TOWN OF HAMBURG, Wis. (WAOW) — Ninepatch Farm specializes in raising numerous species of animals, including turkeys.
Around the holidays, the demand for turkeys skyrockets.
The farm has been raising turkeys for 18 years, all of which are grass and grain fed. The turkeys are also raised for 16-18 weeks.
Ninepatch Owner Craig Carleson said the farm has been impacted by both the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic and the ongoing supply chain issues.
“The price of the pulse which is the one-day-old baby birds has gone up,” Carleson said. “The price of grain is higher. Our costs and the cost of gasoline is higher.”
Carleson said they sell up to 85 turkeys a year at local farmers markets and to some restaurants in the area.
“We did raise our prices this year,” Ninepatch Farmhand Mary Sandrini said. “From $5.00 a pound to $5.25 a pound, because grain prices increased this year.”
Carleson said it takes about 75 pounds of grain to get a turkey up to about 18 pounds, which is their main food source.
The ongoing supply chain crisis has caused many grocery stores across the nation to experience limited supplies across the board.
“People talk about shortages and not being able to find stuff in the grocery stores. It’s here,” Sandrini said. “It’s right here in your own backyard. You just have to know where to look.”
Ninepatch also stressing the importance of shopping local this Thanksgiving season.
“I think the product that you get is higher quality,” Carleson said. “These birds, whether they’re butchered at a local processor or we do some processing here on farm, they’re only ever washed in water. Never bleached.”
Carleson also said Ninepatch will continue to adapt as their prices have to reflect their costs, or they risk going out of business as a result.
