U.S.A. -- "Thank you" to these people for the Thanksgiving meal

The following is written by Guy Heston, who is almost certainly Iowa's Biggest Fan in California.

As we celebrate Thanksgiving in the United States, let's give a shout out to capitalism, government regulations, hard work and the great state of Iowa.

Millions of Americans will sit down on Thanksgiving Thursday to enjoy the traditional turkey feast involving mashed potatoes, sweet potatoes, stuffing, various family recipe casseroles, cranberry sauce, pies, various in-laws and various football games on television.

The centerpiece of these feasts is of course the turkey, and there are thousands of ideas about the best way to roast, barbecue, smoke or even deep fry said bird. But what if the turkey weren't there? What if you couldn't get a turkey to prepare for your family feast?

I raise these questions because earlier in the year there was great concern there would be a massive shortage of turkeys resulting from an outbreak of Avian flu in the USA. Fowl flocks were being decimated as farmers had to euthanize to try to contain the outbreak. How long would this go on, and would we be able to get the staple of an everyday roasting chicken, much less a Thanksgiving Tom turkey?

Enter farmers like Brad Moline from Manson, Iowa, who is a third generation turkey farmer. The New York Times reported he had to destroy his entire flock of 56,000 turkeys when the Avian flu broke out on the family farm earlier this year. According to The Times, the outbreak in the U.S. reached 15 states, resulting in 48 million chickens, ducks and turkeys having to be put down. Reuters was quoted as saying an expert predicted holiday turkeys would "be hard to come by."

Thankfully, Thanksgiving turkeys have not been hard to find. As The Times reported, "But apparently holiday turkeys are so far easy to come by and in case you haven’t done your shopping or reserved a turkey yet, rest assured: There will be a turkey for you. Not only is there no shortage, but turkeys are selling for some of the lowest prices in years."

The abundance and low prices are because Mr. Moline and other farmers in Iowa and other states do what they always do: they buck up, work hard, take care of business and carry on in conformance with government regulations.  In Mr. Moline's case, his family farm scrubbed, cleaned, disinfected and got clearance to repopulate the turkeys. And yes, he reportedly said, they got some government assistance.

So, if you are sitting down to a Thanksgiving turkey feast, enjoy the turkey, the in-laws, the football on television and the feast. And please give a shout out to capitalism, government regulations (well at least most of them) and the great state of Iowa.

Happy Thanksgiving!