Your browser doesn’t support HTML5 audio
On November 19, President Joe Biden pardoned this year’s National Thanksgiving Turkeys, a presidential tradition. Peanut Butter and Jelly, this year’s Thanksgiving turkeys, were raised in southern Indiana under the supervision of Phil Seger, 2021 National Turkey Federation chairman, and by turkey producer Andrea Welp in cooperation with Farbest Farms.
Peanut Butter and Jelly arrived at their new home Monday, Purdue University in West Lafayette. Dr. Marisa Erasmus, Animal Sciences professor at Purdue, talks about their accommodations.
“They have their very own indoor housing with an outdoor enclosure. So, weather permitting, they have the choice of going inside or outside, and they have some straw, some shavings, to scratch and forage. They’ve been raised together so they’ll have each other for company, and we have the best care for them at our Animal Sciences Research and Education Center.”
Rebecca Joniskan, President of the Indiana State Poultry Association, tells HAT that Peanut Butter and Jelly represented Indiana well in D.C. and highlighted the fact that Indiana has the nation’s most diverse poultry flock.
“We’re number one in duck production, number two in eggs and egg laying chickens, number four in turkey production, and a good broiler industry as well. I really see these two turkeys as just emblematic of Indiana’s flock, the high-quality products that we produce, and just our very genuine commitment to feeding our communities and giving. It’s very symbolic to go to the White House and give a turkey. These guys represented us well.”
This is the first time the National Thanksgiving Turkeys were raised in Indiana since 2007 when the Seger family presented President George W. Bush with May and Flower.
Hear more about Peanut Butter and Jelly’s journey from southern Indiana to D.C. to West Lafayette in the full HAT interview below with Joniskan.
Your browser doesn’t support HTML5 audio