Shoppers can expect “significantly higher” prices for their holiday turkey and the birds may weigh less than usual, all due to this year’s avian influenza epidemic. Turkey production for the final six months of the year is expected to run 6 percent below the same period in 2014, for a total of 2.82 billion pounds, says the Livestock, Dairy and Poultry Outlook. “The decline will likely come primarily from the lower number of birds available for slaughter, but weights may be lower as producers may have incentives to market birds earlier given expected high prices ahead of Thanksgiving and Christmas.”
Wholesale prices for frozen whole turkeys are forecast by the USDA at around $1.24 a pound for July-September, up 14 percent from springtime prices, and rising to $1.32 a pound during the holiday season.
While turkey prices are increasing, broiler chickens are plentiful and attractively priced compared to beef, said the USDA. “Seasonal acceleration of pork production is also expected to create additional alternatives to beef.” Egg prices, however, are forecast to run at record levels through mid-2016.