{"id":325117,"date":"2021-08-15T23:51:14","date_gmt":"2021-08-15T20:51:14","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/en.buradabiliyorum.com\/thanksgiving-turkeys-may-be-harder-to-come-by-this-year\/"},"modified":"2021-08-15T23:51:14","modified_gmt":"2021-08-15T20:51:14","slug":"thanksgiving-turkeys-may-be-harder-to-come-by-this-year","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/thanksgiving-turkeys-may-be-harder-to-come-by-this-year\/","title":{"rendered":"#Thanksgiving turkeys may be harder to come by this year"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>&#8220;<strong>#Thanksgiving turkeys may be harder to come by this year<\/strong>&#8221;<\/p>\n<div>\n<aside class=\"single__inline-module alignleft\">\n        <\/aside>\n<p>What\u2019s Thanksgiving without a juicy, fresh turkey? More Americans may soon find out. <\/p>\n<p>Meat producers and distributors are sounding the alarm over a turkey shortage that has supermarkets and other food retailers scrambling to get ready for the holiday, The Post has learned.<\/p>\n<p>The shortfall is expected to mainly affect fresh turkeys and birds under 16 pounds, which tend to be the most popular, sources said.  <\/p>\n<p>Extra large, frozen birds will be easier to find, sources explained. But they\u2019re labor intensive for cooks, and therefore less desirable. To properly defrost a 20 pound bird, for example, can take up to six days. <\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe <a href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/category\/news\/\" data-internallinksmanager029f6b8e52c=\"2\" title=\"News\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">news<\/a> is not promising,\u201d a broker for Shady Brook Farms, one of the nation\u2019s largest turkey suppliers, warned in a July 26 letter about the \u201cstatus of fresh, whole turkeys for Thanksgiving and Christmas.\u201d  <\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" width=\"1024\" height=\"684\" src=\"https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2021\/08\/sized-morton-williams.jpg?quality=90&amp;strip=all&amp;w=1024\" alt=\"Morton Williams supermarket exterior in NYC\" class=\"wp-image-19139127\" srcset=\"https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2021\/08\/sized-morton-williams.jpg?quality=90&amp;strip=all&amp;w=1536 1536w, https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2021\/08\/sized-morton-williams.jpg?quality=90&amp;strip=all 1024w, https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2021\/08\/sized-morton-williams.jpg?quality=90&amp;strip=all&amp;w=512 512w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\"\/><figcaption>Supermarket chain Morton Williams will have fresh (unfrozen) turkeys available \u201csporadically.\u201d<\/figcaption><figcaption><span class=\"credit\">Getty Images<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>\u201cThe industry continues to struggle with production issues,\u201d said the letter to retailers and distributors, according to a food seller who received it. <\/p>\n<p>Indeed, turkey farmers have been struggling from waning production for years due to slowing demand, experts say. And their woes were only exacerbated by the pandemic, which simultaneously reduced labor and increased costs.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cTurkey is such a seasonal item, dominated by the Thanksgiving market,\u201d explained David Anderson, a professor of agriculture economics at Texas A &amp; M University. \u201cWe can build up supplies with frozen turkeys for the Thanksgiving market, but fresh turkeys have a tighter schedule. The eggs have to hatch at a certain time.\u201d <\/p>\n<p>As many turkey producers were trying to decide how many birds to hatch for this year\u2019s holiday season, corn prices began ticking up, forcing many farmers to pull back on their supply for fear that the investment would not pay off, experts said.  <\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" width=\"1024\" height=\"682\" src=\"https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2021\/08\/thanksgiving-dinner-002.jpg?quality=90&amp;strip=all&amp;w=1024\" alt=\"Friends gather around a freshly cooked turkey\" class=\"wp-image-19139130\" srcset=\"https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2021\/08\/thanksgiving-dinner-002.jpg?quality=90&amp;strip=all&amp;w=1535 1536w, https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2021\/08\/thanksgiving-dinner-002.jpg?quality=90&amp;strip=all 1024w, https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2021\/08\/thanksgiving-dinner-002.jpg?quality=90&amp;strip=all&amp;w=512 512w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\"\/><figcaption>Some Thanksgiving hosts will have to plan ahead to give frozen turkeys as many as six days to defrost.<\/figcaption><figcaption><span class=\"credit\">Getty Images<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>Now, just three months before a holiday centered on a roast turkey dinner, supermarkets are seeing their turkey orders slashed by as much as 50 percent. <\/p>\n<p>\u201cShady Brook told us they could only give us 50 percent of the turkeys we need and want for the holidays,\u201d\u00a0Stew Leonard, who owns the eponymous grocery chain, told The Post.<\/p>\n<p>The Morton Williams grocery chain was recently informed by its vendors that it won\u2019t get any birds weighing less than 16 pounds. The most popular turkey is 14 pounds. <\/p>\n<p>Fresh birds will be \u201csporadically\u201d available, according to Morton Williams\u2019 meat buyer, Victor Colello.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYou can get whatever you want if it\u2019s a 20-pound turkey,\u201d Colello said, who is predicting some unh<a href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/category\/download-scripts-themes-apps\/\" data-internallinksmanager029f6b8e52c=\"9\" title=\"Download Scripts &amp; Themes &amp; Apps\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">app<\/a>y customers.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" width=\"1024\" height=\"682\" src=\"https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2021\/08\/thanksgiving-dinner-004.jpg?quality=90&amp;strip=all&amp;w=1024\" alt=\"A table with a golden brown turkey, pumpkin pie, mashed potatoes and stuffing\" class=\"wp-image-19139131\" srcset=\"https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2021\/08\/thanksgiving-dinner-004.jpg?quality=90&amp;strip=all&amp;w=1535 1536w, https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2021\/08\/thanksgiving-dinner-004.jpg?quality=90&amp;strip=all 1024w, https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2021\/08\/thanksgiving-dinner-004.jpg?quality=90&amp;strip=all&amp;w=512 512w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\"\/><figcaption>Petite fresh turkeys like this one will be harder to find for some shoppers.<\/figcaption><figcaption><span class=\"credit\">Getty Images<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>\u201cI\u2019m frustrated that we won\u2019t get the most popular size bird. It\u2019s just another hurdle we have to jump over. I\u2019ll probably have to break down some of the larger turkeys, to give people the parts they want,\u201d he said. <\/p>\n<p>A spokesman for Cargill, which owns Shady Brook Farms, acknowledged the shortage, saying it is the result of  \u201ccontinuing to manage tight labor markets while working to keep employees safe from the impacts of COVID-19 in the communities where they operate.\u201d <\/p>\n<p>\u201cIt is important to note,\u201d the company added, \u201cthat the overall frozen bird production remains the same compared to previous years though average bird weights are slightly higher for both fresh and frozen birds due processing delays.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Larger turkeys are more readily available because the birds have been growing faster than the producers can process them, explained to Daniel Romanoff, president of Bronx-based meat distributor Nebraskaland. <\/p>\n<p>\u201cIt\u2019s a very precise schedule to get the turkey to the size of 14 pounds or less,\u201d Romanoff said. \u201cAnd the plants weren\u2019t able to keep up with that size.\u201d<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" width=\"1024\" height=\"684\" src=\"https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2021\/08\/sized-turkey-leftovers.jpg?quality=90&amp;strip=all&amp;w=1024\" alt=\"An aluminum container container with leftover turkey\" class=\"wp-image-19139135\" srcset=\"https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2021\/08\/sized-turkey-leftovers.jpg?quality=90&amp;strip=all&amp;w=1536 1536w, https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2021\/08\/sized-turkey-leftovers.jpg?quality=90&amp;strip=all 1024w, https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2021\/08\/sized-turkey-leftovers.jpg?quality=90&amp;strip=all&amp;w=512 512w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\"\/><figcaption>Chances are, cooks will have more leftovers this year as they will be forced to buy bigger birds.<\/figcaption><figcaption><span class=\"credit\">Getty Images<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>The shortage has some retailers turning to smaller turkey producers, like Jaindl Farms of Allentown, Pa.<\/p>\n<p><strong>\u201c<\/strong>Our customers are having trouble getting their Thanksgiving commitments from their vendors and are coming to us,\u201d said owner David Jaindl, who says he\u2019s been fielding calls from frantic customers over the past couple of months.<\/p>\n<p>Stew Leonard\u2019s, for example, was able to make up for its smaller Shady Brook shipment this year by turning to Jaindl, whose all natural turkeys are <a href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/category\/general\/\" data-internallinksmanager029f6b8e52c=\"3\" title=\"General\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">general<\/a>ly more expensive than the mass-produced turkeys by Cargill-owned Shady Brook and other large companies.<\/p>\n<p>Jaindl\u2019s farm controls all aspects of the process from growing the corn used to feed the turkeys to processing them, which has allowed him to manage his costs better and to actually increase his supply of turkeys this year, he told The Post. <\/p>\n<p><strong>\u201c<\/strong>The biggest cost of growing a turkey is feeding it,\u201d Jaindl said, \u201cAnd I think the cost of corn discouraged the big companies from hatching turkeys.\u201d\n                        <\/div>\n<blockquote><p><strong><span style=\"color: #ff6600;\">If you liked the article, do not forget to share it with your friends. Follow us on\u00a0<span style=\"color: #ff0000;\"><a style=\"color: #ff0000;\" href=\"https:\/\/news.google.com\/publications\/CAAqBwgKMLG0nwswvr63Aw\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener noreferrer\">Google News<\/a><\/span>\u00a0too, click on the star and choose us from your favorites.<\/span><\/strong><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<blockquote>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\">For forums sites go to <span style=\"color: #ff9900;\"><a style=\"color: #ff9900;\" href=\"https:\/\/forum.buradabiliyorum.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Forum.BuradaBiliyorum.Com<\/a><\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<blockquote>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><strong>If you want to read more News articles, you can visit our <span style=\"color: #ff9900;\"><a style=\"color: #ff9900;\" href=\"https:\/\/en.buradabiliyorum.com\/news\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">News category.<\/a><\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><span style=\"color: black;\"><a style=\"color: #ff9900;\" href=\"https:\/\/nypost.com\/2021\/08\/15\/thanksgiving-turkeys-may-be-harder-to-come-by-this-year\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Source<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>&#8220;#Thanksgiving turkeys may be harder to come by this year&#8221; What\u2019s Thanksgiving without a juicy, fresh turkey? More Americans may soon find out. Meat producers and distributors are sounding the alarm over a turkey shortage that has supermarkets and other food retailers scrambling to get ready for the holiday, The Post has learned. The shortfall&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":325118,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2021\/08\/thanksgiving-dinner-003.jpg?quality=90&strip=all&w=1024","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[70897],"tags":[114280,70511,71389,77894,77900],"class_list":["post-325117","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news","tag-8-15-21","tag-meat","tag-supermarkets","tag-thanksgiving","tag-turkeys"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/325117","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=325117"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/325117\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/325118"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=325117"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=325117"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=325117"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}