National Farmers Union Serves Up the Farmer’s Share of July 4th Cookout Costs

As Americans prepare to celebrate Independence Day with family gatherings and festive cookouts, National Farmers Union released the updated “Farmer’s Share of the Food Dollar” for items typically enjoyed during a Fourth of July cookout. These figures reveal how much family farmers earn compared to the amount consumers pay at the grocery store. 

The increased costs consumers are paying for some Independence Day cookout essentials this year do not reflect what American farmers and ranchers are being paid. The Farmer’s Share is an important way to educate consumers about their food dollar and how decades of mergers and acquisitions have resulted in uncompetitive, fragile food supply chains that don’t fairly compensate farmers.

“Unfortunately, corporate monopolies’ share of the food dollar continues to grow at the expense of the farmer and consumer. Farmers Union continues to advocate to enforce antitrust laws to create more fairness. The Biden Administration has been listening and has created an antitrust division to focus on the ag industry’s anticompetitive practices and have published updated rules for the Packers and Stockyards Act to create more fairness for farmers and families,” Montana Farmers Union President Walter Schweitzer said.

“As we celebrate the Fourth of July along with the hard work of our family farmers and ranchers, we must recognize the challenges they face. Family farmers and ranchers deserve a fair share of the consumer food dollar,” NFU President Rob Larew said.  

The iconic cheeseburger, a staple of many July 4th celebrations, is a prime example. For each dollar spent at retail on the components of a cheeseburger—beef patty, bun, cheese, onion, lettuce, and tomato—family farmers receive only a small fraction. Similarly, other popular cookout items like potato salad and potato chips also reflect a minimal share for the farmers who produce the raw ingredients. 

NFU’s Fairness for Farmers campaign is actively addressing the monopoly crisis in food and agriculture. By advocating for stronger antitrust enforcement and greater transparency, the campaign aims to increase the farmer’s share of the food dollar and ensure fairness for both farmers and consumers. 

Learn more about the Farmer’s Share here.

Included in the 2024 Farmer’s Share of July 4th Cookout are:

Data for this publication was sourced from USDA NASS and other industry sources.