The American Farm Bureau Federation’s Fall Harvest Marketbasket Survey shows the total cost of 16 food items that can be used to prepare one or more meals was $49.70, down $4.40 or 8% compared to a survey conducted a year ago.

The informal survey shows of the 16 items surveyed, 13 decreased and three increased in average price.

Related: AFBF Spring Picnic Marketbasket shows slight price decrease

Egg prices dropped significantly due to production recovering well from the 2014 avian influenza, according to John Newton, AFBF director, market intelligence. Milk prices are down substantially from prior years, particularly compared to record-highs in 2014, due to the current global dairy surplus.

Using the “food at home and away from home” percentage across-the-board, the farmer’s share of this $49.70 marketbasket survey would be approximately $8.45. (Photo: Choreograph/Thinkstock)

“For all commodities in agriculture there is a lot of product on hand and prices are depressed,” Newton explained.

The following items showed retail price decreases from a year ago:
-Eggs, down 51% to $1.48 dozen
-Chicken breast, down 16% to $2.86 per pound
-Sirloin tip roast, down 11% to $5.04 per pound
-Shredded cheddar, down 10% to $4.09 per pound
-Whole milk, down 10% to $2.84 per gallon
-Ground chuck, down 9% to $4.13 per pound
-Toasted oat cereal, down 9% to $2.80 for a nine-ounce box
-Vegetable oil, down 9% to $2.39 for a 32-ounce bottle
-Flour, down 7% to $2.21 per five-pound bag
-White bread, down 7% to $1.58 for a 20-ounce loaf
-Orange juice, down 5% to $3.26 per half-gallon
-Bacon, down 3% to $4.40 per pound
-Sliced deli ham, down less than 1% to $5.45

These items showed moderate retail price increases compared to a year ago:
-Bagged salad, up 16% to $2.85 per pound
-Apples, up 10% to $1.59 per pound
-Potatoes, up 3% to $2.73 for a 5-pound bag

“Dry conditions in the Northeast and Northwest the last few years likely contributed to smaller supplies and higher retail prices for apples,” Newton said. In addition, he said salad prices are up due to lower output in the West, particularly in California and Arizona.

Price checks of alternative milk and egg choices not included in the overall marketbasket survey average revealed the following: 1/2 gallon regular milk, $1.86; 1/2 gallon organic milk, $4.26; and one dozen “cage-free” eggs, $3.48.

The year-to-year direction of the marketbasket survey tracks with the federal government’s Consumer Price Index report for food at home. As retail grocery prices have increased gradually over time, the share of the average food dollar that America’s farm and ranch families receive has dropped.

“Through the mid-1970s, farmers received about one-third of consumer retail food expenditures for food eaten at home and away from home, on average. Since then, that figure has decreased steadily and is now about 17%, according to the Agriculture Department’s revised Food Dollar Series,” Newton said.

Using the “food at home and away from home” percentage across-the-board, the farmer’s share of this $49.70 marketbasket would be approximately $8.45.

AFBF began conducting informal quarterly marketbasket surveys of retail food price trends in 1989. The series includes a Spring Picnic survey, Summer Cookout survey, Fall Harvest survey and Thanksgiving survey.

According to USDA, Americans spend just under 10% of their disposable annual income on food, the lowest average of any country in the world. A total of 59 shoppers in 26 states participated in the latest survey, conducted in September.

Source: AFBF