Majority say no matter what the price is, the turkey’s got to be there on the table. Americans reportedly will consume 49 million turkeys on November 26, or about 20 percent of the annual total. And as per the U.S. Department of Agriculture data, production fell to a five-year low, and the September weight decline for turkeys was the biggest for that month in four decades.
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Fresh turkeys that account for 20 percent of Thanksgiving sales are especially hard to find because most were born after outbreak ended, according to Tom Elam, the Carmel, Indiana-based president of consulting firm FarmEcon LLC.
With tighter supplies, buyers are competing for supply.
These birds don’t play by the usual rules of supply and demand.
That is 10 cents extra per pound on the fresh turkeys.
The shortage has trickled down from farms to local supermarkets, and now, with the holidays looming, charitable organizations with food pantries say they are facing a poultry deficit.
While costs will vary between regions and stores, shoppers can expect to see prices about 20-percent higher than a year ago.
The avian flu last winter is still affecting the availability of turkeys this holiday season. The remaining birds fetched $1 to $1.10, about the same as previous year, he said. No Nebraska turkey producers were impacted.
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Among many states, Minnesota experienced an epidemic of the disease which killed millions of turkeys. A few also mention that they would check out different places just to compare the prices, but not having a turkey is out of question!
