Oklahoma Floods Could Mean Higher Prices In Grocery Stores

When it comes to buying those summertime hamburgers and hotdogs things may be a bit more expensive after severe storms and flooding wreaked havoc on Oklahoma farms.

Major market forecasters say the recent flooding has been devastating to farm and ranch operations.

The floods combined with foreign tariffs could increase the price of pork by .25 cents a pound and beef by as much as .50 cents a pound, according to Price Future Group.

But statewide groups like the Oklahoma pork council and agricultural economists say those forecasts just aren't right. They say either it's too early to tell or the losses statewide won't be enough to impact consumer prices.

Oklahoma's wheat and soy bean crops are expected to be impacted and chicken farms across the state are also feeling the hurt.

“Poultry in particular have been very susceptible especially pastured poultry, but pretty much everything in open fields right now,” OSU-OKC Farmers Market’s Cody Yount said late last month.

One thing most product predictions do agree on is that the worst of the effects won't kick in until later this summer or sometime in early fall.