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Brace Yourself for a Thanksgiving Turkey Shortage
New York Magazine ^ | June 18, 2015 | Clint Rainey

Posted on 06/18/2015 3:56:58 PM PDT by nickcarraway

Bird flu has made the three-egg omelette a luxury item in parts of America, but the other fowl bearing the brunt of the highly pathogenic virus's outbreak is the poor turkey, whose flocks have been culled by 7.8 million so far. The USDA is now recognizing that this could have bad consequences in, say, five months, when a certain holiday occurs on the third Thursday of November.

The federal agency's latest monthly hatchery report is a bit ominous: Reuters notes that it reports a "significant decline" in the May count for baby turkeys, or poults. That number (22.3 million) is 8 percent lower than it was last May. Turkeys born in May or June will be the right age for slaughter in time for Thanksgiving, so these two months are critical. Analysts can't agree on just how bad the news is, but at least one expert tells Reuters that it's clear that, at the very least, "big, whole birds for Thanksgiving are going to be extremely hard to come by." Looks like it could finally be Tofurkey's year.


TOPICS: Business/Economy; Food
KEYWORDS: avianflu; foodsupply; poultry; turkey
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To: SkyDancer

Spam is longpig, right?


21 posted on 06/18/2015 6:32:22 PM PDT by nickcarraway
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To: ConorMacNessa; RagWeed_Intl

He’s a jurnilist - at least he got the day of the week and month right.


22 posted on 06/18/2015 6:33:28 PM PDT by nickcarraway
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To: nickcarraway
There's always "Chinese Turkey."


23 posted on 06/18/2015 6:35:37 PM PDT by dfwgator
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To: nickcarraway
Poult to Processing = 3-5 months
mid-June thru mid-November = 5 months

Producers can make up the time

24 posted on 06/18/2015 6:41:26 PM PDT by HonkyTonkMan
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To: nickcarraway

On my way to work last week, I saw a turkey standing on the Jersey barrier as I drove by. In lieu of this shortage, wish I had a chance to cap him. B-)


25 posted on 06/18/2015 6:46:05 PM PDT by Nowhere Man (Mom I miss you! (8-20-1938 to 11-18-2013) Cancer sucks)
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To: dfwgator

Then again, we have a load of Canadian geese around, they are vermin but I’m sure would make a good meal.


26 posted on 06/18/2015 6:48:00 PM PDT by Nowhere Man (Mom I miss you! (8-20-1938 to 11-18-2013) Cancer sucks)
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To: nickcarraway

My husband prefers chicken, so I guess that’s what we’ll be having.


27 posted on 06/18/2015 6:49:43 PM PDT by trisham (Zen is not easy. It takes effort to attain nothingness. And then what do you have? Bupkis.)
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To: nickcarraway

Put enough together, shape to please, bake. Eat.


28 posted on 06/18/2015 7:27:09 PM PDT by SkyDancer ( I Was Told Nobody Is Perfect But Yet, Here I Am ...)
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To: trisham

What? Isn’t he a patriot?


29 posted on 06/18/2015 7:28:02 PM PDT by nickcarraway
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To: nickcarraway

Even at high prices, I make out - if no turkey, the wife insists on a rack of prime rib.....I doubt a turkey will top $360.


30 posted on 06/19/2015 3:16:56 AM PDT by trebb (Where in the the hell has my country gone?)
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To: nickcarraway

Do yourself a favor,
Skip the turkey and prepare a nice standing rib roast on a big green egg.


31 posted on 06/19/2015 3:42:15 AM PDT by Joe Boucher ( Obammy is a lie, a mooselimb and pond scum.)
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