Local Turkey Farmers Facing Obstacles For Thanksgiving Season

The Farm Bureau says the average price of a turkey has gone up 24% across the country this year. When shopping for your Thanksgiving table this week, you may notice it is more expensive or even more difficult to find a Turkey due to labor shortages, gas price increases and fewer farmers willing to stay in the business.

Angela Faughtenberry owns and runs “413 Farm” in Adair. She says this year she raised, processed, and sold 70 turkeys from her farm. Along with turkey, she also raises beef, poultry, and pork.

She told News On 6 that being in the turkey business is especially hard in Oklahoma because the state doesn’t have a processing plant, which means she has to spend hundreds of dollars to transport them out of state and then bring them back.

“That was something that hit us hard here at the end, but the families and everybody has supported us nobody has complained at all and I couldn’t be more thankful for the families that have allowed us to provide this for them,” Faughenberry said.

She says the skyrocketing gas prices and grain shortages caused her farm to raise their turkey prices this year by a dollar a pound, but she said they were still able to sell out in just six days.

Faughtenberry tells me with the big chain stores being out of so many things, people were eager to shop local.

“There is not a shortage of labor or food in your local food supply chains,” Faughtenberry said. “So we are thankful to everyone who has supported us through the two years that we have really had to try to find our way through such a crazy time.”

She said she doesn’t expect next year to be any different since shipping on fertilizer and grain has slowed to a crawl, meaning many farmers are already expecting a big hit to their businesses next season as well.

“Much of this supply comes from China, but when you combine the container ship freight being backed up with the winter Beijing Olympics and the Chinese New Year, things will be put on hold,” Faughtenberry said.

She told News On 6 that she sells her meats at the Edmond Conscious Community Co-op, the Dallas Farmers Market, and by delivering the product locally to those who live in Oklahoma. To purchase her products, you can contact her at 413farm.com, or on Instagram and Facebook at 413 Farm.