Source: Bryan Mims, WRAL, 10/27/21

 Sweet potato farmers in North Carolina — which produce more than 40% of the national supply of sweet potatoes — are struggling to pay rising labor costs, fighting against backlogs and strained by a shortage of workers. Due to supply chain issues, Thanksgiving dinner is already expected to be expensive. Some reports suggest the average cost of the traditional Thanksgiving meal could reach a record. Because sweet potatoes have thin skin, they have to be harvested by hand, according to the North Carolina Sweet Potato Commission.

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