SeeCalifornia.com

Pictured is a backyard chicken with plenty of room to roam at somebody’s home in Albany, California.

On a pre-Easter day trip to pick up some food items from Trader Joe’s I commented to the employee at the check-out stand how my food bills in the past several months were up by around $10 per visit. I used to get out of the store for less than $100, with that amount being the tipping point for having to wait for the manager to approve checks. He responded, “Food prices are up a lot… milk, lettuce, fruits, meats…everything’s costing more.”

Here is the latest from the American Farm Bureau Federation showing  how much prices have risen in a year:

Bacon 12% to $4.80 per pound
Ground chuck  10% to $4.10 per pound
White bread 10% to $1.81 for a 20-ounce loaf
Sirloin tip roast  9%t to $5.03 per pound
Eggs 8% to $1.98 per dozen
Whole milk 6% to $3.68 per gallon – here’s info on coupon for Real California Milk
Chicken breasts 6% to $3.51 per pound

A variety of factors nearly assure that prices will continue to rise. Here are just a few: 1. California’s egg law will require farmers spend more and make less by providing bigger cages for laying hens. Prices will get passed onto consumers; 2. The record-setting dry weather in California means there will be less water (or more expensive water) for farmers’ crops; 3. The EPA Clean Water Act provides uncertainty to farmers who have been told they’ll like pays fees for everything from obtaining water to tilling the soil. The rules have yet to be determined; 4. The recent shortage of limes from Mexico shows how unstable the food supply is. Prices have gone up by 20-30% on that fruit in just a month.