Rural Issues: The cost of groceries

It seems that the agriculture industry has spent a whole lot of time for a whole lot of years reminding our customers how little they pay for food instead of promoting its quality and how diverse and abundant and safe it is.

At a time when everything is more expensive, increases in the price of food seem to be getting more than their fair share of scrutiny.

We have a consumer base seasoned to expect cheap food. You and I know it costs a great amount of money, time and often backbreaking effort to farm and ranch in this country.

But none of that matters when consumers of what is grown only care about the price they will pay for it.

Some consumers today might be willing to pay a little more for a product that is labeled or advertised as sustainable, as if farmers and ranchers have not been sustainable in the past.

To have a sustainable farm or ranch, you must create something that is both environmentally and economically enduring.

We all know it takes a significant investment to produce quality meat, milk, eggs, poultry, corn, soybeans, hay, grain sorghum, tomatoes, cranberries, sweet corn, sweet potatoes, apples, peaches, grapes and every other agricultural product grown by farmers and ranchers in this country.

Consumers expect cheap, sustainable food. Not better tasting. Not higher quality. Not abundant. Not safer.

We, as an overall agriculture industry, have not done the best job promoting those things most farmers and ranchers strive to provide to customers.