Agronometrics Shorts: Farmers’ Share: Disparity in Fresh Strawberry Prices 2014-2023

According to the USDA Economic Research Service, American farmers have been getting just over half of the total amount consumers spend on fresh strawberries since 2020. In 2023, the average cost for a pound of fresh strawberries at retail was $3.80, slightly lower than the previous year but notably higher than in 2019 by 52 cents and 2014 by 75 cents. While expenses related to marketing, such as packing, transportation, wholesale, and retailing, have decreased since 2020, the prices at the farm level, which impact retail prices, have generally risen. In the farm share calculations, USDA, Economic Research Service (ERS) estimates that about 8 percent of fresh strawberries is lost through spoilage and trimming, so it’s assumed marketers buy about 1.09 pounds of fresh strawberries from farmers for each pound they sell at retail. Using this adjusted volume, the farm share of the retail price—the ratio of what farmers receive to what consumers pay per pound in grocery stores—was 53 percent in 2023.

Written by Sarah Ilyas