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Farmers Aren't Getting Rich Off Thanksgiving Dinner

Wikimedia Commons

A coalition made of up mostly smaller family farmers says farmers receive only 19 cents of every dollar Ohioans spend on their Thanksgiving meals this year.

Ron Sylvester with the Ohio Farmers Union says figures from the US Department of Agriculture show turkey farmers get 93 cents on every pound of turkey that retails for $1.78 a pound. But other farmers get far less from the products they produce – such as wheat farmers. "Twelve dinner rolls are going to be about $3.00 at the grocery store. The farmer’s share of that is six cents," Sylvester said. "For 15 ounces of stuffing, you are going to pay about $3.40. The farmer’s share of that is seven cents.”

He says corn farmers only get three cents from a 69-cent can of corn.

Sylvester says most of the retail cost of food is due to marketing, processing, wholesale, distribution and retailing.

Contact Jo Ingles at jingles@statehousenews.org.