Thanksgiving week is here, and while people everywhere are saying thanks for things like their families, health, friends, and jobs, and asking God’s blessing on the food and the hands that prepared it, I ask that you include the farmers that grew the food on both of those lists.

Who grew my food?

Turkey

Turkey producers exist nationwide. Minnesota producers lead the pack of states contributing the to 250 million turkeys raised in 2017, followed by North Carolina, Arkansas (my home state!), and Indiana.

The map below, courtesy of Esri’s article about Mapping the Thanksgiving Harvest shows the concentration of turkey farmers across the United States. You can definitely see the higher population of turkey farms in the above mentioned states,

Sweet Potatoes

North Carolina may be second in turkey production, but their hot, moist climate along with the rich, fertile soil help them rise to the top of the sweet potato race. They grow more than half of the sweet potatoes in the country. Sweet potatoes are obviously a more “southern” grown crop when you look at the map.

Potatoes

While the east may have a lock on the sweet potato market, north west states Idaho and Washington produce more than half of the potatoes that will eventually be mashed and served on your Thanksgiving table. However, potatoes are one of the items served that are basically grown nationwide – including in Alaska and Hawaii!

Green Beans

A large amount of green bean production is accounted for by a small number of farms in Florida and Wisconsin. Green beans may come fresh, canned, or frozen.

Cranberries

Love them or hate them, fresh or canned, Cranberries make an appearance on most Thanksgiving spreads. While they are consumed nationwide, they are the most limited on where they are grown. Cranberries have very specific environmental needs including lots of water, and a long, cold winter. This explains why Wisconsin, Massachusetts, New Jersey, and Oregon are home to most of our cranberry farmers.

Pumpkins

Halloween may be over, but pumpkins are still popular in November for Thanksgiving desserts. Whether you prefer pumpkin pie or pumpkin rolls (my specialty), chances are your pumpkin came from a farmer in Illinois. Illinois farmers have twice the acreage devoted to pumpkin production with most of their pumpkins (nearly 80%!) is processed into pie filling and other items.

The cost of Thanksgiving dinner

This year marks the 36th year that Farm Bureau has researched and reported the average cost of Thanksgiving dinner for American families. Their survey revealed that $53.31 will cover a feast for 10, coming out to just over $5 per person. That might not sound bad, under you consider it’s a 14% increase from 2020.

What’s the cause of the increase? There are so many factors, it’s not an easy, straightforward answer. The U.S. supply chain has experienced major disruptions over the past year and a half, inflation pressure has been high, and the demand for meat has been higher than normal. Farmers have experienced their own versions of inflation as well. Their input costs are significantly increased over previous years, with their share of the profits not on the same upward trajectory.

National Farmer’s Union publishes an annual document called The Farmer’s Share highlighting how much of your food dollar the farmer actually receives. In 2020, they shared a Thanksgiving special. Their estimates, based on USDA data, showed that farmers received only 14.6 cents of every dollar consumers spend on food. The other 85 cents are spent on off farm costs including marketing, processing, wholesale, distribution, and retailing.

Specific dinner components previously discussed are broken down as follows:

•  11 lb. Turkey
    Retail $21.89
    Farmer $0.66

•   1 lb. Sweet potato
     Retail $1.29
     Farmer $0.19

•   5 lbs. Russet potatoes
     Retail $4.99
     Farmer $0.60

•   1lb. Green Beans
     Retail $1.99
     Farmer $0.47

•   12 oz. Cranberries
     Retail $2.99
     Farmer $0.22

Curious about the Farmer’s Share of other aspects of your meal? Check out the full graphic below.

Blessings on all

As your family is going around sharing what they are thankful for, make sure someone mentions being thankful that being in America, we have access to a safe, affordable food supply. When you say your prayers and ask for God’s blessing on the food and the hands that prepared it, go ahead ask him to bless the farmers that grew it, the processors that made the product, the truck drivers that delivered it, and the retailers that sold it.