It always makes for a cute Thanksgiving photo opportunity.
The President is presented with two turkeys for the holiday and then quickly issues a pardon, sparing the birds from the holiday dinner table.
I’ll be honest, I never really thought much about what happens after that. It turns out that quite a lot happens, and this year it will happen in North Carolina.
North Carolina State University’s College of Agriculture and Life Sciences (CALS) will be the new home for the official National Thanksgiving Turkey and its alternate after President Joe Biden was presented with the National Thanksgiving Turkey at the White House on November 21.
This will be NC State’s first time serving as the home of the National Thanksgiving Turkey.
It’s a long running tradition that goes back 75 years, to 1947. That’s when the Federation presented President Harry Truman and the White House with the first live turkey.
In a sense, you could say the 2022 National Thanksgiving Turkeys will be coming home after the festivities. The birds are North Carolina natives, raised at Circle S Ranch in Monroe by Ronnie Parker. Parker is the chairman of the National Turkey Federation.
Following their visit to the White House, the two turkeys, Chocolate and Chip, will reside in 100-square foot climate-controlled pens at NC State’s Lake Wheeler Road facility, where university poultry specialists and students will care for the birds.
“We’re honored and excited for the opportunity to care for the National Thanksgiving Turkey and his ‘wingman,’” said Peter Ferket, Interim Head of the Prestage Department of Poultry Science in CALS. “We’ve prepared a first-class retirement home for our fine-feathered friends to live out their days in fame and comfort."
NC State is one of only six poultry science departments in the nation.
“NC State is home to some of the world’s top poultry and animal agriculture experts and facilities,” said John Dole, Ph.D., Interim Dean of the CALS. “We deliver excellence in teaching, research and extension to meet the industry’s needs and grow our state. The birds couldn't be in better hands.”
Faculty and students are also working on a bio-secure mobile coop, which will make it possible to transport the turkeys for public viewing and educational outreach at events such as the North Carolina State Fair and the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences Farm Animal Days.
“The most important part of this whole partnership is the education component,” said Jesse Grimes, the NC State Extension turkey specialist who will help care for the famous birds. “These turkeys will help us educate students and inform the public about modern farming practices, North Carolina agriculture and the importance of the poultry industry.
Agriculture is North Carolina’s top industry, generating more than $90 billion each year. North Carolina ranks 2nd in the nation in turkey production and 1st in total poultry production. The poultry industry accounts for 150,000 jobs across more than 5,000 farms in North Carolina.
