.floatimg-left-hort { float:left; } .floatimg-left-caption-hort { float:left; margin-bottom:10px; width:300px; margin-right:10px; clear:left;} .floatimg-left-vert { float:left; margin-top:10px; margin-right:15px; width:200px;} .floatimg-left-caption-vert { float:left; margin-right:10px; margin-bottom:10px; font-size: 12px; width:200px;} .floatimg-right-hort { float:right; margin-top:10px; margin-left:10px; margin-bottom:10px; width: 300px;} .floatimg-right-caption-hort { float:left; margin-right:10px; margin-bottom:10px; width: 300px; font-size: 12px; } .floatimg-right-vert { float:right; margin-top:10px; margin-left:10px; margin-bottom:10px; width: 200px;} .floatimg-right-caption-vert { float:left; margin-right:10px; margin-bottom:10px; width: 200px; font-size: 12px; } .floatimgright-sidebar { float:right; margin-top:10px; margin-left:10px; margin-bottom:10px; width: 200px; border-top-style: double; border-top-color: black; border-bottom-style: double; border-bottom-color: black;} .floatimgright-sidebar p { line-height: 115%; text-indent: 10px; } .floatimgright-sidebar h4 { font-variant:small-caps; } .pullquote { float:right; margin-top:10px; margin-left:10px; margin-bottom:10px; width: 150px; background: url(http://www.dmbusinessdaily.com/DAILY/editorial/extras/closequote.gif) no-repeat bottom right !important ; line-height: 150%; font-size: 125%; border-top: 1px solid; border-bottom: 1px solid;} .floatvidleft { float:left; margin-bottom:10px; width:325px; margin-right:10px; clear:left;} .floatvidright { float:right; margin-bottom:10px; width:325px; margin-right:10px; clear:left;}
The price of a 16-item bag of groceries dropped 26 cents in the quarter that ended Sept. 30, marking the fourth consecutive quarter of price declines and a $4.18 drop from a year ago, according to a survey conducted by the American Farm Bureau Federation.

A farmer’s share of the food dollar is 19 cents, according to the Farm Bureau, which has conducted a marketbasket survey since 1989.

Last quarter’s bag of groceries consisted of apples, bagged salad, orange juice, potatoes, chicken breasts, sliced deli ham, bacon, ground chuck, sirloin tip roast, eggs, milk, shredded cheddar cheese, bread, flour, toasted oat cereal and vegetable oil. Those items were purchased by 66 shoppers in 29 states. The average price for all items was $46.03.

Of the 16 items, nine decreased and seven increased in price.

Shredded cheddar cheese dropped 23 cents to $4.08 per pound; ground chuck dropped 17 cents to $2.65 per pound; whole milk dropped 14 cents to $2.87 per gallon; vegetable oil dropped 13 cents to $2.72 for a 32 ounce bottle; and russet potatoes dropped 11 cents to $2.65 for a 5-pound bag.

Other items that decreased in price were sliced deli ham, down 5 cents to $4.75 per pound; boneless chicken breasts, down 2 cents to $3.08 per pound; white bread, down 1 cent to $1.76 for a 20-ounce loaf; and sirloin tip roast, down 1 cent to $3.87 per pound.

Several items went up slightly in price compared to the prior quarter: bacon, up 18 cents to $3.37 per pound; orange juice, up 11 cents to $3.13 for a half-gallon; eggs, up 10 cents to $1.44 per dozen; toasted oat cereal, up 9 cents to $2.95 for a 9-ounce box; flour, up 6 cents to $2.48 for a 5-pound bag; apples, up 5 cents to $1.46 per pound; and bagged salad, up 2 cents to $2.77 for a 1-pound bag.

The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) reported last month that prices for dairy and related products fell 0.4 percent in August. Prices for September will be included in a BLS release later this week.