Turkey

Thanksgiving Turkey Dinner Costs Dip By 5%

Wed, 19 Nov 2025 17:11:12 GMT

As families across America prepare for their Thanksgiving celebrations next week, the 40th annual American Farm Bureau Federation (AFBF) survey brings some welcome news for the wallet.

The classic Thanksgiving dinner for 10 people is projected to cost an average of $55.18, marking a 5% decrease from last year. However, this price point remains notably higher than five years ago.

A Long-Standing Tradition
Since 1986, the AFBF has tracked and reported the cost of a traditional Thanksgiving meal. Each year, volunteer shoppers from across the U.S. and Puerto Rico canvas local grocery stores—or their online counterparts—to record prices for a standard list of holiday staples.

The list of items surveyed for prices includes turkey, cubed stuffing, sweet potatoes, dinner rolls, frozen peas, fresh cranberries, celery, carrots, pumpkin pie mix and pie crusts, whipping cream, and whole milk.

This year’s grocery bill highlights several price shifts. Four key items saw a drop in price: the centerpiece turkey, cubed stuffing, fresh cranberries, and dinner rolls.

Conversely, five items—sweet potatoes, frozen green peas, vegetable tray, whole milk, and whipping cream—experienced price increases. Pumpkin pie mix and pie shells remained virtually unchanged from last year’s figures.

Regional Differences Contribute To Costs
For those celebrating in the West, the classic Thanksgiving dinner for 10 people costs $61.75, making it the most expensive region and approximately 12% higher than the national average. Families in the Northeast also face prices above the national average, with their classic meal coming in at $60.82. The South boasts the most affordable holiday meal at $50.01, closely followed by the Midwest at $54.38.

Americans living in the West will pay, on average, nearly $10 more per meal than those living in the South.

(AFBF)

If you expand dinner options to include ham, Russet potatoes, and green beans, including these additional items elevates the total meal cost for 10 to $77.09, or $7.71 per person.

Regionally, the South again offers the lowest total at $71.20, followed by the Midwest at $76.33. Both the Northeast and the West saw a jump in cost, reaching $82.97 and $84.97, respectively. The West once more stands out, with costs higher there than in other regions.

Turkey Takes a Back Seat in the Bill
Historically, the turkey has been the undisputed heavyweight on the Thanksgiving receipt, often accounting for an average of 43% of the total dinner cost. However, in 2025, a 16-pound turkey represents only 39% of the cost for a 10-person dinner—its lowest share since 2000.

Turkey prices have dropped for consumers this year because, in many instances, retailers are using them as a loss leader to attract shoppers.

(AFBF)

A 16-pound turkey will set shoppers back an average of $21.50, reports the AFBF, a significant 16% decrease from 2024. While fresh turkey prices continue to climb as the poultry sector battles highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI), the prices for frozen turkeys—the preferred choice for most Thanksgiving feasts—are steadily declining.

Adding to this trend, turkey demand outside of the holiday season continues to wane, with the average American consuming only 13 pounds of turkey per year, nearly 3 pounds less than six years ago.

Side Dishes Gain Weight on the Grocery Receipt
Despite the overall dip in Thanksgiving meal costs this year, side dishes now command a larger share of the total grocery bill. Price increases for fresh produce and essential baking ingredients underscore elevated costs throughout the entire supply chain.

Items like fresh vegetables and sweet potatoes registered some of the most substantial cost increases. A veggie tray is up by more than 61%, and sweet potatoes saw a 37% jump.

Several items saw price reductions this year, helping to mitigate the overall meal cost, according to the AFBF survey. Dinner rolls are down 14.6%, stuffing is down 9%, and cranberries are down 2.8%.

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How Much Meat Will the U.S. Eat in 2025 and 2026?

Fri, 22 Aug 2025 15:48:46 GMT

Domestic availability of red meat, poultry and eggs is projected to increase in 2025, driven by gains in chicken and pork availability, and is expected to rise further in 2026, reports the USDA Economic Research Service (ERS). This increase stems from USDA’s forecast of per capita supply available for use on the domestic market.

How are these numbers determined? ERS says availability, also known as disappearance, serves as a proxy for consumption and includes fresh and processed meat and eggs sold through grocery stores and used in restaurants.

“The latest USDA data indicate 226 lb. of red meat and poultry and about 22 dozen eggs are available per U.S. consumer in 2025. By 2026, per capita availability is forecast to increase to 227 lb. for red meat and poultry and to 23 dozen eggs,” ERS reports.

Data for 2025 and 2026 are forecasts. Per capita meat availability serves as a proxy for consumption and does not reflect indirect uses, such as pet food or food waste.

(Data: USDA)

Chicken Projected to Be Most Consumed Animal Product
For chicken, per capita availability of broiler meat has been growing for many years and is projected to reach 102.7 lb. in 2025 and 102.8 lb. in 2026, ERS says. This will make it the most consumed animal product in the U.S.

However, availability of turkey has been falling in recent years and is projected to reach a low of 13.0 lb.per person in 2025 but increase to 13.6 lb. in 2026.

Per capita table egg availability for 2025 is projected at 21.5 dozen and is projected to increase to 22.9 dozen per person in 2026.

Pork and Beef Projections
ERS reports that pork availability per capita is projected at 49.7 lb. in 2025 and 50.9 lb. in 2026, up from 49.9 lb. in 2024.

Meanwhile, per capita beef availability for 2025 is projected to be slightly lower than 2024 at 58.5 lb., but is projected to decrease further to 56.9 lb. per person in 2026.

New Food Security and Farm Protection Act Protects Farmers and Consumers From Government Overreach

Wed, 09 Apr 2025 16:24:09 GMT

After the U.S. Supreme Court left an open invitation for Congress to strike down California’s Proposition 12, U.S. Senator Joni Ernst (R-Iowa) says it’s time to end this “unjustified and burdensome regulatory overreach” in order to protect family farms and bring down prices for U.S. consumers.

On April 8, Ernst and fellow Senate Agriculture Committee members Senators Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) and Roger Marshall (R-Kan.) introduced The Food Security and Farm Protection Act that prohibits any state or local government from interfering with commerce and agricultural practices in another state outside their jurisdiction.

“Proposition 12 is dangerous and arbitrary overregulation that stands in direct opposition to the livelihoods of Iowa pork producers, increases costs for both farmers and consumers, and jeopardizes our nation’s food security,” Ernst says. “I’m proud to be leading the charge to strike down this harmful measure and will keep fighting to make sure the voices of the farmers and experts who know best – not liberal California activists – are heard.”

Pig Farmers Speak Out
This policy averts a disastrous patchwork of contradictory state-by-state farm regulations that would hit hardest small and medium-sized pork producers, says National Pork Producers Council (NPPC) President Duane Stateler, a pork producer from McComb, Ohio.

“U.S. pork producers have just suffered the worst 18 months of financial losses in history, and many farm families are contemplating whether they can pass along their farm to the next generation,” Stateler says. “We urge the Senate to take up this legislation immediately to provide us much-needed relief.” Learn more about Stateler’s story here.

Without certainty from the Food Security and Farm Protection Act , NPPC says there will be many consequences, including:

Widespread, damaging consequences for farmers and consumers alike.
Significant fees forced on producers to pay for outside regulators to audit their farms due to the whims of consumers outside their state’s borders.
Risk of putting farm families out of business by significantly increasing the cost of raising pigs.
Increased prices at the grocery store , as much as 41% for certain pork products.

A Dangerous Patchwork of Regulations
For reasons like these and more, bipartisan support for providing relief from a patchwork of state laws continues to grow with support from President Donald Trump, former President Joe Biden, and their respective Agriculture Secretaries Brooke Rollins and Tom Vilsack, NPPC said in a release.

“The United States is constantly faced with non-tariff trade barriers from protectionist countries, which hurts American agriculture’s access to new markets. The last thing we need is for states like California imposing its will on ag-heavy states like Kansas with regulations that will also restrict our ability to trade among the states,” Marshall says. “Midwest farmers and ranchers who produce our nation’s food supply should not be hamstrung by coastal activist agendas that dictate production standards from hundreds of miles away.”

And it’s not just the pork industry rallying around this legislation.

“Iowa soybean farmers are grateful for Senator Ernst’s leadership to address challenges Prop 12 creates for Iowa farmers,” says Iowa Soybean Association President and farmer, Brent Swart. “Not only do the increased costs of compliance threaten to put pork farmers out of business, Prop 12 increases the price of pork at the grocery store by as much as 40%. Higher prices for pork dampen demand for this high-quality protein which negatively impacts market demand for soybeans used for pig feed. This legislation gives us a chance to protect our farms, our livelihoods, and ultimately, families that need affordable food.”

Iowa Cattlemen’s Association President, Rob Medberry, points out that the Iowa Cattle industry has made it clear that government overreach and overregulation is incredibly burdensome to industries that provide safe, quality and sustainable products for the world.

“Proposition 12 has the potential to further dismantle the livestock industry with the lack of science-based measures. Proposition 12 has already proven to be an unfunded mandate with consumers unwilling to pay premiums for the products that must be compliant with the proposition,” Medberry says. “The inherent cost to become compliant is overbearing and the simple fact of dollars and cents does not add up.”

Opponents Strike Back
Opposition such as the Humane World Action Fund, formerly called Humane Society Legislative Fund, argue against this legislation.

“This bill would hand over sweeping power to a narrow segment of the agriculture industry, overriding the will of voters, dismantling state laws and eliminating hard-won voter-supported protections for the humane treatment of farm animals, food safety and farm workers,” says Sara Amundson, president of Humane World Action Fund. “Let’s be clear: this is a federal overreach that serves Big Pork, not the American people.”

Amundson claims this legislation has been driven by a small group of pork industry lobbyists.

It’s Not Just About Pigs
But Iowa Corn Growers Association (ICGA) President Stu Swanson disagrees.

“With barriers like Proposition 12 cutting off our ability to supply fellow Americans with Iowa grown pork, it’s not only those families who are being affected, but also our farm families here in Iowa,” Swanson points out.

Iowa Turkey Federation Executive Director Gretta Irwin adds that these inconsistencies create unnecessary burdens for farmers operating across state lines, hinder efficient production, and undermine well-established, science-based practices developed in coordination with industry experts.

Swanson says this is an issue for all of agriculture and one his organization plans to continue to work on with their livestock partners until it gets resolved.

“Consistent with its authorities under the Commerce Clause, it’s time for Congress to solve this problem by passing legislation,” Grassley says. “Our bill will end California’s war on breakfast and make sure delicious Iowa pork can be sold everywhere.”

Stay up to date on Prop 12 here.

More Funding Going to Tackle HPAI H5N1, Egg Imports are Now Underway to Stabilize Supply

Thu, 20 Mar 2025 17:12:28 GMT

On Thursday morning, USDA Secretary Brooke Rollins gave an update on progress the Trump administration is making on the five-prong strategy it unveiled Feb. 26 to combat avian influenza virus type A (H5N1).

Speaking to industry stakeholders, media and offices of elected officials, Rollins focused on the administration’s work to lower egg prices and improve supply, while also emphasizing the importance of biosecurity in protecting U.S. poultry flocks from the virus.

Regarding egg prices, she said wholesale prices are down nearly 50% from their peak in late February from $8.53 then to $4.08 currently.

However, Rollins said she realizes that wholesale prices don’t automatically show up as reductions in retail prices.

“I know for some of us who are shopping that we’ve seen egg prices drop immediately, which has been true for me. But then we’ll hear from people in other parts of the country where they have yet to see that reduction on their grocery store shelf.”

With Easter just a few weeks away, she acknowledged that egg demand is always “unusually high during the season,” and that egg prices could potentially move back up.

To help address the egg shortage, Rollins noted that shell egg exports have declined by 8%, “keeping more eggs in the U.S. and lowering prices.”

In addition, the Trump administration is allowing egg imports as a temporary measure to stabilize prices and supply. Rollins’ chief of staff Kailee Buller said this measure would likely be discontinued once those measures were achieved.

USDA Focuses On Biosecurity For Poultry Operations
Rollins said biosecurity in poultry flocks will continue to be a major part of the Trump administration’s plan to address H5N1, moving forward.

“Our pilot programs have proven that biosecurity is the most important thing our farmers can do to protect our flocks against the disease, at least right now,” she said.

The USDA is working closely, she said, with its federal partners including the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), Centers for Disease Control (CDC), National Institutes of Health (NIH), and the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to “combat avian flu as a unified federal family.”

On Wednesday, USDA announced it is expanding the availability of its biosecurity assessments to commercial poultry producers.

“These assessments, which were previously available on a limited basis have been extremely successful in improving biosecurity on individual premises and preventing the introduction or spread of avian influenza,” Rollins said.

While USDA is exploring the viability of vaccinating poultry for H5N1, she said the use of any vaccine for poultry or any animal species has not been authorized at this time.

“I know there has been some misreporting on that,” Rollins said. “The day we rolled out the plan, I actually talked about the fact that we’re not ready to vaccinate. We need to do some more research, and so that has not changed, but I do look forward to this next process of learning more about getting more research done and perhaps seeing what makes sense for the country moving forward, once that is concluded.”

Dairy Is Not Part Of USDA’s Primary H5N1 Focus
No information was offered during the conference call to address the issue of H5N1 in dairy cattle or other livestock or animal species.

Mike Watson, administrator of USDA-APHIS, said right now USDA is focused on the poultry vaccine.

“We’re looking for a vaccine that has sterilizing immunity but also an opportunity for us to have different introduction methods for the vaccine right now, as injections are the only possibility,” he said. “We need new tools, whether it’s water based, aerosol based, those kind of things. We’re looking for manufacturers to really look at what those options might be, to really provide us with a vaccine that matches the current strain but also is highly effective. And again, this is really focused on poultry.”

Buller said there is already quite a bit of research at USDA on the topic in dairy.

“Please rest assured, we are thinking of you all (in dairy). We know you all are impacted. But for this particular strategy, we have been hyper-focused on the poultry side. USDA has separate work streams as we’re working through this on the cattle and dairy side.”

One of the media asked whether Sec. Rollins had talked further with HHS Sec. Robert F. Kennedy Jr. regarding his idea of letting H5N1 burn through poultry flocks to identify birds that might have immunity or show resistance to the virus.

Buller answered the question, as Rollins had stepped away from the call. “I have not been engaged specifically with those conversations with the Secretary and Secretary Kennedy,” she said. “They are talking very regularly and you are aligned on the approach, but in terms of that specific topic, there’s no further light I can shed on that at this time.”

Assessments Available To Poultry Operations
USDA is offering two different, free, voluntary biosecurity assessments for poultry operations not currently affected by HPAI.

The first is a wildlife biosecurity assessment. The second is a general biosecurity assessment. Poultry producers can request one or both of these free assessments.

Per the wildlife biosecurity assessment, Rollins said USDA will conduct on-farm assessments at poultry facilities and provide recommendations to producers for facility repairs and wildlife management techniques. The assessments include a series of regular engagements, including wildlife hazard identification surveys, wildlife abundance surveys and wildlife management on the premises.

“USDA has assessed approximately 130 facilities to date (in 2025), and plans on doing significantly more moving forward and expanding that program,” she said.

For the general biosecurity assessment, USDA will work with poultry producers to review biosecurity plans and physical measures.

“This is a proactive resource for premises that are outside of avian flu control areas to identify and mitigate potential biosecurity gaps,” she said.

Funding Is Ramped Up To Address HPAI In Poultry
The USDA announced on Thursday that up to $100 million in funding will be available to support projects on avian influenza, prevention, therapeutics, vaccines and research.

“USDA will invest up to $100 million in these projects, which will identify and foster innovative solutions to fight avian flu and directly support American producers,” Rollins said during the conference call.

Funding is available through a competitive process to for-profit organizations, including manufacturers of vaccines, biologics and therapeutics, as well as states, universities, livestock producer organizations and other eligible entities, she noted.

USDA will prioritize one or more of the following. First, it will support the development of novel therapeutics to address HPAI in poultry. Second, it will support research to further understand the risk pathways of avian influenza for producers and to inform improved biosecurity and response strategies.

“Let me just say, as a quick aside, I’ve had multiples and multiples and multiples of conversations with some of our chicken farmers across the country —many of them have been highly successful at not having the bird flu infect their populations,” Rollins said. “Better understanding of risk pathways and realizing what best practices are is a big part of (this work).”

The third focus is on the development of novel vaccines to protect poultry from H5N1 while promoting biosecurity.

“That will all be part of the research funding opportunity that we announced about an hour and a half ago,” Rollins said.

USDA will test the efficacy of therapeutic interventions to prevent the virus and treat infected flocks.

“USDA, in consultation with HHS, has already had multiple conversations with Secretary Kennedy and leaders in the NIH and CDC, but will also be exploring prevention strategies to promote biosecurity in agriculture and in humans, to ensure limited impact on American farmers,” Rollins noted.

USDA is offering a webinar to assist interested applicants in learning more about the funding opportunity and how to submit a proposal on Tuesday, April 1 at 12 p.m. Eastern. No details on how to participate in the webinar have been communicated yet.

“As we try to do everything under this president and here at USDA, we will be as fast and efficient and effective as we can possibly be, working around the clock,” Rollins said.

Buller added that Sec. Rollins and her staff will continue to host update calls regularly.

“It’s very important to Sec. Rollins that we are showing progress on this five-prong plan and being honest and open with the public about what we’re up to and the progress and potential challenges that we have ahead,” Buller said. “We have an open door here, and we remain open to having conversations and hearing from stakeholders.”

Are U.S. Consumers Drifting Away from Turkey at Thanksgiving?

Thu, 07 Nov 2024 19:42:34 GMT

Whole turkeys may be losing their grip as the dominant center-of-plate choice for Thanksgiving dinner, according to the latest report from CoBank’s Knowledge Exchange . Although abundant turkey supplies and favorable prices leading into the holiday season indicate turkey will retain its position as the traditional protein of choice this Thanksgiving, consumer trends are making the future less certain.

“Growing demand for convenience, longer-term pressure on turkey supplies and increasing competition from beef and pork marketers may all impact the longevity of the holiday turkey,” CoBank says.

Most consumers only think about cooking a whole turkey once a year, points out Brian Earnest, animal protein economist with CoBank, saysin a release.

“Some of those consumers have moved away from preparing a whole turkey for Thanksgiving,” Earnest says. “The beef and pork sectors have seen the shift in consumer behavior and view it as an opportunity to capture a bigger share of Thanksgiving protein purchases.”

Holiday promotions often drive what shoppers choose to put in the cart. Retailers typically price turkeys as a loss leader in hopes that sales on the remainder of the consumer’s Thanksgiving shopping cart will include items that offset those losses, the release says. USDA’s feature activity index, however, indicates a notable decline in promotional turkey pricing around the holidays in recent years.

“As retailers began planning for Thanksgiving features last January, projections for turkey inventories were reported at their lowest point in four decades, signaling reduced availability in 2024,” CoBank reports. “However, inventories of whole turkeys in cold storage were up about 4% year-over-year when they peaked in September at 246 million pounds.”

Inventories are still down 100 million pounds from 2018 levels. This means the improved supply picture should allow consumers to find favorable prices for whole turkeys this Thanksgiving.

Sliding demand for whole turkeys over the long term means producers should evaluate the overall product mix more closely.

“The opportunity to grow turkey consumption may be elsewhere,” Earnest says. “Per Circana, ground turkey has shown tremendous strength this year, with retail volume sales increasing 5.5% to reach $1.9 billion in sales over the 52 weeks period ending Sept. 8. The upswing in demand for different types of turkey products reflects the changing nature of consumer preferences.”

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COVID-19 Surge Slices U.S. Demand for Big Thanksgiving Turkeys

Thu, 22 Sep 2022 00:57:13 GMT

CHICAGO (Reuters) - All summer, Greg Gunthorp slaughtered and froze 15- to 24-pound turkeys on his northeastern Indiana farm for Thanksgiving sales to retailers, restaurants and families across the Midwest.

But as surging COVID-19 cases prompted U.S. cities and states to urge Americans to stay home just weeks before the holiday, customers swapped out orders for whole birds for smaller turkey breasts.

As a last-minute shift toward small-scale celebrations upends demand for the star of Thanksgiving tables, turkey producers and retailers are scrambling to fill orders for lightweight birds and partial cuts.

“It was very stressful,” Gunthorp said. “It cut our numbers on being able to fill customer sizes that they wanted for turkeys - way too short.”

Gunthorp raised and sold nearly 7,000 pasture-raised turkeys this year, up 75% from a year ago. Restaurants and meat shops in major Midwestern cities, his primary clients, cut orders by 10% to 20%, but Gunthorp has made up the difference by partnering with online retailers, shipping turkeys as far away as Los Angeles.

Suppliers need to be nimble as about half of Americans plan to alter or skip traditional festivities due to local health advisories against big gatherings, according to market research firm Nielson. About 70% are planning a Thanksgiving with fewer than six people, compared with 48% last year.

Demand for smaller birds will trim turkey production to 1.445 billion pounds in the last quarter, down five million pounds from previous expectations, according to a Nov. 17 report from the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

“We have seen our supply chain adjust to market disruptions and shifting consumer needs,” said Beth Breeding, spokeswoman for the industry group National Turkey Federation. “Like the rest of the country, it has been a challenging year for turkey production.”

While best known for beef, Nebraska-based Omaha Steaks this year offered 3-pound turkey breasts for the first time to cater to smaller Thanksgiving gatherings, said Nate Rempe, president and chief operating officer. The pre-cooked product sold out online, as some consumers are avoiding grocery stores.

Omaha Steaks also sold out of 10-pound turkeys earlier than usual, Rempe said.

“The number of individual Thanksgiving meals being prepared ... is going to be much higher because of the separation of gatherings,” he said.

Butterball, the largest U.S. producer of turkey products, shipped 1,900 truckloads of whole turkeys to grocers in the past two weeks, said Al Jansen, executive vice president of marketing and sales. Many major chains booked orders in the first quarter before the coronavirus outbreak, he added.

Retailers have slashed whole-turkey prices by about 7% to an average of $1.21 per pound, the lowest since 2010, according to the American Farm Bureau Federation. That cuts the average cost of a Thanksgiving meal for 10 people by 4% to $46.90, Farm Bureau said.

The decline is welcome news for the nearly 24 million households facing empty cupboards due to COVID-19-related job losses. Food insecurity has nearly tripled since the pandemic began, according to U.S. Census Bureau data.

“Thanksgiving will not be a holiday that all Americans can enjoy this year,” said Joseph Llobrera, research director at the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities. “Alarming levels of food hardship will last through the holidays and beyond unless policymakers immediately provide robust COVID relief.”

Some Americans who had relied on others to cook on Thanksgiving are ordering part or all of their meals from restaurants for the first time. Others simply do not want the hassle of preparing a feast for just a few guests.

“Thanksgiving is going to look very different this year, and we know there’s a lot of cooking fatigue out there right now,” said Tracy Hostetler, a vice president for Perdue Farms. The company launched turkey “ThanksNuggets” as an alternative to traditional turkey dinners.

In Houston, independent marketing consultant Anh Nguyen, 50, will dine with about 10 relatives on a smoked turkey from a local restaurant. Normally, three times as many of her family members gather to gobble up two 20-pound turkeys cooked at home.

“It’s a little weird,” said Nguyen. “Thanksgiving has been historically just one of the holidays where everybody is together.”

(Reporting by Christopher Walljasper and Tom Polansek; Editing by Richard Chang)

Let’s Talk Turkey: Fun Facts to Spread the Story of Agriculture

Wed, 24 Nov 2021 16:55:07 GMT

As the frantic pace of harvest winds down, we can reflect on another season of abundant effort. The vital work of farmers and ranchers is not always easy — as we saw in 2020. Thanksgiving is a wonderful opportunity to remember despite challenges, we all have many reasons to be grateful.

As you prepare for your Thanksgiving celebration, brush up on your knowledge about the traditional holiday dishes:

Turkeys: The U.S. is No. 1 in global turkey production. Turkey consumption has nearly doubled since 1970. In 2020, U.S. consumption of turkey was 5.26 billion pounds and 16 pounds per person. Last year these states produced the most turkeys:
- Minnesota – 40 million birds
- North Carolina – 31 million birds
- Arkansas – 30 million birds
- Indiana - 20 million birds
- Missouri – 17 million birds
- Virginia - 16 million birds
- Iowa - 11.7 million birds
- California – 8 million birds
Potatoes: The U.S. ranks fifth in global potato production. North Carolina is the leading sweet potato producing state, while Idaho grows the most white potatoes.
Cranberries: The U.S. is No. 1 in global cranberry production. Wisconsin leads the U.S. in production.
Pecans: The U.S. is No. 1 in global pecan production. New Mexico leads the U.S. in pecan production.
Pumpkins: The U.S. is fifth in global pumpkin production. Illinois leads the U.S. in pumpkin production.

Sources: USDA, National Turkey Federation

Join AgDay and U.S. Farm Report on Thanksgiving as they pay tribute to the amazing work and stories throughout America’s countryside in the annual “Harvest of Thanks” special.

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Bird Flu Kills 25,000 Turkeys in Eastern Poland, Sparks Cull

Tue, 17 Nov 2020 04:17:22 GMT

WARSAW, Poland (AP) — Authorities in eastern Poland say bird flu is responsible for the deaths of at least 25,000 turkeys in poultry farms near the country’s borders with Ukraine and Belarus.

Polish veterinary authorities on Thursday were planning to cull tens of thousands of birds in the Lubartow area, a major poultry farming region. Police were blocking access to the affected area to non-residents.

The chief veterinarian for Lublin province, Pawel Piotrowski, confirmed that the deadly H5N8 virus was responsible for the turkey deaths in two farms in the village of Stary Uscimow, which lies 45 kilometers (28 miles) from the borders with Ukraine and Belarus.

It was not clear how the bird flu virus found its way to the farms.

Fire that Killed 7,000 Turkeys Ruled Accident

Tue, 17 Nov 2020 04:17:16 GMT

State police have determined that a fired that killed 7,000 turkeys on a Pennsylvania farm was an accident.

Investigators found that faulty electrical cords in feeding equipment caused the fire in Little Britain Township late Friday night. Pennlive.com reports that the farm’s damages are around $40,000.

A 911 call was placed around 11 p.m. Friday night. Emergency crews found the farm engulfed in flames when they arrived on the scene.

Vermont Farm says Thousands of its Turkeys Died from Disease

Tue, 17 Nov 2020 04:17:16 GMT

Thousands of turkeys have reportedly died at a Vermont farm due to a bacterial disease that affects domestic and wild birds.

WCAX-TV reports the Stonewood Farm, in Orwell, usually raises and processes 30,000 turkeys each year. But only about half that number will make it to the market this year.

Owner Peter Stone says he thinks a fox carrying the bacteria— fowl cholera —sneaked into one of the barns, killing some turkeys and infecting the rest.

The die-off was reported to state officials, who conducted testing that ruled out the Avian Flu as the cause. State veterinarian Kristin Haas says every test came back negative.

Haas says this is the only outbreak of fowl cholera reported this year in Vermont. She says this particular infection isn’t transmissible to people.

Give Thanks ... For Falling Turkey Prices

Tue, 17 Nov 2020 04:17:16 GMT

Here’s another excuse to pig out this Thanksgiving: turkey prices are down.

After suffering from an outbreak of bird flu in 2015, American turkey producers have come back in a big way. Low feed costs are helping U.S. output to climb 7 percent this year to a record 6.02 billion pounds, government data show. Rising supplies mean that wholesale frozen birds are fetching about 11 percent less than this time last year.

The production boom is good news for Thanksgiving feasters, since recent history suggests Americans will eat about 46 million of the birds when they celebrate the holiday on Nov. 24, according to the National Turkey Federation. With poultry prices falling, the average bill to feed 10 people for Thanksgiving is set to drop about 0.5 percent from 2015, when the expense reached a record high. Declines are also being driven by falling costs for pumpkin-pie mix and milk, according to an annual survey from American Farm Bureau Federation. While prices for peas, fresh cranberries and sweet potatoes rose.

Prices for wholesale frozen birds weighing 8 pounds (3.6 kilograms) to 16 pounds averaged $1.1541 a pound in the week ended Nov. 18, down from $1.2922 a year earlier, according to U.S. Department of Agriculture data. The declines were similar for larger birds, and fresh turkey prices also fell from 2015.

‘Strong Margins’

“Producers are trying to capitalize on really strong margins,” Knox Jones, an analyst at Advanced Economic Solutions in Omaha, Nebraska, said in a telephone interview. “Both weights and increased slaughter are adding to production.”

Gains for turkey output are adding to this year’s domestic glut of meat. Pork and chicken production are also forecast at all-time highs, and beef output is growing. Ballooning supplies are helping to keep a lid on food inflation as farmers are also in the midst of harvesting bumper grain crops. Corn prices have fallen about 4 percent in the past 12 months.

Still, even though a turkey will cost less this year, prices are still at historical highs. The expense for that 10-person Thanksgiving meal is the second-highest ever.

Frozen turkey inventories have had to be rebuilt after last year’s shortfall, said Russ Whitman, vice president at commodity researcher Urner Barry in Toms River, New Jersey. While total turkey supplies in cold storage were up 14 percent from a year ago at the end of September, stockpiles of whole birds had only climbed 1.3 percent, USDA data show.

Grocer Discounts

“Whole hen prices have remained relatively strong, but have shown a smaller-than-typical seasonal increase in recent weeks,” the USDA said in a Nov. 16 report.

The good news for consumers eager to eat turkey and watch football next week: many grocery chains use heavily discounted birds to lure in shoppers for all of their holiday food needs.

Jewel-Osco, with stores in Illinois, Indiana and Iowa, is featuring Jennie-O whole frozen turkeys at 49 cents a pound, with a $25 minimum purchase. Cincinnati, Ohio-based Kroger Co. was peddling the birds for 59 cents a pound last week, if shoppers spent another $35. The average retail price for frozen birds in the week ended Nov. 18 -- at 99 cents a pound -- was below wholesale costs, but slightly higher than the prior year, USDA data show.

“To my surprise, the ads across the nation are pretty attractive and aggressive,” Whitman said. “There’s a good chance of clearing out this year.”

Here’s another highlight for those who will actually be doing the cooking on Thanksgiving. Butterball LLC, the largest U.S. turkey processor which sells about 20 million birds for the holiday season, is enabling consumers to now send text messages to the company’s annual Turkey Talk-Line for Thanksgiving cooking tips, said Jay Jandrain, executive vice president of sales.

How Deli Meat Made SC a Turkey-producing Giant

Tue, 17 Nov 2020 04:17:16 GMT

CHARLESTON, S.C. (AP) — Every year, 12 million or so turkey hatchlings arrive in South Carolina, bound for hundreds of farms in the Pee Dee and the Upstate where they will be raised for months.

By one estimate, the turkeys — mostly males, known as toms — will be worth more than $400 million a year once they’ve all grown up. They’ll easily be the state’s second-largest farm product, far bigger than iconic crops like peaches, cotton or tobacco. Only chickens will contribute more to the state’s agriculture sector.

But the enormous size of the turkey industry here has little to do with the state’s farming traditions. South Carolina hardly has a long heritage as a poultry-producing state. The grains the birds eat aren’t grown here, either.

The prominence of turkeys in the Palmetto State economy owes instead to the forces of logistics plied by one of the world’s largest food producers. The emergence of South Carolina’s turkey supply chain is akin to the growth of auto parts manufacturing that followed BMW’s factory in Spartanburg and the aerospace work that followed Boeing’s arrival in North Charleston.

The kernel of the turkey industry is a household name, too: Oscar Mayer.

That’s because most of the turkey sold under the Oscar Mayer name passes through a factory in Newberry: Bologna, bacon and franks. Cold cuts with applewood, honey and mesquite flavoring.

The operation processes millions of turkeys a year, though its parent company, Kraft Heinz, won’t say how much food it produces each year. It’s one of three Oscar Mayer turkey plants in the nation, and the company said Newberry’s is the largest.

The plant, which is nearly 50 years old, is a force in the state’s agriculture sector. It buys the overwhelming majority of South Carolina’s turkeys, and it has spurred the industry’s expansion here.

In fact, Ron Prestage, who runs the state’s largest turkey company, said his firm wouldn’t be here without it. Cassatt-based Prestage Farms of South Carolina oversees 578 turkey houses in eight counties, mostly around its headquarters near Camden.

Prestage Farms, which is a major player in North Carolina’s poultry business, started raising birds in the Pee Dee in the mid-1990s at Oscar Mayer’s request. The company wanted more turkeys to be produced near its factory, and two decades later, Prestage said it accounts for 70 percent of the plant’s supply.

These days, Prestage sells 6.5 million birds a year spread out between more than 100 farmers, who raise them under contract.

Yet not a single one will be served for Thanksgiving dinner, Prestage said. Neither will the South Carolina-raised birds owned by his primary competitor, North Carolina-based Circle S Ranch, he said. Circle S didn’t respond to a request for comment.

The business of growing hens — the stars of Thanksgiving dinner — belongs to states like Minnesota and North Carolina, Arkansas and Missouri. In South Carolina, commercial production focuses on toms, male turkeys that grow too big to fit in a conventional oven.

And anyway, every bird Prestage and Circle S raise in the state is sent straight to Oscar Mayer.

The cluster of turkey farms near Oscar Mayer’s factory resembles other industry groups that have emerged in South Carolina.

BMW’s arrival in the Upstate helped develop a constellation of suppliers making parts in the Palmetto State, an ecosystem that will be bolstered by the Mercedes-Benz Vans and Volvo factories under construction near Charleston. Boeing’s plant in North Charleston is beginning to form a network of companies making pieces of planes in South Carolina.

Companies like BMW and Boeing are sought after because it takes a sophisticated supply chain to build cars and planes. Growing turkeys isn’t so different.

For Prestage’s firm, the process begins in North Carolina, where breeders use artificial insemination to fertilize hundreds of thousands of eggs each week.

Eggs are incubated near Fayetteville, N.C., and baby turkeys, which are called poults, are shipped away once they hatch a few weeks later. Males are pulled aside and sent to South Carolina.

On the farm, they live on top of wood shavings shredded at a factory Prestage Farms owns. Every day, they eat feed produced at a company-owned mill in Cassatt. Their food arrives on trucks it maintains, too. A team of veterinarians stops by at least once a week.

“You have some cluster effects like ... with Boeing or BMW, but it’s just sort of below the radar,” said Hugh Weathers, South Carolina’s agriculture commissioner. “Until you get out into rural South Carolina, you just don’t quite notice it.”

The top-to-bottom business model is common in poultry production. Companies like Prestage Farms typically own the birds from when they hatch until they’re processed, even though they’re raised on independent farms.

That model — and the supply chain it requires — helps explain how the South became a dominant player in the poultry business, said Tom Vukina, an agricultural economist at North Carolina State University. It began with mills that sold feed to farmers on credit and later decided to take a more active role in the business by providing feed for free — and owning the birds outright.

The all-encompassing corporate structure would later become the backbone of the industry worldwide, and its gravitational pull helped form clusters of poultry production. The largest runs in a long belt from Arkansas to North Carolina.

The South’s prominence is “really kind of puzzling,” Vukina said: Most of the grain chickens and turkeys eat comes on rail cars from the Midwest. New England has a longer tradition of raising birds.

But the region does have lots of open space, and it’s closer to big markets on the East Coast, teeming with millions of consumers who might buy a pack of sliced turkey.

South Carolina’s turkey industry has been relatively steady since Prestage Farms set up shop in the mid-'90s. After a few years of expansion, the state’s output has been essentially flat.

The state produces 12 million birds a year, according to the most recent federal data, and it’s been holding at that level since 2008.

The lack of growth owes partly to what the state produces: Consumers’ appetite for packaged meats like sausage and bologna has cooled off over the last few years, according to the market researcher Euromonitor.

Processed poultry is no different, its research shows. After retreating the last two years, it has slimmed down to a $5.6 billion-a-year industry. But there are hopeful signs in the poultry business, Prestage said. Ground turkey has taken off recently, and exports of dark meat are growing.

That’s helped boost the dollar value of the state’s turkey output. Boyd Parr, the director of Clemson Livestock Poultry Health, said the industry is worth somewhere between $376 million and $406 million in South Carolina, depending on whose estimate you trust.

“We don’t have as many turkey processing facilities in the state,” said Weathers, the agriculture commissioner. “Were we to get that changed through our economic-development efforts, you would see substantial growth.”

And that might happen, he said.

South Carolina is in talks with another poultry processor considering opening a plant here. Weathers said the company, which he declined to name, wants to know whether the state can raise more birds, including turkeys.

If those plans materialize, he said, it would set up somewhere near Charleston, in another area without much of a history of poultry farming.

And the state would set out to build a turkey supply chain from scratch, all over again.

Copyright 2017, The Associated Press