With exactly one month to go before Americans take forks to their biggest plates of the year, the time to begin prepping your Thanksgiving feast is now. 

Americans will have to dig deeper into their wallets to pay for holiday feasts this time around with inflation impacting the cost of food and also driving up the costs of supplies needed to raise poultry. Turkey feed prices were up more than 10 percent from August 2021 to August 2022, according to the USDA. Coupled with the ongoing avian flu, which has killed at least 5.4 million turkeys in the U.S. this year, scaled back production and climbing consumer prices are not all that shocking. 

Still, Butterball, one of the nation's leading turkey producers, told Cheddar News that the bird remains one of the most cost effective foods that Americans can eat at Thanksgiving dinner.

"We know that rising grocery store prices are a concern for consumers. However, the turkey remains one of the most economical parts of the meal on per-pound basis," Butterball said in a statement. "And just as they've always been, our Turkey Talk-Line experts will be ready to help and can share savings tips like how to turn your turkey into multiple meals with leftovers."

On November 1 the company will launch its 41st annual Turkey Talk-Line, to connect at-home cooks who need help with experts who can offer turkey-cooking tips. 

This year the company is taking it a step further by giving away a limited 24-day Butterball comfort calendar that includes tips, tricks, information, and emotional support for each day leading up to Thanksgiving. Tyler Loranger, a Turkey Talkline expert, said the goal behind the calendar and hotline is to provide a source for people to lean on when things get overwhelming, even for those established cooks. 

"We're really trying to emphasize that the holiday season is a fun time. It's something that should be celebrated and enjoyed and we really want to help people with that emotional support and stress-free aspect in preparation for the holiday season," she told Cheddar News.

So what's the best way to prepare a turkey this Thanksgiving? Who's to say? But Butterball has adjusted and updated its Talk-Line advice through the years to keep up with trends and walk you through whatever the lastest turkey preparation trend is to ensure it comes out perfectly.

"We have, over the years, definitely [detailed], when we're speaking with our experts about these different ways of preparation that always become excitable around the holiday season. One year we spatchcocked our turkey…it's essentially where you butterfly a turkey and you take the breastbone out and lay it flat and it's supposed to speed up the time of cooking the turkey, which it does," Loranger told Cheddar News.