So you better pay attention in your negotiations and make sure you understand when this will impact your costs and consumer prices in your stores.
It appears as though the corn crops will be better than expected this year and as a result drive prices down on the supermarket shelves. The reason is because farmers planted more corn than usual based on what the futures market was telling them relative to other crops. Because they planted more and the yield will be higher futures actually went down. This should impact the price we pay for a variety of products impacted by corn.
If you don’t think that corn impacts many products, think again. Corn impacts beer, aspirin, livestock feed, carbonated beverages, Ethyl alcohol, textiles, soaps and hundreds of other products.
If you’re a buyer, you need to be aware of this as the impact in the market typically trails the crop by about 3 to 6 months. So while you are buying products you need to understand that costs should come down before year end and make sure the language in your contracts allows you to take advantage of this. Think de-escalator language on any contract between now and year end.
We look forward to and appreciate your comments.
