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US farm-level vegetable prices forecast to rise sharply in 2026
United States
Wednesday 29 July 2026
VU
The increase is driven by higher costs across several major categories.
US farm-level vegetable prices are forecast to increase by 26.7% in 2026, according to the US Department of Agriculture’s July Food Price Outlook.
The projection is based on the Producer Price Index, which tracks the average prices received by domestic producers rather than the prices paid by consumers in shops.
Prices remain well above last year
Farm-level vegetable prices fell by 8% between May and June 2026. Despite this monthly decline, they remained 59.2% higher than in June 2025.
USDA expects the annual increase to fall within a range of 12.9% to 44.8%, reflecting a high level of uncertainty around the outlook.
Retail vegetable prices also rising
The increase forecast at farm level is considerably higher than the expected rise in consumer prices.
Fresh vegetable prices in US retail stores are projected to increase by 6.8% in 2026, with a forecast range of 4.3% to 9.5%.
Retail fresh vegetable prices declined by 1.2% between May and June but were still 9.9% higher than a year earlier.
The increase varied significantly between products. Lettuce prices were 32.1% higher in June 2026 than in June 2025, while tomato prices rose by 19.5%. Fresh potato prices increased by only 1.4% over the same period.
USDA said fresh vegetables were among eight food-at-home categories expected to record price growth above their 20-year historical average in 2026.
source and photo: ers.usda.gov
