We’re officially into November and thoughts are turning to Thanksgiving. Will there be enough turkeys to go around this year? That’s coming up on This Land of ours.
The avian influenza outbreak has had an impact on poultry supplies, but USDA Secretary Tom Vilsack says there will be enough turkeys for Thanksgiving.
“In terms of people being able to get a Thanksgiving turkey, they’re going to be able to get a Thanksgiving turkey,” he said. “Now, whether they can get a twenty-pound turkey, that may be a challenge based on location. Some of the turkeys that are being raised right now for Thanksgiving may not have the full amount of time to get to twenty pounds. But, I don’t think you’re going to have to worry about whether you can carve your turkey up on Thanksgiving. It’s going to be there. It may be smaller, but it’s going to be there.”
Secretary Vilsack said while there will be adequate supplies of turkeys, they may cost more this year.
Meanwhile, USDA continues to work on halting the spread of the bird flu. Avian influenza typically does not infect humans, however, the Centers for Disease Control says there have been a few cases.
Listen to Sabrina Halvorson’s This Land of Ours program here.
Sabrina Halvorson
National Correspondent / AgNet Media, Inc.
Sabrina Halvorson is an award-winning journalist, broadcaster, and public speaker who specializes in agriculture. She primarily reports on legislative issues and hosts The AgNet News Hour and The AgNet Weekly podcast. Sabrina is a native of California’s agriculture-rich Central Valley.