Feature Story Sample

Raising

Thanksgiving

How your Thanksgiving turkey gets to your table.

by Tara L. Johns on

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Thanksgiving is a time for families to gather

around the table, eat and be thankful. It brings to mind the images of robust portions of turkey with all the fixings. Often, Americans have little knowledge about how their Thanksgiving turkey gets to their beautiful holiday table.

My parents, Tom and Linda Johnson, operate a turkey farm. They’ve done this for five years.

Most of the birds they raise wind up as packaged whole birds that people purchase for Thanksgiving.

“In a year, we raise approximately 96,000 birds that produce about 2 million pounds of product,” said Tom Johnson, co-owner/operator of Crooked Cedar Farm.

Turkey farming is big business in Arkansas.

Presently, Arkansas is the third largest turkey producing state, behind Minnesota and North Carolina.

Butterball is the integrator for my family’s farm. Butterball, LLC is the largest turkey producer in America and sends products to more than 50 countries.

According to Doug Pfeifler, meat bird division manager for Butterball, the integrator contracts with the farmer in raising birds. The integrator may also provide technical assistance to the farmer with qualified nutritionists, veterinarians and laboratory diagnostics that help the farmer raise birds in a humane efficient manner.

“Butterball produces over one billion pounds of turkey each year with about 25 percent sold during the holiday season,” Pfeifler said.

The production process is complicated and tailored to the birds’ needs.

“As a leader in supporting bird health and well-being, Butterball relies heavily on its network of dedicated farmers to implement best management practices,” Pfeifler said.

According to my mom, Linda Johnson who is also co-owner/operator of Crooked Cedar Farm, one of the most important parts of the production process is maintaining a proper environment for each developmental stage of the turkey’s life.

Getting ready for the chicks

Before the day-old chicks arrive at the farm, my parents perform an extensive sanitization and set-up process.

Rice hull bedding and any remaining feed from the previous flock of turkeys are removed from the 24,000-square-foot turkey barn. The floor, walls, ceiling, feed lines, water lines and supplemental feeders are all disinfected.

“After new bedding is delivered and spread, any dust left on the equipment is blown off with a leaf blower. We use cardboard to build rings around two brooder stoves at a time, including both drinker lines and put out fresh feed using supplemental feed buckets and trays,” Linda John-

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In o n e year, the Johnsons raise enough birds t o produ ce a bou t 2 mi l l ion pou n ds of m e a t .

son explained.

The brooder stoves are lit after the barn is ready and set to bring the barn’s temperature to 88 degrees Fahrenheit.

“The poults (chicks) will gather under the stoves when they require additional warmth, just like they would under a mother hen,” Linda Johnson said.

Placement

The poults are placed inside the cardboard rings within 24 hours of their hatching. On average, each flock is made up of 24,000 birds.

“When the poults arrive, they require a lot of attention to ensure that they get a good start on feed and water,” Linda Johnson said. “During this time, we will check on the birds every few hours day and night to make sure that they are finding the feed and water supply. The poults are monitored closely for any health issues which may arise.”

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Weeks 1-6

After four days, the cardboard rings are removed, giving the chicks access to the entire barn. The Johnsons then remove the supplemental feeders and the birds now have access to the

automatic feed lines. The automated feed line adjusts the flow of fresh feed based on the flock’s consumption.

During week two, the Johnsons start tilling the rice hull bedding. They till twice a week until approximately two weeks before the birds are picked up for processing.

“Tilling ensures that the bedding stays dry and maintains the proper density for optimum comfort,” said Linda Johnson.

Moving day

At approximately six weeks of age, the chicks are moved from the brood barn and divided equally between two finishing barns. They’ll stay in the finishing barns for the next 10-12 weeks.

Week 6 - Load out

“The finishing barns give the birds room to reach their goal weight of about 24 pounds,” Linda Johnson said.

The finishing barns are designed to maintain a temperature of about 85 degrees through evaporative cooling and tunnel ventilation.

Fully grown turkeys are picked up by Butterball for processing between 16 and 18 weeks of age.

“Butterball implements accepted poultry processing methods studied and recognized by leading scientific groups to be humane and responsible,” Pfeifler said.

According to Pfeifler, Butterball has a zerotolerance policy in place related to inhumane treatment.

“Butterball sets the standard in the turkey industry and is a leader in responsible animal welfare practice. Butterball continuously assesses the company’s animal welfare program to ensure it provides ample information and training on multiple aspects of proper turkey handling so that all birds are treated humanely,” he said. “These programs also receive stringent internal audits and yearly audits by the Agricultural Marketing Service, a division of the United States Department of Agriculture.”

“In my opinion, animal care is the most important part of the whole process,” Linda Johnson said.

The Johnsons walk the barns several times a day to ensure that all feed, watering and ventilation equipment work properly. They also check the feed inventory daily to determine how much feed the birds are consuming.

“By monitoring feed consumption, we’re able to ensure that the birds never run out of a fresh supply of feed,” Linda Johnson said.

According to Linda Johnson, no hormones are ever used in any poultry feed - turkey or chicken, because it’s illegal and closely monitored by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.

Pfeifler says turkeys get a balanced diet of about 60 percent corn and 20 percent soybean meal enriched with wheat, fat, vitamins and minerals.

“In the beginning, the entire flock might consume only about 3,000 pounds of feed and 200 gallons of water per day. By the end of the keep, the entire flock could be consuming as much as 24,000 pounds of feed and 4,000 gallons

of water per day,” Linda Johnson said.

The Johnsons clean the water system three times a week to maintain quality drinking water at all times. Sometimes, to keep the birds healthy, Linda flushes electrolytes and vitamins through the water system.

Biosecurity is an important part of maintaining the health of the flock, too.

“Butterball is steadfast in its commitment to biosecurity. Programs are in place and implemented by our farmers for the health and well-being of the birds,” Pfeifler said.

The Johnsons keep a separate set of work clothes and boots specifically for working in the barns. There are disinfection stations at each barn door to disinfect boots before entry.

“Poultry are susceptible to various diseases that could be carried by backyard poultry, pet birds and wild birds,” Linda Johnson said. “By limiting traffic on our farm and keeping the area as clean as possible, we limit the possibility of any disease exposure.”

Naturally, some of birds are lost during the raising of each flock.

“On average we lose about 6 percent of the flock during the 16 to 18 week process. Approximately half of those [birds] are lost during the first four weeks,” Linda Johnson said. “Usually, these are birds that are weak from hatch and never really get started.”

Linda says that she chooses to incinerate the dead birds. She believes it to be more efficient and sanitary because the process results in a small amount of sterile ash.

Often, animal agriculture receives a lot of negative press. Some groups would like consumers to believe that the animals are poorly cared for. This is simply incorrect. My family believes in quality animal care for all of our animals, especially the turkeys. The 96,000 birds my parents care for each year are their livelihood and when the turkeys thrive, so does my family. ■

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