Thanksgiving turkeys are going to be more expensive than ever this year – here's why

It will be more expensive for home cooks to have turkey as the centerpiece of their Thanksgiving feast, because it will be harder to find.

Thomas Elam, a poultry industry expert, said in a September interview that consumers should expect record turkey prices for Thanksgiving.

Major impacts on turkey production and egg production have been reported. General price inflation in wages and salaries, energy, and all of those are affecting our retail food sectors.

Farmers and processors are having to pay more for feed, labor, and fuel because of supply shortages.

According to Elam, this year's avian flu is more dangerous than the one in 2015, because it's more persistent and contagious. According to the Department of Agriculture and Watt Global Media, 7.3 million turkeys have been killed by the outbreak.

As the holiday season approaches, the avian flu has appeared in 42 states and is still spreading.

Thanksgiving will be the only holiday with more expensive food, according to Elam. Christmas will be the same, he said.

The combination of higher wholesale prices and higher cost for everything the grocer is buying, including the cost of his labor force would argue that we will have record high retail turkey prices come Thanksgiving and Christmas.

Elam said he's certain the turkeys won't become completely unavailable despite the higher price.

If anyone is willing to pay the higher prices at retail stores, they should be able to buy a turkey.

Walmart sells a 10- to 16-pound Butterball turkey.