The Squeeze on the Food Dollar

As if $4 gas and diesel didn’t dig deep enough into your RVing budget’s pockets, now it appears that we are in the spiral of a major upward shift in food prices. Much of the upward price pressures come from the increase in the cost of fuel, running tractors and other farm machinery, as well as transporting food to markets.

But that’s not all. With the government subsidies on corn, wheat, and soybeans, farmers have been switching over from radishes, scallions, and tomatoes that have no subsidies. Fruit and nut growers also receive no subsidies, and in growth areas where suburban development is crowding fields and orchards, farmers are throwing in the towel and selling out to developers and retiring, rather than take the financial risk of planting and harvesting just to barely squeak by. So with farmers producing less non-subsidized crops, lower supply translates to higher prices.

The farmers that persist say they have to make greater profits to survive, that we Americans not only have the cheapest fuel among the non-oil rich nations, but we also have the cheapest food. They’re right, of course. The Texas Farm Bureau says that 81 cents of every food dollar goes off the farm–only 19 cents goes to the farmer.

But the disparity lies rather with the government’s agricultural policies, that enrich the wealthy farmers (most of the subsidies go to corporate mega-farms) instead of to organic and small family farmers.

We RVers have three major expense categories, unless you’re also into recreational drugs or collecting French wines: fuel, food, and campgrounds.

As I have advocated driving less to reduce our fuel bills, I can hardly suggest we eat less–though for many of us that might be a sound idea. However, we can choose our foods wisely: Buy bulk foods (8% of every food dollar goes to packaging), buy locally grown fruits and vegetables (lower transportation costs, cut out the middle man food broker, more $$ go to the family farmer), buy fewer prepared foods (fresh salads, vegetables, etc. taste infinitely better and cost less than packaged foods).

As I said in my last post, on your travels shop farmers markets, roadside fruit and vegetable stands, and U-Pick orchards, for not only the freshest, tastiest, and healthiest foods, but to also cut your food bill. You will not only save money–now when we need to do so–but you will be the better for it, and so will the earth.