The producers sell the product to the retailer at wholesale price, which is quite a bit lower than the retail price, and then the retailer sells it as a loss leader ( I.e. at a loss) to attract customers looking for fresh local produce into the store where they will buy other things at a profit. So, you're damned if you do and damned if you don't! One cheese maker I knew commented that the best thing they did was sell to Walmart and the worst thing they did was sell to Walmart...a sad statement our food system these days.
Hopefully the producer hasn't been coaxed into selling it to the retailer at a loss. It's how big retailers control the system by making local producers and processors compete with themselves and if they can't, too bad they'll just source it from afar where're it's cheaper to begin with.
Haven't checked prices here yet as our corn seems to be late around here but last year it was 50 cents a cob, $6 a dozen and most roadside stands add a cob or 2 to the dozen.
