by Betty Resnick, Economist, American Farm Bureau Federation
Thanksgiving dinner is a special meal cherished by nearly all Americans. Gathering around the table, we give thanks for the abundance of a delicious feast. But, while millions of Americans look forward to their annual Thanksgiving meal, very few know about the amazing diversity of how and where most classic Thanksgiving foods are grown.
In this Market Intel, we dive into the facts behind the production of nine Thanksgiving staples that are part of American Farm Bureau’s traditional Thanksgiving Dinner Cost Survey, which has been conducted annually since 1986.
To give a sense of the geographic diversity involved in producing your meal, we ranked the top three production states for nine Thanksgiving dinner staples: cranberries, celery, sweet potatoes, green beans, pumpkins, green peas, potatoes, carrots and turkey.
A total of 15 different states appeared at least once in these rankings, representing every region of the country. From Massachusetts to California, Wisconsin to Mississippi – farmers across the nation work hard all year to grow the food we gather around and give thanks for on Thanksgiving.
To view the report and its graphs click here.
