Crying Fowl
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The price per pound for an eight-pound hen has increased from $1.15 last year to $1.47 this year, according to data from the Department of Agriculture, with residents of the northeastern United States preparing to pay the most on average. An outbreak of the avian flu has impacted flocks in 43 states and 304 counties, according to data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
“Some of the turkeys that are being raised right now for Thanksgiving may not have the full amount of time to get to 20 pounds,” Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack said on a call with reporters, according to a report from Axios.
Soaring costs of living have impacted Americans attempting to celebrate Thanksgiving and other holidays over the past two years. The American Farm Bureau Federation announced last November that the cost of a Thanksgiving dinner had increased 14% from the previous year.
Vilsack added that families should still be able to purchase smaller birds fairly easily. “I don’t think you’re going to have to worry about whether or not you can carve your turkey on Thanksgiving,” he continued. “It’s going to be there, maybe smaller, but it’ll be there.”
I have made two small turkey for Thanksgiving. Worked out pretty well.
