Be Prepared To Pay More For A Turkey This Thanksgiving

As COVID-weary Mainers head into their second Thanksgiving of the pandemic, one thing they won’t have to worry about is a turkey shortage this year. The overall production of fresh turkeys is down 1.4 percent compared with last November, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture. At the same time, ongoing supply chain disruptions, shortages in packaging materials and labor — issues all related to the pandemic — are driving turkey costs up. That means people may need to be flexible on what size bird graces the holiday table and pay a bit more for it, but supplies look good both at the national and local levels. “There are going to be turkeys, for sure,” said Scott Greaney of Greaney’s Turkey Farm in Mercer.