The price of a whole turkey is expected to go up notably for the upcoming holiday season. 

The Consumer Price Index says in September, turkeys were already six percent more expensive than the same time last year. They’re expected to cost even more over the holiday season, more so than in other years. Experts blame the drought. Some turkey growers thinned flockss to control costs. Dave Skogen is the president of Skogen’s Festival Foods, the company operates several grocery stores in Wisconsin. He says even if prices go up a bit on whole turkeys, many customers will continued to buy them, “The prices have been high for the last three to five years so, they’re pushing a dollar a pound.”

On the otherhand, UW Extension poultry specialist Brenda Boetel says some consumers have actually been less likely to buy whole turkeys in the last few years. She says high prices may turn them away again, “Maybe consumers are saying I’d don’t need a whole turkey, I could buy turkey breasts.”

Boetel says whole turkey prices will likely be even higher next year, because the cost of raising turkeys is expected to grow even more.