By Elaine Rassel
It was back in 2015 when the turkey industry finally recovered from the avian influenza that decimated flocks. It was that year that four Iowa turkeys were spared places as guests of honor at the Thanksgiving table thanks to pardons from Gov. Terry Branstad and President Obama.
Branstad pardoned two Iowa-raised turkeys on Monday morning at the governor’s mansion on Terrace Hill in Des Moines. The two turkeys to be spared the carving knives were named “Bryant” and “Rizzo”, a nod to Kris Bryant and Anthony Rizzo of the World Series champion Chicago Cubs. The turkeys came from the farm of Noel Thompson of Ellsworth, Iowa. “I, Terry E. Branstad, Governor of the State of Iowa, do hereby proclaim Rizzo, the turkey and Bryant, the turkey free from the harm of the carving knives and gravy for this Thanksgiving Day.”
Meantime, two more Iowa turkeys were chosen to be pardoned by Obama in the annual ceremony at the White House on Wednesday. Those lucky birds were named by Obama and his staff and were from the farm of Chris and Nicole Domino in northwest Iowa near Early. The Dominos’ farm was chosen for the presidential pardoning ceremony by the chairman of the National Turkey Federation. Greta Irwin, executive director of the Iowa Turkey Federation, said it is the seventh time an Iowa turkey has been pardoned by the president.
Iowa farmers produce 11 million turkeys annually, the eighth-most in the nation. In 2015, the avian flu caused the death of more than 1 million turkeys in Iowa. However, the industry did rebound.
In 1941, Melvin Dorr from Marcus, Iowa, sent a dressed turkey to the White House. President Kennedy pardoned a turkey in 1963. In 1973, Patricia Nixon accepted the turkeys and sent the birds to the Oxon Hill Children’s farm.
Rosalynn Carter sent a turkey in 1978 to Evans Farm Inn to live in a mini zoo. In 1989, President George H.W. Bush had animal rights activists picketing nearby, and granted a Presidential pardon to end up on a children’s farm not far from the White House. This turkey was a 50-pound turkey!
President Donald Trump pardoned (in 2020) “Corn”, the national Thanksgiving turkey in the Rose Garden of the White house on the Tuesday before Thanksgiving as first lady, Melania Trump watched. Corn was an all white turkey.
Now the year is 2021 and President Biden pardoned two white male turkeys chosen because of their temperament, appearance and vaccination status. He mentioned that instead of getting basted, they were going to get boosted! These birds came from Indiana. The turkeys just gobbled away as they were being pardoned at the Rose Garden. They were named, “Peanut Butter” and “Jelly”, a reminder of the sandwich Biden enjoys for lunch. The turkeys will have a comfortable new home as they are headed to Purdue University’s Animal Science Research and Education Center where they will spend the rest of their days in an enclosed setting with access to a grassy area.
Iowa’s Governor Kim Reynolds gathered family, Iowa Turkey Federation leaders and other dignitaries to read a proclamation officially declaring a tom turkey named “Squash” and a hen named, “Stuffing” on the lawn of Terrace Hill’s mansion pardoned. These two turkeys will be free to roam the rest of their days at Living History Farms in Urbandale.
Since 1947, the National Turkey Federation has presented a live turkey and two dressed turkeys to the President. The President does not eat the live turkey. He pardons it and allows it to live out its days on a historical farm. Abraham Lincoln is said to have informally started the practice when he pardoned his son’s pet turkey!
President George W. Bush in 2007 granted a pardon to two turkeys named “May” and “Flower”. President Obama pardoned a 45 pound turkey named “Courage”, who was flown to Disneyland and served as Grand Marshal of the park’s Thanksgiving Day parade. In the year, 2016, President Obama received two turkeys from Iowa to pardon.
In closing, did you know that Thanksgiving is the reason for TV dinners?! In 1953, Swanson had so much extra turkey (260 tons) that a salesman told them they should package it onto aluminum trays with other sides like sweet potatoes and the first TV dinner was born!