California losing its stature as turkey producer
By Phillip Reese, Sacramento Bee
There’s an ever-dwindling chance each year that the turkey on your Thanksgiving table was raised in California.
California farmers will produce about 13.5 million head of turkey this year, the lowest number since 1956, according to the latest estimates from the National Agricultural Statistics Service.
It’s not that turkeys are getting a reprieve; several other states have seen turkey production increase over the last few decades.
In 1990, California produced 30 million head of turkey, more than all other states except Minnesota and North Carolina. Last year, California ranked seventh.