Hoosiers should expect somewhat higher prices this year while shopping for their Fourth of July cookouts.
The Indiana Farm Bureau’s annual summer cookout survey, conducted last month, found that a cookout for 10 people will cost an average of $71.49. That’s $7.15 per person, a five percent increase from last year.
Indiana’s market basket price is just six cents more than the national average of $7.09 per person. The basket includes ground beef, chicken breasts, pork chops, cheese, chips, one pack of hamburger buns, potato salad, pork and beans, lemonade, cookies, ice cream and strawberries. About 50 percent of the total cost of the basket is from protein.
Todd Davis, chief economist for Indiana Farm Bureau, said demand for chicken breasts has gone up, resulting in a seven percent increase in cost from last year. But the cost of pork chops is down eight percent, and the cost of beef is about the same as last year.
“We have more hogs and we have more pork in cold storage; that would provide some relief,” he said. “Our shoppers found ground beef down about the same as last year, and that was a welcome response, because the cattle herd is decreasing, just because we've had extended periods of droughts in the western U.S. where cattle is produced.”
Ice cream and strawberries saw the largest increases in price within the state, going up 31 percent and 19 percent, respectively.
Janis Highly, Indiana Farm Bureau’s second vice president, said 16 cents per dollar goes back to the farmer and 84 cents goes to production, processing and transportation.
