Illinois residents may not have to pay out as much at the grocery store before Thanksgiving, according to a new report from the Illinois Farm Bureau.

The average price for a 16-pound frozen turkey dropped 16.3% from last year to $21.50, or $1.34 per pound. In Illinois, the average price for the same turkey is $18.03, the farm bureau said this week.

The American Farm Bureau Federation, which also released its annual cost of Thanksgiving dinner report this week, predicted in October higher prices for wholesale turkeys — what retailers pay — because farms were battling diseases such as the Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza, which impacted inventory.

But lower consumer demand for turkey, paired with less farms affected by diseases such as bird flu, may have fueled the lower prices.

“A lot

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