Higher prices, yet plenty to be thankful for

You can expect to shell out a sawbuck more for Thanksgiving dinner this year than last.

But don't blame the grocery; they've apparently absorbed costs like shipping, processing and storing food as long as they can, at least in Nebraska.

The Nebraska Farm Bureau Federation has been sending out volunteers to fill the same shopping list, taking advantage of specials and discounts, since 1986. This year, 141 volunteer shoppers from 35 states, including 11 from Nebraska, took part in the survey between Oct. 23 and Nov. 7.

They found Nebraskans will spend $1.23 less than the national average of $49.20, but the Cornhusker state's cost of $47.97 is $9.83 higher than in 2010.

That's more than 20 percent more than last year, so if the register tape seems scarier than it used to, you're not imagining things.

The biggest item, of course, is a 16-pound turkey, which averaged $1.35 a pound in the national survey, and $1.20 in Nebraska; last year Nebraska turkey averaged 91 cents a pound.

It's a simple function of supply and demand, according to John Anderson, Farm Bureau senior economist, with strong consumer demand for turkey in the United States and globally.

In addition, "the era of grocers holding the line on retail food cost increases is basically over," he said. "Retailers are being more aggressive about passing on higher costs ... to consumers."

In 2010, the Nebraska Thanksgiving cost was $38.14, $5.33 less than the $43.47 national average. "That suggests to me that our Nebraska grocers absorbed their higher costs longer than the grocery industry overall," said Cheryl Stubbendieck, Nebraska Farm Bureau vice president/public relations.

The shopping list includes turkey, bread stuffing, sweet potatoes, rolls with butter, peas, cranberries, a relish tray of carrots and celery, pumpkin pie with whipped cream and beverages of coffee and milk, all in quanitities sufficient to serve a family of 10.

Besides the turkey, other items showing large price increases in Nebraska for 2011 included a gallon of whole milk, $3.86, up 74 cents; a half-pint of whipping cream, $2.59, up 85 cents; a 30-ounce pumpkin pie mix, $3.26, up 75 cents, and three pounds of sweet potatoes, $2.86, up $1.83.

Farm Bureau volunteers did their shopping in Fullerton, Gothenburg, Grand Island, Kimball, Lextington, Lincoln, Norfolk, Ord, St. Paul, Spencer and Tecumseh.

Yes, the meal will cost more, but for most of us, there is truly something to be thankful for next Thursday -- we have enough to eat ourselves, and the ability share with those who don't.