Thanks to the recent drought, corn has become a hot commodity,
setting the prices for almost everything. Farmers predicted it
and now it is being confirmed by the US Department of
Agriculture. Food prices will increase. The worst drought in
neary 25 years is expected to result in the largest percentage
increase next year for products like beef, pork and dairy.
"Right now, producers have their animals sitting in the feed
lot. They're working on beefing them up. They're giving them
corn, but the price of corn is slowly going up," said UW-
Extension Dairy Agent Heather Schlesser. By 2013, the USDA
projects the price of beef to rise 4 to 5 percent. The price of
eggs to rise 3 to 4 percent. The price of pork to rise 2.5 to
3.5 percent. And the price hikes will not stop there. Suprising
to some, dairy products will also cost more and not just because
of the drought. Schlesser told Newschannel 7 that dairy cows
prefer temperatures in the sixities. When the temperatures climb
above 75, animals get stressed and drop in