Whether your team is in the big game or not, the Super Bowl is happening in a little over a week and fans of eating their faces off while football is on the TV are getting excited. Chicken wings are just one of the drool-worthy traditional fare for many during these parties. But because of 2012’s dry year, you might find you’re paying more for those delicious, delicious wings deep-fried and drenched in sauce. Mmm but also, boo!
According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture (via NBC News) chicken prices were up 6% in December, which is more than triple how much overall food prices rose in a year. Yikes.

This isn’t a huge surprise, as during last summer’s drought experts warned that meats and dairy would probably cost more as the feed needed to sustain animals was in short supply.

If it costs more to feed the chickens, it’s going to cost more to eat them. But in the case of chicken wings there are other factors pushing up the price, says one economist who spoke with NBC, including a glut of chickens last year.

Farmers subsequently cut down on how many they raised, which means fewer chickens around for me (and fine, you) to eat. And because consumers have been choosing cheaper types of chicken like dark meat and wings, that all translates into higher prices.

According to the National Chicken Council, 1.23 billion chicken wings will be chomped on during Super Bowl weekend which while it sounds like a whole heckuva lot is a 1% decline from last year. As long as there’s no drought this summer, your 2014 Super Bowl chicken wings might drop in price. Or you could just start raising your own now.

So clucked up! Chicken wing prices up ahead of Super Bowl [NBC News]

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