Is Arizona facing a turkey shortage ahead of Thanksgiving?
PHOENIX - There’s been rumors and fears of a turkey shortage this Thanksgiving because of the supply chain issues across the country.
Fewer turkeys may be Arizona-raised right now, but experts argue there's no shortage. However, consumers might still pay a higher price.
'Maybe we’re making up for lost time'
Herman Dominguez takes food seriously, and not just at Cardinals tailgates. He already is stocked up for Thanksgiving.
"We've got to do what we've got to do," Dominguez said. "There's already stuff in my freezer right now."
The experts say that’s smart, because turkey is about to be gobbled up in 2021.
"This year I guess maybe we’re making up for lost time, because demand, interest is up really high for turkeys," said Josh Koehn with Chiricahua Pasture Raised Meats, which is based in Wilcox, Arizona.
They’re one of the few local turkey farms this year ready to go with 800 birds.
Other large local producers said they couldn’t find the labor this year.
"Labor issues, transportation issues, feed cost issues - they still affect the turkey prices today," said Anne-Marie Roerink with 210 Analytics, a market research firm.
Roerink says turkey shortages won’t happen because the birds are raised locally and not overseas, but it’ll cost you.
"The prices will be higher than what we have been paying simply because of the other supply issues we’ve been having," Roerink said.
Koehn’s fresh local turkeys go for $5.25 a pound and he says so far, he’s been able to work around supply chain problems.
"It’s affecting about every part of everything these days," he said.
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