(Talk1370.com) -- As you've probably noticed, the price of pretty much everything has gone up this year. Sadly, your Thanksgiving turkey will be no exception.
While we're still expecting the American Farm Bureau's annual Thanksgiving dinner cost analysis to be released soon, a United States Department of Agriculture report released on Friday has some warning signs for your wallet when it comes to planning your holiday spread.
According to the report, smaller 8-to-16 pound frozen turkeys were selling at wholesale for $1.41 per pound. That's a 22 percent increase from last year, when the same birds were selling for $1.15 per pound. Fresh turkeys were even more expensive, at $1.47 a pound - some 15 cents higher than last year.
An estimated 46 million turkeys are eaten each Thanksgiving in the United States, with nearly 9 in 10 Americans gobbling up a slice of the bird on the holiday each year.
Compounding the issue is inventory availability. According to the USDA, overall production of turkeys is down this year compared to average, and frozen turkey inventories are down 24 percent from their three-year average.
Many Americans are also expected to resume their Thanksgiving traditions this year, after taking a year off in 2020 due to the coronavirus pandemic. That's created some issues for producers, after many turkey buyers last year opted for smaller birds to fit their smaller gatherings.