“Looking at the turkey prices, they’ve definitely gone up. And for a family our size, we just can’t afford turkey this year … They look picked over already, even though Thanksgiving still two weeks away, the selection is definitely smaller than it has been in the past. And just looking at them, it’s like we’re not even gonna try it,” shopper Rachel Ramesh said.
FILE – Bird flu impacting Thanksgiving turkey availability.
That store selection and rise in prices ahead of Thanksgiving could be happening for a few different reasons.
According to a study done by Trace One, the price per pound of a turkey is expected to rise over a dollar in 2025.
Bird flu is one of those factors with local farmer Vanessa Frias in Cassopolis saying conventional farmers were likely hit hardest by the disease, potentially lowering how much product a store can offer.
“The conventional farmers, I believe, are the ones that probably have the most problems with bird flu because they’re trapped in, you know, small, confined areas in which, you know, if one gets it, they’re all going to get it, because they’re all in one space,” Frias said.
Frias adding that a lack of birds at major stores has been a benefit for small local farms like hers. She says she’s seen an increase in demand for her turkeys for the last two years, selling out weeks ago.
“If they’re having a hard time finding them in the grocery store, I think they will come to their small local farms,” Frias said.
And this year she was able to make sure her birds were safe.
“All of our animals are outside on pasture, and I really, truly believe that builds their immune system. So we haven’t had bird flu, but one of the things that we are cautious about is just we do have visitors at the farm, so we just make sure they stay outside of the fences in which all of our animals are located, so that if they do have something on their feet, it doesn’t get transferred into their pasture area,” Frias said.
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Frias says if you’re struggling to find a turkey for the holiday, checking in with local farms is a way to try and make sure you have what you need to put on a complete Thanksgiving dinner.