How have inflation rates affected local farmers?

Alexander Ross, 28, began his venture in agriculture right before the pandemic. Located in Diamond, Ohio, Moon Farm is a self-operated business started in February 2020. Ross built a greenhouse for the company in May of 2020 to sell products year round. 

Ross chooses to sell his products consisting of leafy greens, eggs, and produce at local farmers markets. He is also part of an online farmers market where people can subscribe to receive produce packages. Once somebody is a subscriber, people can purchase other items from his farm.

 

“Basically, subscribers get a bundle of produce that is based on what’s currently in season every week,” Ross said. “The hybrid part of that is that they then get access to our online farmers market where you can order extra things that we deliver. No extra charge with their subscription bundle.”

Ross is continuing to deliver products, as it is the most popular option, all while producing and maintaining his greenhouse by himself. He recently opened up a roadside stand, but does not plan on having his farm open to the public. He said with fluctuating prices it is hard to have a helping hand, paying friends with pizza every once in a while for help. 

Farmers across the country are facing unpredictable cost rates of products and delays. According to the United States Department of Agriculture, the cost of production in farming with high inflation rates has projected to increase by 11.8% since 2021. Many factors such as fuel, supply and demand, and product increases have played a part in affecting local farmers’ production.

 

Lizette Barton, 41, owner and operator of Barton Farms in Randolph Township, said she has had problems getting her usual products for the right prices. Things like the vegan sugar she used to buy has almost tripled in price. With things slowing down in production for the winter, she had to opt for more expensive products in order to keep her business going.

“The cost, like jars and lids for us, went up. We luckily bought as prices were really going up last year and we were able to get an okay deal on two pallets,” Barton said. “It was a huge cost for us at the time, but we are glad we did because the price has just continued to rise this season.”

Barton’s expenses do not stop there, she likes to sell her jams, jelly and produce at local farmers markets. Although a few are relatively close, she has to travel up to an hour for some, which has taken a toll paying for the constantly rising gas. 

“We go to Woolf Farms, which is a vendor at the farmers market,  and they are in Salem, which is about a 45-minute drive from us,” Barton said. “We go to Dillon Fruit Farm in Lisbon, which is about an hour. So the gas was a lot.” 

Gas prices are something Ross said has affected him as well. He projects he goes through around 50 gallons of gas a week while making his deliveries. Traveling as far as Pittsburgh, he said an extra $150 he could be using towards improvement to get used on gas. 

“That’s the difference between being able to hire a part-time employee or not,” Ross said. “So you know, I may not be losing a bunch of money on high prices, but I also can’t grow like I want to, because I can’t afford to hire somebody.”

 

Spending money on gas or giving up local products are only some of the challenges these local farmers have to deal with. Danielle Morgan, 34, who took over her family business, Brockett Family Farm, around 2014, said she is struggling with delays and pricing adjustments.

She works a full-time job in agricultural tech and along with her husband, dedicates time to take care of the livestock, works on marketing their business and attends local farmers’ markets. 

Morgan’s farm specializes in producing turkey meat and one of the issues she is facing is the new, slow processing appointments. 

“I think all of next year was booked for the past six months for some of our processors,” Morgan said.  “So at times, we’re making processing appointments for animals we don’t even have yet, that aren’t even born yet. And not only has that affected us as a farmer, but I know it’s affected the processor as well.” 

She said they now have to make appointments several weeks in advance to the point where people would forget about their appointment. She said some of her processors were booked up this past year for six months at times. 

 

With processing prices going up on top of the costs of goods, Morgan said they are lucky to have other jobs outside the farm, otherwise they would run into more money issues. She said with Thanksgiving right around the corner, she had a hard time balancing the price differences. 

 

“We set our Thanksgiving prices for our Thanksgiving birds back in, I think June or July,” Morgan said. “Well, feed costs had already gone up and then our processing costs went up after we had set our prices. So it’s been tough because we’re setting prices based off of costs that we don’t know.”

Despite the challenges, each owner said there are positives to the increase in prices. Ross said his prices used to be much higher than store bought produce, but with the rising food costs he now has a chance to compete with pricing.

“You know, right now, romaine lettuce is insanely expensive, I think Giant Eagle is asking $5 a head,” Ross said. “Well, I’ve got romaine lettuce, and I don’t have to pay for a truck to ship it across the country with $6 a gallon diesel and, you know. I’m not paying for nitrogen to dump onto my field.”

The United States Department of Agriculture reports despite the production rate, farmers are seeing a projected net farm income increase of 7.2% in 2022, being at its highest level since 1973.  

Ross said he is seeing a lot more people consider shopping with him and supporting farms considering prices are comparable now. 

Barton also said she has had much support from the community for her business which has been getting her through the inflation craze. She said she hopes people will consider buying from local farmers considering their prices aren’t so far from what people are buying in the grocery store. She said instead of going to a grocery store to get a carton of eggs, look for fresh eggs from your local farmers market that are the same price. 

“That’s a great way to support a local farmer, and you’re getting a superior product for either the same or even lower cost than grocery. I hope more people will look to more local food options.”

 

Local farmers have a hot take on how inflation rates have affected their business. From price increases, to production changes, each have a story of how they adapted to new normals. https://t.co/fjQvcwGo9v

— Lucy Connolly (@_lucy_connolly_) November 16, 2022