Survey: Thanksgiving dinner in Wisconsin costs less this year

MADISON, Wis. (CBS 58) – The price of Thanksgiving dinner in Wisconsin is cheaper this year compared to 2016, according to the Wisconsin Farm Bureau.

“This year’s survey came in 54 cents lower than last year’s price of $47.91,” said Wisconsin Farm Bureau’s spokesperson Amy Eckelberg. “The survey’s total price of $47.26, when divided by 10, shows a home-cooked Thanksgiving meal can cost less than $5 per person.”

The Thanksgiving meals they compared include turkey, stuffing, sweet potatoes, rolls, peas, cranberries, carrots and celery and pumpkin pie.

Wisconsin’s average price for a 16-pound turkey was $21.92 in 2016. This year the price of the same 16-pound turkey is $20.96, down 96 cents.

“Grocers typically feature turkey in special sales and promotions leading up to Thanksgiving,” Eckelberg said. “Watch for an even better bargain as the holiday approaches.”

Turkey production across the U.S. has fully rebounded from the 2015 Avian Influenza crisis that occurred throughout the Midwest. There is a plentiful supply of turkey, hence the lower price in this year’s survey.