2022-2025: Price Trends of Three Spring Crops at Kentucky Farmers Markets
2022-2025: Price Trends of Three Spring Crops at Kentucky Farmers Markets
I am a 2025 Center for Crop Diversification Summer Fellow, and this research is supported by the Kentucky Horticulture Council’s Student Research Grant Program and the Kentucky Agricultural Development Fund. Over the past month, using Center for Crop Diversification Farmers market price data I conducted a comparative analysis of the price trends for three common produce commodities: strawberries, asparagus, and lettuce. Beginning with strawberries, the average prices in 2025 appear to align closely with those observed in 2022 and 2024. This is surprising given ongoing inflation pressure and production challenges this year including a wet spring and the novel strawberry disease Neopestalotiopsis. 2023 data show a notable price spike, reaching up to an average of $9.00 per quart, making it the most expensive year for Kentucky Farmers Market Strawberries between 2022 and 2025. Asparagus prices remained relatively consistent in 2022, 2023, and 2025. The year 2024 showed a moderately higher average price overall, but the highest individual price point was recorded in 2025, reaching $7.00 for bunch of around 10 stalks. Lettuce demonstrates more volatility. While 2025 prices are comparable to those of 2023, there was a significant increase in both 2022 and 2023, during which lettuce prices surged unexpectedly.
These fluctuations across all three commodities suggest that several external factors influence agricultural pricing trends. Key contributors likely include economic inflation, shifts in consumer demand, and lingering effects from the COVID-19 pandemic, all of which have impacted both the supply chain and market stability. Climate conditions, transportation costs, and labor shortages may also play significant roles. Overall, this price analysis illustrates how multifaceted and dynamic the agricultural market can be, even within a relatively short time frame. It emphasizes the importance of understanding broader economic and environmental factors when evaluating food pricing trends over time and emphasizes the importance of collecting local price data to help producers make informed business decisions.
Figure 1. Average Weekly Prices for Asparagus at Kentucky Farmers Markets, 2022-2025, per bunch
Figure 2. Average Weekly Prices for Lettuce at Kentucky Farmers Markets, 2022-2025, per gallon or bunch
Figure 3. Average Weekly Prices for Strawberries at Kentucky Farmers Markets, 2022-2025, per quart
Recommended Citation Format:
Gardner, L. and B. Wolff. "2022-2025: Price Trends of Three Spring Crops at Kentucky Farmers Markets." Economic and Policy Update (25):7, Department of Agricultural Economics, University of Kentucky, July 31, 2025.
Author(s) Contact Information:
Lexi Gardner | UK Center for Crop Diversification Summer Fellow
