Zachariah Rutledge, Michigan State University
“Economists on the Labor Trends That Will Define the Future of U.S. Fresh Produce”
By: The Packer – July 6, 2026
“Based on USDA data, the average operating cost for labor is about 38% for fruit and 29% for vegetables.”
(Continued...)
Read more on: The Packer
Alejandro Gutierrez-Li, North Carolina State University
“TPS Decision Could Reshape Ag Labor Market”
By: Politico – June 29, 2026
“The Supreme Court ruling is likely to further stress the labor supply at meatpacking plants across the country. Meatpackers can’t easily access the H-2A visa program for year-round work like meatpacking. “Research has shown that, even in periods of high unemployment, Americans prefer to pass on physically demanding jobs at meatpacking plants.”
(Continued...)
Read more on: Politico
David Ortega, Michigan State University
“Did Walmart Roll Back Prices Because of Trump? They Won’t Say”
By: USA Today – July 8, 2026
“The Walmart price reductions looks less like a turning point on food inflation and more like an aggressive summer promotion. Big retailers spotlight 'backyard barbecue' staples like meat, corn, soda, chips because they're highly visible and shape how shoppers feel about prices in general."
(Continued...)
Read more on: USA Today
Shawn Arita, North
Dakota State University
Sandro Steinbach, North Dakota State University
- “Kansas
Farmers Suffer From Tariffs and Closing of Strait of Hormuz, Ag Experts
Say”
By: Yahoo! Finance – July 7, 2026 - “The Meat
Industry’s Tireless Effort to Keep Live Pigs in Coffins”
By: The American Prospect – July 7, 2026
Natalie Loduca, University
of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign
Scott Swinton, Michigan State University
“How Farmers Respond to Climate-Related Risk”
Bu: Agrinews – July 5, 2026
“Crop yields depend not only on weather conditions, but also on the producer’s management decisions. We wanted to better understand how farmers perceive uncertainty under changing climate conditions.”
(Continued...)
Read more on: Agrinews
Christopher Barrett, Cornell University
“Fertilizer Shortage Raises Concerns Across Global Agriculture”
By: Farms.com – July 6, 2026
“Despite these challenges, experts believe consumers are unlikely to experience major increases in food prices. Consumers are going to see higher food prices come September to January, once harvests start coming in, and the few months thereafter. Very little of that is going to be directly attributable to fertilizer."
(Continued...)
Read more on: Farms.com
Bradley Rickard, Cornell University
“A California Farmer Is Giving Away Tons of Nectarines That He's Not Allowed to Sell”
By: Food Manufacturing – July 7, 2026
“Fruit patents are becoming increasingly common. A patent allows a breeder to collect a royalty from the fruit trees it sells, the fruit that the trees produce, or both.”
(Continued...)
Read more on: Food Manufacturing
Amelia Finaret, Allegheny College
“5 Grocery Items That Will Cost More This Summer”
By: AARP – July 7, 2026
“Whole wheat bread prices are up 8 percent over last year. Drought conditions in wheat-growing regions of the U.S. have strained supply to the point where America’s wheat production is at its lowest since 1970.”
(Continued...)
Read more on: AARP
Jeffrey Dorfman, North
Carolina State University
Ricky Volpe, California Polytechnic State University
“U.S.-Iran Conflict Puts Food Prices at Growing Risk”
By: Kansas City Star – July 10, 2026
Fossil fuels used in farming and distribution account for between 15% and 30% of the cost of produce at the retail level.”
“An FMI-The Food Industry Association briefing that even an immediate resolution to the conflict would not prevent grocery inflation from climbing well above the historical average for the remainder of 2026.”
(Continued...)
Read more on: Kansas City Star
'Members in the News' now!
