Source: Rita Jane Gabbett, MEATINGPLACE, 1/23/15

USDA reported retail beef and veal prices rose 12.1 percent in 2014, while pork prices rose 9.1 percent and poultry prices rose just 2 percent.

In its monthly Food Price Index, USDA noted retail beef prices in December were a whopping 18.7 percent higher than in December 2013; pork prices were 8.2 percent higher year over year in December while poultry prices for the month were up 1.6 percent from the previous December.

Compared to November, December retail beef prices rose 0.7 percent, while pork prices declined 1.7 percent and poultry prices fell 0.5 percent.

2015 forecast
USDA predicted retail beef prices would rise by 5 percent to 6 percent in 2015, while pork prices would rise 2 percent to 3 percent and poultry prices would rise 2.5 percent to 3.5 percent.

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