Turkey Top Ten List

• Toms and hens are raised separately. A turkey grower will raise one or the other.

• Turkeys are raised in large, open buildings that keep the turkeys comfortable. This protects the turkeys from predators such as coyotes or hawks, disease and Iowa's weather extremes while allowing a large area to move and interact with other turkeys.

• Hormones are never used to raise turkeys. It is illegal. Hormone use for any turkey production was banned in the 1950's!

• Feeling drowsy after eating Thanksgiving dinner? Recent studies show that the turkey is not the cause! The study showed that carbohydrate rich, not turkey-protein rich, meals increase levels of tryptophan in the brain which creates drowsiness.

• Turkey sandwiches account for 48% of all turkey consumption.

• In a turkey's lifetime, they will consume approximately one bushel of corn and 1/3 bushel of soybeans. Yearly, all of Iowa's turkeys will eat about 62,000 acres of corn and 69,000 acres of soybeans!

• Turkey barns have wood shavings and or oat hulls on the floor of the buildings. Turkey manure is naturally deposited into the wood shavings to make an organic, nutrient rich fertilizer that is distributed on farm fields and residential lawns.

• Fossils have been found from 10 million years ago...turkeys were around even then!

• Economy value per turkey is about $16.00. (farm to processor)

• Estimated value of turkey production in Iowa from farm to ready-to-cook, wholesale is $141,000,000. The economic value of Iowa's turkey production on just the farm is over $78,500,000.