Secretary Addresses Food and Energy Prices
Vilsack says many factors are contributing to higher food prices.
Compiled by staff
Published: Mar 28, 2011
Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack addressed food and energy prices in a statement Friday. According to the Secretary energy costs are up, not only gas for cars and trucks, but for tractors, combines, semis, ships, trains and cranes, all of the vehicles that help get food from the farm to our tables. Refrigeration, packaging, processing and marketing also contribute to the final food cost in a grocery store or restaurant. Meanwhile, costs for fertilizer, animal feed, and equipment are up for family farmers and ranchers across the country.
Vilsack said that out of every dollar a consumer spends on food, less than 16 cents goes to a farm or agricultural business. So while many farmers have weathered the recession and are earning strong incomes, not all farm families are doing as well as they might. Small and mid-sized operations in particular continue to struggle.
"Thankfully, U.S. farmers are the most productive in the world," Vilsack said. "They have embraced science and new farming technologies to produce about twice as much per acre as they did 50 years ago. This record productivity has helped keep food affordable for American families. The average American household spends between 6% and 7% of its income on food, while residents of nearly every other country in the world pay substantially more."
Vilsack said history shows that food prices will rise and will fall. As we weather this period of price fluctuation together, know that America's farmers are working every day to provide your family with the highest quality, most affordable food anywhere in the world.
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Tagged: farm, fertilizer, farming, tractors, energy costs
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