Mishedlo, PPI Anecdote,
Is the housing boom is responsible for high vegetable prices?
Finished foods prices fell 1.1%, with large declines in beef, pork and seafood offsetting a large increase in vegetable prices
I've noticed over the years the price of vegetables often drop when they are in season in the US. Plenty of folks 20-30-40 years ago had vegetable gardens and prices tended to drop just when their crops came in. Just went grocery shopping with the wife the other day and said to her "look, the prices on potatoes, tomatoes, lettuce, etc., they haven't dropped like they usually do this time of year".
One thing you don't see in our area is very many vegetable gardens, not anymore. Thousands and thousands of new suburban homes in developments, no gardens there. Thousands and thousands of new condos on the edge of city and town and no gardens there either.
Perhaps in many of the developments, gardens are forbidden as too gauche for the neighborhood. But even at the new large Mansion like homes sitting on acres of ground sprouting up on farmland there are no vegetable gardens, and for some reason, not even many flower gardens. Vegetable gardens are found only in the small country villages.
Apparently we have outsourced our vegetable gardens also over the last ten years or so.
I haven't tried to dig up any data (though I have dug up some potatoes), but I am willing to bet there are more vegetarians in this country than there are gardeners.
So we are and will be enjoying our organically grown vegetables more than usual this year, as at last there is a substantial price incentive besides the other benefits!
Thanks PPI and all the housing boomers, ggg.
Best,
Roebear |
