COTTONTOWN, Tenn. (WTVF) — It may be a little harder this year for you to get your hands on a turkey.
After families had to cancel their big Thanksgiving gatherings last year because of the pandemic, many are choosing this year to make up for lost time.
"This year we definitely saw an increase in people that wanted turkeys and things like that," said Bryan Petersen, who owns Whitaker Farms in Cottowntown, Tennessee.
He's prepping about 80 turkeys for processing but says he could've gotten away with a lot more.
However, the uncertainty of the pandemic made it harder to predict the farm's supply. At the same time, supply chain issues continue to plague big retailers.
This means while there is plenty of turkeys, chain stores are having problems getting frozen turkeys into their shops.
"From the packing side you could say the packing industry is having a tough time with people working and staffing," said Petersen.
These supply chain issues are also driving up the prices of food.
Experts say along with food, you may want to start stocking up on gifts now as well.
Major retailers don't anticipate the national supply chain crisis will end anytime soon.
