{"id":18325,"date":"2024-11-22T17:54:27","date_gmt":"2024-11-22T17:54:27","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/gpt.m2mbeta.com\/?p=18325"},"modified":"2024-11-22T17:54:27","modified_gmt":"2024-11-22T17:54:27","slug":"how-a-northfield-farmer-picks-which-of-his-turkeys-to-have-pardoned-at-white-house","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/gpt.m2mbeta.com\/?p=18325","title":{"rendered":"How a Northfield farmer picks which of his turkeys to have pardoned at White House"},"content":{"rendered":"
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As a turkey farmer in Northfield who raises about 150,000 birds every year, John Zimmerman usually doesn\u2019t give much thought to any particular turkey, even a Thanksgiving turkey.<\/p>\n

But this year is different.<\/p>\n

That\u2019s because Zimmerman had to choose which turkey travels to the White House to meet President Joe Biden to receive an expected presidential pardon on Monday. Zimmerman is serving as chair of the National Turkey Federation this year and that group\u2019s head picks the honorary bird. Hence, Zimmerman\u2019s laser-like focus on a single turkey.<\/p>\n

Actually, it\u2019s two turkeys. There\u2019s the No. 1 turkey and a backup turkey, just in case.<\/p>\n

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MPR News helps you turn down the noise and build shared understanding. Turn up your support for this public resource and keep trusted journalism accessible to all. <\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

\"A<\/picture>
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A turkey in contention for a presidential pardon stands on a podium above its competition at Zimmerman Turkey Farm.<\/p>\n

Tim Evans for MPR News<\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The competition began months ago on his <\/strong>farm when Zimmerman, his 9-year-old son Grant, and several neighbors began examining 44 male turkeys from his flock for the possible honor.<\/p>\n

\u201cMale turkeys are naturally a little more aggressive,\u201d Zimmerman said. \u201cThey\u2019re the ones that strut up and want to show off because they\u2019re obviously looking for a mate.\u201d<\/p>\n

When examining the candidates for top turkey, Zimmerman wanted a pretty bird, but also a mellow bird, one that isn\u2019t afraid of humans.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019re looking for the calmest birds out there, ones that are not scared of people,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

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John Zimmerman, chair of the National Turkey Federation, considers which of his turkeys should receive a presidential pardon at Zimmerman Turkey Farm.<\/p>\n

Tim Evans for MPR News<\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Also important: a bird that is comfortable standing on an elevated platform, because, of course, that\u2019s what he\u2019ll have to do on the White House lawn in front of a stranger in a suit (even if that stranger is the president), surrounded by photographers, reporters, Secret Service agents and other hangers-on during a staged media event on the Monday before Thanksgiving.<\/p>\n

\u201cBirds that can stand up there nice and calm naturally have a leg up in the competition,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

The annual president-pardons-a-turkey tradition started in 1989 when President George H.W. Bush used the word \u201cpardon\u201d in a White House ceremony, Zimmerman said. Before that, turkey producers gave the president a bird to eat, which some presidents did on the big day.<\/p>\n

\"A<\/picture>
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A turkey in contention for a presidential pardon ruffles its feathers at Zimmerman Turkey Farm.<\/p>\n

Tim Evans for MPR News<\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Past chairs of the National Turkey Federation advised Zimmerman that choosing the pardoning turkey would be easy. You\u2019ll know, they said. But Zimmerman thought otherwise. Once he\u2019d narrowed the candidates to the top dozen candidates, he found it more difficult to narrow the field. So he started to get picky.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe bird looks at you wrong, it\u2019s out,\u201d he said. \u201cOne feather out of place, it\u2019s out.\u201d<\/p>\n

Of course, Zimmerman\u2019s family and friends had opinions. During final deliberations, people circled the turkeys, using laser pointers to point out flaws.<\/p>\n

\u201cSomebody would say the feather on the left is a little out of place. Or he looks a little meaner than the other ones,\u201d he said. \u201cIt\u2019s an interesting process and not something you normally do with the birds that are destined to be consumed.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"A<\/picture>
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John Zimmerman, chair of the National Turkey Federation, inspects a turkey held by his 9-year-old son Grant that is in contention for a presidential pardon at Zimmerman Turkey Farm.<\/p>\n

Tim Evans for MPR News<\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Zimmerman said a fellow turkey-industry professional, Peter Gruhl, will drive the two turkeys in a minivan to Washington, D.C., on Friday.<\/p>\n

\u201cThey\u2019re not in kennels or coops or anything, they\u2019re just free roaming in the back,\u201d Zimmerman said.<\/p>\n

But don\u2019t get the idea the turkeys will be trotting around truck stops on the trip east.<\/p>\n

\u201cHe\u2019s a turkey whisperer. He knows what they need. He\u2019s been around turkeys his entire life. If he needs to stop and do something to make them more comfortable, he will do that.\u201d<\/p>\n

After Monday\u2019s event at the White House, Gruhl will take the turkeys to Farmamerica<\/a>, an agriculture interpretative center in Waseca, where visitors can take a gander at them.<\/p>\n

\"A<\/picture>
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A turkey in contention for a presidential pardon stands on a rehearsal podium above its competition at Zimmerman Turkey Farm.<\/p>\n

Tim Evans for MPR News<\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Correction: An earlier version of this story got the sex of the turkeys wrong. The turkeys are male, not female.<\/em><\/p>\n

MPR News freelance photographer Tim Evans contributed to this story.<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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Source: <\/em> politics.einnews.com\u2026<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

As a turkey farmer in Northfield who raises about 150,000 birds every year, John Zimmerman usually doesn\u2019t give much thought to any particular turkey, even a Thanksgiving turkey. But this year is different. That\u2019s because Zimmerman had to choose which turkey travels to the White House to meet President Joe Biden to receive an expected […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-18325","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/gpt.m2mbeta.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/18325","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/gpt.m2mbeta.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/gpt.m2mbeta.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gpt.m2mbeta.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gpt.m2mbeta.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=18325"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/gpt.m2mbeta.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/18325\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/gpt.m2mbeta.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=18325"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gpt.m2mbeta.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=18325"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gpt.m2mbeta.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=18325"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}