Worried About a Holiday Turkey Shortage? 5 Places to Buy Local

I don't want to panic anyone, especially you die hard holiday foodies out there, but there's a rumor going around that is well, just "fowl".

Several news outlets, and buzz on the street, are reporting Thanksgiving 2021 could find consumers facing a turkey shortage. As with most shortage currently being dealt with, labor issue seem to be the culprit for a possible shortage.

Why the Shortage?

A rep for Butterball told TODAY,

“Frozen turkeys are the bulk of what is sold at Thanksgiving and are produced all year long. Challenges like labor and transportation that have persisted throughout the pandemic have made it difficult to maintain a normal production flow. The result? Smaller frozen turkeys could be harder to find in stores this November.”

So many families had smaller gatherings for their 2020 Thanksgiving, and will likely do the same for Thanksgiving 2021, making the demand for smaller birds climb above the available supply. Also, the price of grain went up, making the birds that are available more expensive.

The other challenge is getting the processed turkeys to your local grocers, and with transportation shortage, it creates another hurdle.  Now, I did stop by my local grocery store to check things out, and they were completely out of turkeys. There were about 7 small turkey breast, but not one turkey. I asked the cashier if they were getting any in soon, and her reply was, "Hard to say".

Shop Local and Score Fresh:

So how can you plan for the possible "I can't find a turkey" scenario? There are some great local Michigan turkey farms that are taking orders for fresh and even have a few frozen home grown birds you can buy.

Godfrey's Poultry & Egg: located at the Flint's Farmer Market

Roeske Farms: located in Hartland, Michigan

East River Organic Farm: located in Oxford, Michigan

Ropertis Turkey Farm: a little bit of a drive, but located in Livonia

Otto's Turkey Farm: worth the drive, located in Middleville, Michigan

Best advice, shop early if you see a turkey at your local grocer, or order soon from one of the local farms near you.