ST. LOUIS — The increased price of feed and a deadly strain of the avian bird flu are two major factors behind why wholesale turkeys have gone up in price this holiday season, however, St. Louis consumers may get lower prices by shopping locally.
What You Need To Know
- The U.S. Centers for Disease Control (CDC) reported that the deadly strain of avian flu wiped out 49 million turkeys and other poultry nationwide. Due to the low turkey levels, it is predicted that the wholesale price of a frozen, eight to 16-pound turkey hen will cost $1.77 per pound this November, which is a 28% hike from the same time last year
- However, there will be plenty of whole birds for Thanksgiving as not every supplier was equally affected by the avian flu, including Buttonwood Farm and larger companies such as Butterball that supplies about one-third of Thanksgiving turkeys nationally
- St. Louis shoppers may want to check out frozen turkey prices at local grocery stores for lower prices. Schnucks is offering the same weekly ad promotion it has the past few years
- Thanksgiving buying patterns are showing inflationary pressure while Christmas ones are not. Some grocery store customers are substituting lower-priced items for higher-priced items to cut back on Thanksgiving dinner to save money for Christmas gifts
The U.S. government estimates food prices will be up 9.5% to 10.5% this year when historically they have risen only 2% annually. Some reasons for the increase include lower production, high costs for labor, transportation and items, as well as disease, rough weather and the war in Ukraine.
Matt Tiefenbrun, who owns Buttonwood Farm in California, Missouri, that raises turkeys, said the cost of feed has doubled within the last year. Corn and soybean meal used for feed have soared because of the corn supply loss from Ukraine, which was a major exporter.
The avian flu that was first reported in February on an Indiana turkey farm is killing off the parent stock. Tiefenbrun said the older flock that lay eggs are “getting hit pretty hard,” which is making turkeys more difficult to get.
The U.S. Centers for Disease Control (CDC) reported that the deadly strain of avian flu wiped out 49 million turkeys and other poultry nationwide. Due to the low turkey levels, it is predicted that the wholesale price of a frozen, eight to 16-pound turkey hen will cost $1.77 per pound this November, which is a 28% hike from the same time last year.
Buttonwood Farm will send about 3,000 turkeys to market this year at a 10% price increase compared to last year, Tiefenbrun said.
“Everybody is definitely increasing prices,” he said. “I think the commodity guys are increasing (prices) a whole lot just because they can and then us smaller guys, we’re just kind of adding our margin and going on, so we’re not trying to take advantage of the situation.”
However, there will be plenty of whole birds for Thanksgiving as not every supplier was equally affected by the avian flu, including Buttonwood Farm and larger companies such as Butterball that supplies about one-third of Thanksgiving turkeys nationally.
St. Louis shoppers may want to check out frozen turkey prices at local grocery stores for lower prices. Schnucks is offering the same weekly ad promotion it has the past few years.
Customers who purchase $25 in qualifying items can buy their Schnucks-brand frozen turkey for 89 cents per pound, according to Schnucks.
“Our customers choose to shop at Schnucks for their Thanksgiving meals each year because we work hard to be competitive on pricing, and we know how important a cost-efficient Thanksgiving meal is for them,” a statement from Schnucks says.
Other grocers also are discounting turkeys and other holiday staples. Walmart is advertising turkeys for less than $1 per pound, and Aldi is cutting back prices to 2019 numbers.
Jerome Katz, a Ph.D. business and entrepreneur professor at St. Louis University, said Thanksgiving buying patterns are showing inflationary pressure while Christmas ones are not. He explains some grocery store customers are substituting lower-priced items for higher-priced items to cut back on Thanksgiving dinner to save money for Christmas gifts.
“The grocery stores are reporting people changing their buying patterns at this point. The retailers are not saying the same sort of thing. It’s still PlayStations and Xboxes going off the shelves. The hottest games are still hot,” he said.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
