Organic turkey slaughter hit an all-time high in the week ending October 31, according to The Jacobsen. Slaughter numbers generally rise ahead of the last two weeks in November, as the market prepares for Thanksgiving. The question is whether the pandemic will increase organic turkey sales. The uptick in slaughter numbers tells The Jacobsen that the market believes this year will be a blockbuster. Retail sales of organic turkey have increased during the pandemic and with most of the organic sales of turkey sold at supermarkets and big-box stores, the uptick in COVID is likely to increase organic turkey sales.

Organic turkey slaughter increased to more than 155K birds in the last week of October, to a fresh all-time high. Organic turkey slaughter by weight has also increased to a new all-time high rising to nearly 4-million pounds per week. Not only has the average number of organic turkeys that are slaughtered increased, but the average weight has also climbed sharply. The average weight for organic turkey slaughter has increased a robust 39% year over year for the first 10-months of the year according to The Jacobsen. At this rate, the increase in organic turkey slaughter will eventually begin to increase feed demand.