Big Turkeys Are Harder To Come By This Thanksgiving

Big families may have to cook two turkeys! Why? The nation’s top turkey producer is coming up a little short or actually light, as in pounds. Butterball, based out of North Carolina, told retailers that orders for fresh 16-pound turkeys and larger have been cut in half according to CBS.

The massive shortage is nationwide. Butterball produces about 20 percent of the nation’s turkeys. That’s roughly 1.3 billion pounds of turkey meat a year. The problem isn’t the production; it’s the size of the bird. Frozen turkeys are a plenty, but the fresh, highly sought after, big boy 16-pound Butterballs may come up short. Still, there are plenty of other turkeys waiting to be carved.

Minnesota is the largest turkey producer in the country and will produce about 46 million turkeys this year. Minnesota-based Jennie-O is right behind Butterball in national turkey sales.