How Indiana contributes to Thanksgiving feasts around the U.S.

Indiana – Turkeys have been the main course of Christmas meals for more than a century, according to Texas A&M University, though there is disagreement on how the custom originated.

There’s a strong likelihood that Thanksgiving dinner this week will include turkeys raised in Indiana among family and friends.

The Hoosier State produces the fourth most turkeys in the country, according to the US Department of Agriculture. Only Arkansas (27 million), North Carolina (30 million), and Minnesota (40 million) produced more turkeys in 2021 than Indiana (20.5 million).

According to the USDA, Turkey demand in the United States was estimated to be 4.86 billion pounds in 2022. Indiana is an important supplier of turkey to the country. The USDA estimates that the United States turkey industry brought in $5.89 billion in 2021 alone.

216.5 million birds were raised in the United States in 2021, according to USDA data. The National Turkey Federation claims that a large number of the birds are shipped to other nations, including Guatemala, Mexico, Canada, and China.

Mexico is the most valuable market for turkey exports, according to NTF data, with an estimated value of $449.5 million. By contrast, NTF estimates that the aggregate value of the remaining global turkey export markets is $160.5 million.

3.1 billion pounds of turkey meat have been exported from the United States since 2014; 450 million of those pounds have gone to Mexico, according to NTF.

According to a Business Insider estimate, almost 46 million turkeys are consumed during the Thanksgiving season, or about 22% of all turkeys produced in the United States annually.

According to a Wall Street Journal article, the typical grocery store commercial turkey weighs approximately thirty pounds. According to Business Insider, over a billion pounds of turkey are consumed by Americans each Thanksgiving.