One of my favorite economic indicators is the American Farm Bureau’s annual analysis of what a Thanksgiving dinner costs. This year’s tally shows the cost of a basic Thanksgiving dinner is just under $5 a serving. “The average cost for the annual feast comes in this year at $48.91, an increase from just 1 cent from last year,” said Sam Funk, Iowa Farm Bureau Federation director of ag analytics and research and senior economist. “Despite the sixth consecutive year of a downturned ag economy with lower commodity prices, consumers are getting a deal while farmers are getting 8 cents of each dollar a consumer spends on food.” The cost of a dinner for 10 has been hovering around $50 since 2011.