Texas A&M University's David Anderson discusses the USDA’s 18-month forecast. Grocery prices are likely to stay higher, largely because food and energy costs have outsized influence and can be harder to predict. The discussion emphasizes that forecasts aren’t magic—major shocks like drought, animal disease outbreaks (such as avian influenza), or energy price spikes can shift what happens after the forecast is released—but the modeling still provides a useful planning picture.