thanksgiving – Views from VanDeWalle

Thanksgiving Food Facts

November 14, 2025 Brandy VanDeWalle

With Thanksgiving around the corner, I took information from Purdue University’s Center for Food Demand Analysis and Sustainability to examine potential prices of a Thanksgiving meal. The poultry industry has faced many challenges with highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) that first appeared in February 2022. Unlike temporary market disruptions, HPAI has been a persistent challenge for producers. Purdue’s model predicts an average retail price of approximately $2.05 per pound which is 25% higher than a year ago, making a typical 15-pound turkey costing around $31. There is a wide variation in retail prices driven by quality and some grocery retailers that sell other items may offer significant discounts on turkey to attract customers. Consumers with time to compare prices can find substantial savings this season Not everything increased in price. Potato prices have dropped 0.5% since last year and bread prices are down approximately 5.6% since last year.

The American Farm Bureau Federation annually calculates the cost of a Thanksgiving meal to serve 10 people with plenty for leftovers. This year, with a traditional Thanksgiving meal, Farm Bureau estimated a meal total to land between $63 and $65. Last year, it was $58 so this is a potential increase of about 10%. Included in the meal is a 16-lb. turkey, bread stuffing, sweet potatoes, rolls with butter, peas, cranberries, a relish tray of carrots and celery, pumpkin pie with whipped cream and beverages of coffee and milk. These are just estimates as their final report hasn’t been released as I write this article. Nonetheless, do some cost comparisons to save some money.

You can thank our American farmers and ranchers who are able to provide us the bounty of safe and affordable food. Another interesting fact about Thanksgiving is that 88% of Americans are expected to be feasting on turkey for Thanksgiving this year (National Turkey Federation). The NTF also said that 65% of American roast their turkey in the oven, while 10% smoke, 7% air fry, 7% fry, or 7% grill the turkey. According to the National Turkey Federation, the top turkey-producing states are Minnesota, North Carolina, Arkansas, Indiana, Missouri, Virginia, Iowa and California. The United States is the world’s largest turkey producer, and a major exporter of turkey products.

Now let’s talk trivia:

Q: Why are turkeys raised? A: Because of their excellent quality of meat and eggs

Q: What is a male turkey called? A: Tom

Q: What is a female turkey called? A: A Hen

Q: What sound do turkeys make? A: Only tom turkeys gobble; the female makes a clucking sound.

Q: How many feathers does a turkey have at maturity? A: 3,500 feathers

Q: How big was the heaviest turkey ever raised? A: 86 pounds, about the size of a large dog

Q: Which gender of turkeys are usually consumed whole? A: Hens (females) are usually sold as whole birds. Toms (males) are processed into turkey sausage, turkey franks, tenderloins, cutlets and deli meats.

Q: How long does it take a turkey to reach market size? A: Hens usually grow for 16 weeks and are 8-16 lbs. when processed while tom usually takes 19 weeks to reach market weight and weighs 24 lbs. Large toms (24-40 lbs.) are a few weeks older.

Regardless of what you do this Thanksgiving, remember to be thankful for what really matters.

If you need tips or resources to help you prepare a turkey or any other food for Thanksgiving, go to Nebraska Extension’s Food Website at https://food.unl.edu/article/thanksgiving-central.

Thanksgiving Food Safety

Interesting fact, the day after Thanksgiving is the biggest food borne-illness day of the year. Nebraska Extension continues to do their part to help our clientele remain heathy and have good food safety practices. The following are from Extension Educator Cindy Brison and our Food Safety Team.

One of the most frequently asked questions around Thanksgiving is “How do I thaw a frozen turkey?” …including on Thanksgiving morning! The answer to this question is an important step in meal prep for food safety. Unsafe handling and undercooking the turkey can cause foodborne illness. For information on thawing your turkey and more: https://food.unl.edu/how-thaw-turkey

Do not wash or rinse your raw turkey! Avoid washing or rinsing a turkey (or any eggs, meat or poultry products for that matter) before cooking. Juices can transfer bacteria onto kitchen surfaces, other foods and utensils. If you must wash or rinse your turkey because of brining or other marinating processes, be sure to thoroughly clean and then sanitize all kitchen surfaces to eliminate the risk of cross-contamination. For more safety tips: https://go.unl.edu/washingturkey

Uncategorized

Happy Thanksgiving!

November 24, 2024 Brandy VanDeWalle

The American Farm Bureau Federation annually calculates the cost of a Thanksgiving meal to serve 10 people with plenty of leftovers. This year, with a traditional Thanksgiving meal, Farm Bureau estimated a meal total of $58.08 which is a slight decrease from $61.17 last year. This is a 5% decrease in last year’s cost. The turkey price is about $1.60 per pound compared to last year which is a 6% decrease from last year due to a decrease in demand. Included in the meal is a 16-lb. turkey, bread stuffing, sweet potatoes, rolls with butter, peas, cranberries, a relish tray of carrots and celery, pumpkin pie with whipped cream, and beverages of coffee and milk. While the decline in this year’s Thanksgiving meal costs offers some relief to Americans, this year’s meal is still 19% more expensive than the pre-pandemic levels of 2019.

Photo by Tima Miroshnichenko on Pexels.com

You can thank our American farmers and ranchers who are able to provide us the bounty of safe and affordable food. Another interesting fact about Thanksgiving is that 88% of Americans are expected to be feasting on turkey for Thanksgiving this year (National Turkey Federation). The top turkey-producing states are: Minnesota, North Carolina, Arkansas, Indiana, Missouri, Virginia, Iowa, and California. The United States is the world’s largest turkey producer and largest exporter of turkey products.

Now let’s talk trivia:

Q: Why are turkeys raised? A: Because of their excellent quality of meat and eggs

Q: What is a male turkey called? A: Tom

Q: What is a female turkey called? A: A Hen

Q: What sound do turkeys make? A: Only tom turkeys gobble; the female makes a clucking sound.

Q: How many feathers does a turkey have at maturity? A: 3,500 feathers

Q: How big was the heaviest turkey ever raised? A: 86 pounds, about the size of a large dog

Q: How long does it take a turkey to reach market size? A: Hens usually grow for 16 weeks and is 8-16 lbs. when processed while tom usually takes 19 weeks to reach market weight and weighs 24 lbs. Large toms (24-40 lbs. are a few weeks older.

Regardless of what you do this Thanksgiving, remember to be thankful for what really matters.

If you need tips or resources to help you prepare a turkey or any other food for Thanksgiving, go to Nebraska Extension’s Food Website at https://food.unl.edu/article/thanksgiving-central.

Thanksgiving Food Safety

One of the most frequently asked questions around Thanksgiving is “How do I thaw a frozen turkey?”…including on Thanksgiving morning! The answer to this question is an important step in meal prep for food safety. Unsafe handling and undercooking the turkey can cause foodborne illness. For information on thawing your turkey and more: https://food.unl.edu/how-thaw-turkey

Crops

Thank a Farmer

November 16, 2012 Brandy VanDeWalle

Growing up on a small corn/soybean farm and raising cattle, I often take for granted the opportunities I had being actively involved in production agriculture. My dad is still a farmer and I enjoy being able to take my daughter to Grandpa’s for a ride in the tractor, etc. My husband also grew up on a farm with livestock, so my daughter has an equal opportunity to be around agriculture as well. Sometimes it is easy to consider farming the norm, especially living in a rural community. The point I’m trying to make is that too often farming and ranching is considered just another job. We forget the risks they take every day.

According to the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, farming continues to be one of the most dangerous occupations in the United States. In 2008, 623 people died and 60,000 people suffered from permanently disabling injuries on farms and ranches in the United States. Agriculture has a death rate of 29 per 100,000 workers, which is higher than the death rate in mining (National Safety Council, 2010).

In addition to the physical danger of the equipment itself, the economic and market conditions change regularly, so profits are uncertain, creating emotional distress. Some people still have the farm pictured as it was in the 1940 & 1950’s which was a much simpler time. Although the physical demands were more, technology didn’t change as quickly as it does today and the knowledge needed to manage agricultural operations is greater. It used to be that young people would graduate from high school and return straight to the farm which was usually sufficient to be successful. In today’s agricultural setting, youth need to further their education, at the minimum, an associate’s degree, but preferred a bachelor’s degree. It is also essential to remain a lifelong leaner from attending other non-formal educational opportunities such as extension programming, etc.

Today’s producers not only need to have a knowledge of basic cropping practices, but risk management knowledge, farm policy and regulatory requirements, sufficient knowledge of today’s modern technology and the list goes on. In addition, as consumers become increasingly disconnected where their food comes from, they must educate consumers how food is produced or product marketing skills, whether it is through social media or day-to-day communication.

With the expected increase in the global population to reach 9 billion by 2050, current food production will need to almost double, therefore farmers and ranchers are extremely important people. More land gets consumed everyday by industrial uses, so those in the agricultural industry will need to continue improving the efficiency of production with less land. Youth unsure of a career path should consider agriculture! The opportunities in agriculture are abundant and exciting! It’s not just cows, plows and sows, but science, technology, and innovation!

As families gather for Thanksgiving, not only should you give thanks for family & friends, health, and the many other blessings we have in our life, but give thanks for farmers and ranchers who prepare a wholesome, nutritious and safe meal for you every day! Happy Thanksgiving!

Turkey Tidbits

The National Turkey Federation (NTF) estimates that approximately 45 million turkeys are eaten at Thanksgiving, 22 million at Christmas, and 19 million at Easter.
Ninety-one percent of Americans surveyed by the NTF eat turkey at Thanksgiving. The average weight of turkeys purchased for Thanksgiving is 15 pounds; that’s about 675 million pounds of turkey consumed in the United States on Thanksgiving Day.