Minnesota will retain its rank as the top turkey-producing state despite a 12-percent drop in output due to the bird flu epidemic, says the USDA’s annual Turkeys Raised report. The state is estimated to raise 40 million, or nearly 18 percent, of the 228 million turkeys grown this year. North Carolina would be second with 13 percent and Arkansas third with 12 percent. The U.S. total would be down by 4 percent from last year.
Turkey production peaked at more than 270 million birds in 2008 and has generally declined since, with production forecast at 228 million this year. With the smaller supply, turkey prices will be higher this year. The USDA estimates a national average price of $1.16 a pound for 8-16 pound turkeys, up 8 percent from 2014.
During the bird flu epidemic during the first half of this year, the virus was confirmed on 101 farms in Minnesota with combined losses of nearly 9 million birds, mostly turkeys.