As millions prepare for Thanksgiving dinner in just a few days, turkey prices continue to climb. Many farmers are battling rising bird flu cases in their flock.
MANCHESTER, Pa. — As Thanksgiving nears, cases of bird flu have impacted turkey farmers around the commonwealth, driving costs up for consumers.
“This year, we did see about a 10% cost increase for our local all-natural turkeys,” Dan Stump, the store manager at Leg Up Farmers Market, said.
But the costs are not driving customers away. “We are going all in on turkey,” customer Colette Brownson shared. “I couldn’t imagine a Thanksgiving without a turkey.”
For many families, the turkey is the staple, but some may be trading in the traditional bird.
“The biggest shifts that we tend to see are people maybe downsizing from a whole turkey into turkey parts or moving to an organic option,” Stump explained.
Despite nearly 8 million turkeys being in production this year in PA, outbreaks of avian influenza, also known as bird flu, caused farmers to lose parts of their flock. In Lancaster County, nearly 50,000 birds contracted the virus just last month, according to the U.S.D.A.
Limited supply and rising feed costs have also driven up costs for farmers.
Despite the increase in wholesale cost, Leg Up is keeping prices the same as last year.
“We want everyone to be able to enjoy this holiday without worrying about how much eating healthy is going to cost them,” Stump expressed.
They hope to lower costs to allow many families to still enjoy their turkey day.
“Cooking the turkey, though, that’s the best part, waiting on it all day long, and then you get to eat,” customer Yasmine Kennedy shared.