Grand Champion turkey at the 2010 N.C. State Fair.
This Thanksgiving as you look around your holiday table, consider the bounty of food that comes from North Carolina. One staple of many Thanksgiving meals is turkey, and so, in honor of the holiday, we would like to present some fun facts about N.C. turkey.
| 2 | North Carolina’s national rank in turkey production. |
| 9 | Turkeys that have received the presidential pardon during Thanksgiving at the White House. |
| 17 | Pounds of turkey the National Turkey Federation estimates American’s consumed last year. |
| 272 | U.S. Census Bureau’s estimated population for Turkey, NC. |
| 4,500 | Dollar amount awarded to Victoria Pender for her grand champion turkey at the 2010 N.C. State Fair. |
| 675,000 | Square footage of the world’s largest turkey plant located in Mt. Olive. |
| 35,500,000 | Turkeys raised in North Carolina in 2009. |
| 46,000,000 | Turkeys the National Turkey Federation estimates were eaten during Thanksgiving 2009. |
The N.C. Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services would like to wish everyone a very happy Thanksgiving. We are fortunate to have farmers in North Carolina that work tirelessly each day to make sure there is quality food for our holiday meals and throughout the year. As a department, it is a pleasure to work with these farmers and agribusinesses across the state and help agriculture remain the top industry in North Carolina.