Wadsworth, Ohio — Inflation has affected many things across the United States, but people in northeastern Ohio have seen a direct impact on the cost of turkey and chicken.

At Wholesome Valley Farms, even during the pandemic, work has never stopped, but their products are not completely immune to any changes.

"For us, we are very lucky that the demand for the products we sold increased last year. But the downside is that our costs have risen this year," said Trevor Clatterbuck of Wholesome Valley Farms.

Farmers in Wholesome Valley, they harvested about 18,000 chickens this year, the last batch of chickens will be released on Friday, but the impact of inflation does not stop there. This also affects the sales of turkeys due to the price of bird feed.

"So this year, we had to increase the prices of chicken and turkey because our feed costs have increased by about 28%," Krattback said.

He used to buy corn at a price of US$4.50 per bushel, which accounts for 50% of his poultry feed factory. Now he pays $9.16.

"That bird probably ate 100 pounds. So now our feed mix rate is 34 cents per pound. So the bird ate about $34," Trevor said. This caused him to increase the price of the small bird by 75 cents and the price of the big bird by 25 cents.

"It costs more money to raise a small bird than a big bird. It sounds strange, but the cost of slaughtering and processing a chick is relative to a 20-pound bird and a 5-pound bird. Say it's the same," Krattback said.

This will lead to a domino effect in the supply chain. As production and costs rise, the prices of local restaurants will also rise.

"I don't know if you have heard of it, but the food is very expensive," said Heather Doeberling of Boss ChickNbeer. "Have you been to the grocery store?"

At Boss ChickNbeer, they buy chicken locally. They used to buy a box of chicken wings for $70, but now they won't.

"Well, when we sit here today, the price of a box is $138, so I can look forward to things around the Super Bowl. Yes, record cost, but it's not crazy to think that it's close to $200," Doeberling Say.

In turn, this will require increasing their pricing.

"Until a few months ago, we sold chicken wings for $10 per pound. But our price has more than doubled. So now we charge $14 per pound. I won't make money from it," Doeberling said.

This is not too worrying for Doeberling, because her business is more than just delicious food. This is also about great companies.

"We believe that pricing is to make people affordable," Heather continued. "So I would rather make $0 on a pound of chicken wings and be able to let a few people come in for lunch."

Even with inflation, Boss ChickNbeer will continue to supply hot chickens, and Clatterbuck will continue to harvest.

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