Northwest Iowa — When you shop for the items needed for this year’s Thanksgiving dinner you might want to give a thank you for the efficiency and diversity of our livestock farmers who are working to keep the traditional meal affordable.
The annual Farm Bureau Federation Thanksgiving Dinner Price Survey says this year’s holiday meal comes in at just under $5 a serving for a family of 10, meaning the entire family can feast for a total of $49.87, compared to last year’s cost of $50.11, a 24-cent decrease from last year.
The survey credits the decrease, in part, to the greater availability of turkeys this year compared to last year when Iowa flocks were decimated by the bird flu. In addition, the survey points out that ham is also quite a bargain this time of year since inventory is robust.
The survey shopping list includes turkey, bread stuffing, sweet potatoes, rolls with butter, peas, cranberries, a relish tray of celery and carrots, pumpkin pie with whipped cream, and beverages of coffee and milk, in quantities sufficient to feed 10 people. The average cost of turkey this year is $22.74 for a whole bird, or $1.42 per pound, which is a decrease of 30 cents per whole bird. Turkey production is up about 8 percent this year nationally, rebounding from last year’s Avian flu crisis. Rolls increased the most in this year’s holiday meal, up 9 percent, (21 cents from last year).
This year’s Thanksgiving survey was the 31st annual study conducted by the Farm Bureau Federation. Every region of the country was represented in the annual survey, with 148 volunteer shoppers participating in 40 states.
