According to this year’s Thanksgiving edition of the annual Farmer’s Share publication from the National Farmers Union; American farmers and ranchers are receiving roughly 12 cents of every dollar that’s spent on the Thanksgiving meal. According to the report, wheat farmers receive an average of about $0.03 from a pack of 12 dinner rolls that retails for $2.69. Dairy producers received only $1.66 from a $4.59 gallon of milk. The turkey growers responsible for the centerpiece of a traditional Thanksgiving meal received just $0.06 per pound; while turkeys are retailing at an average of nearly $1.50 a pound.
NFU President Roger Johnson pointed out that the turkey figure is particularly striking, when considering that poultry integrators received a little more than $0.62 a pound. Interestingly, throughout the rest of the year farmers typically receive an average of about $0.14 of every food dollar spent by consumers. More than 85 percent of food costs go toward covering marketing, processing, wholesaling, distribution and retailing.
Listen to the report below.
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