Maryland鈥檚 small turkey farmers faced higher costs this year, but Thanksgiving has allowed many to sell their entire inventory well before the holiday.
High fuel costs have led to high feed prices, according to a local farmer, leading some to raise turkey prices while others absorb the hit.
At Springfield Farm in Sparks, Maryland, it鈥檚 time for 鈥渢urkey weekend,鈥� according to farm owner David Smith.
No, not those long, lazy days of cold turkey sandwiches and watching football after Thanksgiving, but the Saturday and Sunday before.
Smith expects about 400 people to come to his farm and pick up pre-ordered turkeys over this coming weekend.
Add in deliveries to restaurants and private companies, and Springfield鈥檚 sales this year are around 700 turkeys, he said.
Smith said the farm sold out of turkeys earlier this year than in the past, even with slightly higher prices — 50 cents more per pound.
Smith said he sold turkeys at $10 per pound this year 鈥� the Springfield Farm site advertises birds between 13 and 18 pounds.
He said costs to run the farm are up, including for feed and electricity.
Smith said he probably should have raised prices more, to the tune of $1.50 to $2 per pound over last year鈥檚 price.
鈥淲e didn’t want to be greedy, but by the same token we have to watch our bottom line,鈥� Smith said.
The urge to keep prices down, despite rising costs, extended to Carriage House Farms northwest of Baltimore.
鈥淏y rights, just in terms of mortality alone, I could …. push price up to $12 or more a pound,鈥� said Gaylord Clark, president and owner of Carriage House.
Death came earlier in the turkey season, when Clark said he lost lots of birds to cold weather.
He said he鈥檚 down to 50 turkeys from a starting flock of 225.
Clark said instead of raising the price, he鈥檚 kept it at $7.25 a pound, a cost Clark said he鈥檚 鈥渁cutely aware of.鈥�
鈥淭his is not an easy thing for our customers to do,鈥� Clark said. 鈥淲e want to hang onto them and be reasonably profitable.鈥�
Clark said his farm has turned away business, but tries to refer people to friends who also raise turkeys.
Many shoppers decide to go the grocery store route.
Despite warnings earlier this month of a potential turkey shortage, especially for smaller birds, local grocers Capital News Service contacted said supplies are holding up.
Bob Fitzpatrick is a general manager for two Graul鈥檚 Market locations in Annapolis and said he鈥檚 able to stock all sizes of fresh turkeys, though one order was split between two deliveries.
For other Thanksgiving items, Fitzpatrick said he鈥檚 been able to substitute in different brands.
鈥淪ome of the staple items, we’re getting some but we’re having to substitute some,鈥� Fitzpatrick said. Earlier this season, problem items included yams and sugars, he said.
Patrick Kinsella, meat supervisor for the Geresbeck’s Food Market chain, hasn鈥檛 seen a shortage of turkeys either.
鈥淭urkey sales are doing just fine,鈥� Kinsella said.
He also says for customers who don鈥檛 wait until the last minute to shop, prices shouldn鈥檛 be too much of a concern.
鈥淭hey鈥檙e up a little but they鈥檙e not up as extraordinary as I鈥檓 hearing out there on the news,鈥� Kinsella said.
According to a USDA report issued earlier this month, the price per pound of frozen tom turkey was up about 20 cents relative to 2020 鈥� to about $1.36.
According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, consumer prices, including food, are up about 6 percent over the past year.
But even without a shortage at the supermarket, the demand for local turkeys is real.
Robin Way owns Rumbleway Farm in Conowingo, Maryland, and said it鈥檚 been a busy year with 鈥渓ast-minute phone calls looking for fresh, local turkeys.鈥�
Many of Way鈥檚 customers have been buying from her for a long time, she said.
That means they know the drill when it comes to the turkey season, which will end soon at Rumbleway.
鈥淢ost of our customers are trained well,” Way said. 鈥淚f they want a turkey for Christmas, they order two now.鈥�
Way hasn鈥檛 raised turkey prices, but has had trouble finding grit, a type of small granite stone that she says helps turkeys digest their food.
For Drew Kinohi of Kinohi Poultry in Davidsonville, Maryland, like other farmers, feed has been the primary disruption.
鈥淭here’s been a couple of times when we are stretching the last bag because the feed store’s order hasn’t come in yet,鈥� Kinohi said.
Despite the challenges, David Haberkorn of Morris Hill Farm in Tracy鈥檚 Landing, Maryland, is proud of his pasture-based process, in which he said turkeys rotate to fresh ground.
Haberkon called his turkeys a 鈥渧ery, very high quality product.鈥�
Outside of prices and demand for turkeys, Haberkorn has seen another change in the run-up to this Thanksgiving.
鈥淧eople are definitely more eager about the holiday than they were last year.鈥�
