Posted July 22, 200618 yr Farmers lose as shoppers win Supply-and-demand issues cut cost of groceries Saturday, July 22, 2006 Monique Curet THE COLUMBUS DISPATCH Grocery shopping might be a little easier on your wallet these days, but your savings can pinch farmers. The total cost of 16 basic grocery items decreased 1.5 percent in the second quarter of this year compared with the same period last year, according to the American Farm Bureau Federation Marketbasket Survey. And in central Ohio, Giant Eagle, Kroger and Meijer recently announced price reductions at their stores. "It tightens up our bottom line and makes it a little tougher," said Bill Sexten, a Fayette County farmer who also is president of the Ohio Cattlemen’s Association. More at: http://dispatch.com/business-story.php?story=dispatch/2006/07/22/20060722-C1-00.html
July 22, 200618 yr But an interesting phenomenon is happening in Ohio and many Midwest states. There are a growing number (no pun) of small "hobby" farmers who have found that raising fresh produce or livestock can be a money-maker. Many are selling their goods at small farmer's markets and even selling their products to small, independent grocers. I was at the weekly farmer's market in my neighborhood (Clintonville) in Columbus this morning and not only walked away with fresh sweet corn, green beans, green onions, eggs and some baked goods (all organically or naturally grown and all by local farmers).... but I also put my dollars directly in the hands of those who produced it. They may not be getting rich, but from what they tell me, they are making a profit that at least supplements what they make on their full-time jobs. I've talked a to a few who actually do this full-time and they say they do okay.
July 23, 200618 yr That's really interesting because there are more farmers over the age of 65 than there are farmers under 35. Farmers that make decent money usually have another source of income. 2002 Illinois farm income: Returns for a farmer?s labor and management were highest on grain farms, followed by dairy, beef, and hog farms. The average figure was $15,677 on grain farms, $12,760 on dairy farms, negative-$11,509 on beef farms, and a negative-$15,839 on hog farms. http://www.aces.uiuc.edu/news/stories/news2286.html
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