Our family will be coming home to our farm to share good conversation and, of course, good food. The meal is the centerpiece of Thanksgiving.  All of us want to put the best tasting, healthiest food on our tables for our families. Preparing that meal involves the same love, passion and care that we, as farmers, put into growing the food before it gets to everyone’s table. 

The star of our Thanksgiving tables is often a turkey. If you are like me, you are planning on serving turkey as the main course. Here are five, fun facts about turkey production that can help get you into the Thanksgiving spirit!

Five Facts about Turkeys:

5.  Young turkeys are called poults. This is an Old English word that can be used for any young domesticated fowl, but especially turkeys.

4.  The most common breed of turkey raised for our Thanksgiving table is the Broad Breasted White. This breed has been developed by turkey breeders to have a large breast to supply the white meat that many people enjoy.

3.  Last year there were over 242 million turkeys produced on family-owned farms in the United States. Minnesota leads the nation in turkey production with over 42 million birds grown last year.

2.  Broad Breasted White turkeys are naturally fast growing due to their ability to convert feed very efficiently. It takes about 14 to 16 weeks for a poult to grow into a turkey ready for our Thanksgiving table.

The MOST IMPORTANT FACT ABOUT TURKEYS :

1.   Labeling on your turkey that states “no added hormones” or “hormone-free” provides no useful information because no poultry (including turkeys) in the United States can ever have growth hormones used in its production.

BONUS FACT–You can be sure you are getting safe and nutritious turkey from the farms across the country that raise turkeys. Farm families like mine, who raise your food, care about how it is produced and want to keep you coming back as a customer for years to come.

From our family to yours, have a HAPPY THANKSGIVING!