MACON — Families across Georgia gathering to count their blessings during the Thanksgiving holiday can add an item to the list of things for which they’re grateful; the feast on the table in front of them didn’t cost as much as it did in 2008.

Farm Bureau’s annual survey of the cost of a traditional Thanksgiving dinner revealed the average price tag for a holiday meal for 10 with all the trimmings rang up at $42.91, down by $1.70 from the 2008 average.

“Consistent with the retail food price declines seen throughout the year, consumers will pay just a bit less for their Thanksgiving feast this year,” said American Farm Bureau Federation economist Jim Sartwelle. “Consumers are benefiting at the grocery store from significantly lower energy prices and the effects of the economic slowdown. Again this year, the cost per person for this special meal is less than a typical ‘value meal’ at a fast-food outlet.”

The survey measured prices nationwide on 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 quantities sufficient to serve a family of 10.

The cost of a 16-pound turkey, at $18.65 or roughly $1.16 per pound, reflects a decrease of 44 cents compared to the prices from the 2008 survey. That, combined with a 92-cents-per-gallon drop in milk prices, accounted for the majority of the difference in overall cost for the meal. Lower energy prices also contributed to the meal cost dropping as processing, packaging, refrigeration and shipping costs declined slightly this year, AFBF economists say.

The prices for whipping cream, milk, rolls, the relish tray and cranberries all decreased. Prices for sweet potatoes and green peas were the same.

Pumpkin pie mix, pie shells and cube stuffing prices all showed slight price increases. Earlier this fall, there was a shortage of canned pumpkin due to a smaller than usual 2008 crop, which in a typical year would have been used for processed products. Food companies had to wait for the 2009 crop to ripen in order to produce canned pumpkin products for this fall.

Farm Bureau enlisted the help of more than 200 volunteer shoppers from 35 states, including three from Georgia, to compile the survey, which is intended as an informal gauge of price trends around the nation. The survey has been conducted yearly since 1986, and the menu has remained the same to allow for consistent price comparisons. The volunteer shoppers were asked to look for the best prices on the survey items without using coupons or taking advantage of any promotional deals like getting a free turkey for spending at least $50.

This is the sixth time in 24 years the price of the average Thanksgiving meal dropped from the year before and follows four straight years of cost increases. This is the largest year-to-year decrease in the cost of the Thanksgiving meal since 2000, when a 4.3 percent decrease was reported.

Sartwelle said despite retail price increases during the past year, American consumers have enjoyed relatively stable food costs over the years, particularly when adjusted for inflation. The cost of this year’s Thanksgiving meal, $42.91, is $20.05 in inflation-adjusted dollars.

Farmers receive only 19 cents out of every retail dollar spent on food, according to the USDA. Off-farm costs, which include marketing expenses associated with processing, packaging, wholesaling, distributing, transporting and retailing food products account for the remaining 81 cents of every retail dollar spent on food.

According to a report published by the United States Department of Agriculture’s National Statistics Service, Georgia farmers lead the nation in producing broilers, pecans, peanuts and watermelon and second in the production of fresh market cucumbers, spring onions, and rye. In 2008, the top 10 commodities grown in Georgia were broilers, eggs, cotton, peanuts, timber, horses, beef, dairy, greenhouse plants and corn.

The 2008 Georgia Farm Gate Report from the University of Georgia Center for Agribusiness and Economic Development indicates that Georgia agricultural production value was about $356 million more in 2008 than in 2007 for a total value of just over $11.9 billion.

Founded in 1937, Georgia Farm Bureau is the state’s largest general farm organization. Its volunteer members actively participate in local, district and state activities that promote agriculture awareness to their non-farming neighbors. GFB also has 20 commodity advisory committees that give the organization input on issues pertinent to the major commodities grown in Georgia.