The price of preparing a special meal this Thanksgiving holiday may be higher than you expect, because farmers warn that the situation will be bad due to labor shortages, transportation delays, and rising inflation costs. From your beloved stuffed turkey to the sweetness of cranberry sauce, you should expect to pay more.   

“Regardless of political factors, there were significant differences in prices from November last year to November this year,” said Chris Bohrer, owner of Sho Nuf Farm, a turkey farm in Maryland.  

Jay Yankey of Yankey Farms, Knoxville, Virginia, warns: “If farmers cannot produce, we may see a serious crisis. I don’t know if we will cause shortages due to these high inputs, or they just won’t Produce anything. Some farms will have to close down. This is an unfortunate and terrible situation."  

The price of your turkey has risen because input prices have risen. Last week, when Bohrer placed a new order, the cost of one ton of the same feed was almost doubled in 2020. Now, in order to compensate and ensure that he breaks even at least this season, he must charge more to his loyal customers. 

Many Americans are not satisfied with paying the new price for their usual turkey. In the week of November 5 last year, the price of a fresh all-natural turkey at US$2.40 per pound jumped to US$2.75 per pound, which was the same as the weekly Ministry of Agriculture turkey report. But even the price per pound may not be able to maintain and break the dollar during Thanksgiving dinner time.  

"The most painful thing for me is having to charge my loyal customers higher than they are used to," said Pauline Smith, owner of Turkey Mountain Farm, gloomily. In addition to having to raise prices, she also pointed out that shipping delays, trucking and fuel prices have all increased her already full price. "We need a $5 part to repair the broken stapler, and it will take 2 to 3 weeks to get here. So I can't box my turkey and send it to people." 

Inflation also soared in October, with the consumer price index climbing 0.9%, marking a price increase of 6.2% since the same period last year. 

Labor shortage is also an important factor leading to long-term transportation delays and unavailability of some machine parts. The factory simply does not have enough manpower or workers to meet the demand. 

Smith, 35, said this shouldn't happen in the United States. "The United States is based on the fact that hard-working people live here and realize their dreams. Where are they now, we need them now, otherwise all these small businesses will die."  

Every farmer, steel plant owner or commodity grower has found his own way to spend this challenging year. Those who directly market their products will have more leeway than commodity growers who have usually been in contact with. In this case, they are stuck at the price agreed upon at the time of the transaction. 

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First published on November 10, 2021 / 3:09 PM

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