
- Cucumber
- Tomatoes
- Green Pepper
Lida Farm 