As Americans prepare to celebrate Independence Day with family gatherings and festive cookouts, the National Farmers Union released its updated Farmer’s Share of the Food Dollar for items typically enjoyed during a Fourth of July cookout. These figures reveal how much family farmers earn compared to what consumers pay at the grocery store.
The iconic cheeseburger, a staple of many July 4th celebrations, is a prime example. For each dollar spent at retail on the components of a cheeseburger — beef patty, bun, cheese, onion, lettuce, and tomato — family farmers receive only a small fraction. Similarly, other popular cookout items like potato salad and potato chips also reflect a minimal share of the farmers who produce the raw ingredients.
The American Farm Bureau Federation’s recent cookout survey reported that Independence Day cookouts will cost $71.22 for 10 guests this year. The grocery bill is up 5 percent from 2023 and almost 30 percent from just five years ago.
Although historically high at $7.12 per person, when put in a global context, Americans dedicate a smaller percentage of their spending to food than any other country.
“When consumers stock up on their favorite Independence Day cookout essentials this year, they’re likely to notice increased costs for certain products. These increased costs are not reflected in what America’s family farmers and ranchers are paid,” NFU President Rob Larew emphasizes, “Decades of mergers and acquisitions have resulted in agriculture and food supply chains that are not only uncompetitive and fragile but also fail to fairly compensate farmers. Corporate monopolies control the vast majority of the processing, distribution, and marketing of our food, and dominate the market for crop inputs, seeds, and farm machinery.”
»Related: AFBF: Summer cookout survey shows record high prices