A combination of challenges on U.S. farms has pushed turkey prices higher as the calendar nears Thanksgiving, with wholesale prices up about 40%.

American Farm Bureau Federation economist Bernt Nelson pointed to economic challenges and increased disease pressure as the leading causes in a recent Market Intel analysis.

“Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza (HPAI) has had a major impact on the turkey industry, affecting about 18.7 million turkeys and accounting for 10% of all birds affected by the virus since 2022. This includes 2.2 million turkeys affected so far in 2025,” he said Oct. 1.

The next day U.S. Department of Agriculture confirmed another 42,000 turkeys were impacted by HPAI on a commercial turkey farm in Calhoun County, Iowa. With fall waterfowl migration in full swing, the indu

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