“For every dollar Americans spend on Thanksgiving meals this year, farmers and ranchers will earn approximately 14.3 cents,” says the National Farmers Union.
“Ordinarily, Thanksgiving is a time to gather with our loved ones and enjoy a big meal,” said NFU President Rob Larew. “But for many Americans, the cost of traditional holiday foods may simply be out of reach for some families.”
NFU says that while consumers are paying more for food, “almost none of that is being passed on to America’s family farmers and ranchers. Multiple waves of mergers and acquisitions during the last several decades have resulted in agriculture and food supply chains that are uncompetitive, fragile, and underpay farmers. The farmer’s share of every dollar consumers spend on food has fallen from 50 percent in 1952 to less than 15 percent today.”
The Rural Blog is a publication of the Institute for Rural Journalism and Community Issues based at the University of Kentucky.
