JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. –
Missouri shoppers can expect to pay less than last year for the
ingredients needed to prepare a traditional Thanksgiving Day meal for 10
people, with some leftovers. The average cost this year is $48.61,
compared to $51.87 last year, for a savings of $3.26. That is a cost of
only $4.86 per person!
The menu includes a
16-pound turkey, bread stuffing, sweet potatoes, rolls with butter,
peas, cranberries, a relish tray, pumpkin pie with whipped cream and
beverages of coffee and milk. Most items decreased in price this year
with the exception of sweet potatoes, milk and whipping cream. The
increases were slight and offset by the reduced price of other items.
According to Diane
Olson, Missouri Farm Bureau Director of Promotion and Education
Programs, turkey is the centerpiece of this meal and the average per
pound price for the bird dropped by 18 cents. “This makes a significant
impact on the overall cost,” Olson says.
The American Farm Bureau
reports the supply of turkeys in cold storage is about 4 percent higher
today compared to a year ago and on-farm production of turkeys remains
strong. These factors impact turkey prices at the store.
The cost of the same
meal reported by the American Farm Bureau was $49.04. This makes the
meal in the Show Me State $0.43 less than the national average.
Thanksgiving
provides a time for family gatherings and an opportunity to count
blessings and share. Without agriculture and farmers, these food choices
would not be available. Count the productivity of American’s farmers
among those many blessings.
