Turkey Talk: Bird is the Word
With your Southeast Regional Ag News, I am Haylie Shipp. This is the Ag Information Network.
It’s turkey week and we’ll be taking a little bit of time here each day to recognize the contributions of agriculture to this holiday. It’s a pretty easy discussion when it comes to a holiday with an elevated spotlight on a beautiful meal.
So let’s talk turkey!
In 2022, farmers in the United States produced 210 million turkeys. That’s valued at $7.1 billion. Who is the state most familiar to the gobble gobble? Tuns out Midwest is best when it comes to raising that feathered part of the feast with Minnesota leading the U.S. in turkey production.
Cost of that turkey this year? According to the American Farm Bureau Federation’s annual synopsis, the turkey has accounted for an average of 43% of the price of the Thanksgiving dinner over the last two decades. In 2023, a 16-pound frozen whole turkey accounts for about 45% of the meal. While its share of the bill has gone up, at $27.35, the price of the bird is down 5.6% compared to 2022.
That’s right, a food price that has gone down! This year’s drop in turkey prices, according to AFBF, is attributable to a decrease in avian influenza cases and the resulting recovery in the turkey flock.
