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>> SINCE 1989, A TURKEY HAS BEEN FORMALLY PARDONED BY THE
PRESIDENT PRIOR TO THANKSGIVING IN A NATIONAL CEREMONY AT THE
WHITE HOUSE. THIS YEAR'S TURKEY WILL PROBABLY
COME FROM ROCKINGHAM COUNTY. JOINING ME TODAY IS THE
PRESIDENT OF VALUE ADDED MEAT AND THE PRESIDENT OF THE
VIRGINIA POULTRY FEDERATION. WELCOME TO "VIRGINIA FARMING."
LET'S GET DOWN TO THIS -- HOW WERE THESE BIRDS CHOSEN OUT OF
THE ENTIRE NATION? HOW DID THESE BIRDS FROM
VIRGINIA COME TO BE CHOSEN? >> WE ARE GLAD TO BE HERE.
I AM CHAIRMAN OF THE NATIONAL TURKEY FEDERATION.
THE CHAIRMAN GETS TO PICK WHICH STATE AND THIS YEAR I CHOSE
VIRGINIA. ON JULY 13, WE HAD 40 TURKEYS IN
HARRISONBURG AND OUT OF THAT 40, WE WILL SELECT TURKEY'S TO GO TO
WASHINGTON. >> BEFORE YOU SELECT FROM THOSE
TURKEYS, YOU HAVE TWO THAT ARE SPOKES-TURKEYS?
HOW DOES THAT WORK? WHAT HAVE YOU DONE WITH THESE
TURKEYS THAT WAS DECIDED FROM THE FLOCK?
HOW DID YOU PICK UP THE TWO YOU WOULD TAKE WITH YOU?
>> IT IS STILL KIND OF A BEAUTY CONTEST.
WE HAVE 40 TURKEYS AND AS WE GO ALONG, AS WE GET CLOSE TO THE
TIME TO GO TO WASHINGTON, TWO WILL BE SELECTED FOR THAT TRIP.
>> THE TWO THAT YOU HAVE BETTER TRAVELING AROUND NOW ARE SPOKES-
TURKEY'S. THEY WILL NOT BE SELECTED?
>> THAT'S CORRECT. WE'RE GOING TO THE SCHOOLS AND
SO FORTH BUT THEY WILL NOT COME BACK TO THE FLOCK.
THERE WILL BE TWO SELECTED OUT OF THE REMAINDER THAT WILL GO TO
WASHINGTON ON. >> YOU SAID IT IS A BEAUTY
PAGEANT FOR THE REMAINDER OF THESE TURKEYS.
HOW DO YOU JUDGE THEM? >> IT IS THE WAY THE BIRD
FINISHES BUT IT IS ALSO PERSONALITY.
BIRDS HAVE PERSONALITY. SOME REACTED DIFFERENTLY AROUND
PEOPLE AND WE WANT THE ONE THAT IS HAPPY TO BE AT THE ROSE
GARDEN. >> AND ONE THAT WILL NOT NET AT
THE PRESIDENT'S HAND. DO WE HAVE NAMES FOR THESE BIRDS
YET? >> WE DON'T.
THE 30 ELEMENTARY SCHOOLS AND ROCKINGHAM COUNTY HAVE BEEN
ASKED TO SELECT TWO NAMES FROM EACH SCHOOL.
THOSE NAMES WILL BE PRESENTED TO THE PRESIDENT AT THE WHITE
HOUSE AND I WILL MAKE A DECISION ON THE NAMES OF THE TWO TURKEYS.
>> SO THE KIDS GET TO PLAY A PART.
>> THAT'S RIGHT. WE HOPE THEY WILL RECOGNIZE THE
SCHOOL WERE THE NAMES COME FROM. >> THAT IS BRINGING MORE AG INTO
THE CLASSROOM WHICH IS A GOOD THING.
THESE BIRDS HAVE BEEN ON DISPLAY IN MANY PLACES ALREADY.
TELL ME ABOUT WHAT THEY HAVE DONE?
>> THE ONLY PLACE WE HAVE HAD THEM HAS BEEN AT THE ROCKINGHAM
COUNTY FAIR. TOMORROW, THEY WILL BE GOING TO
THE STATE FAIR OF VIRGINIA. THEY WILL BE VISITING SOME
CLASSROOMS LATER THIS MONTH. THAT IS THE EXTENT OF THE
TRAVEL. >> WHO TAKES THESE TURKEYS OUT
WHEN THEY GO? >> IT IS OUR EMPLOYEES.
WE HAVE A SPECIALLY MADE TRAILER AND THE BIRDS GET TO
TRAVEL AND GO VISIT SO IT IS OUR EMPLOYEES THAT TAKE THEM OUT SO
IT IS NOT A LIMO? >> MOST.
>> DO THE KIDS LEARN FROM THE TURKEYS?
>> THEY WILL DO THAT FOR SURE. WE TALK ABOUT THE TRADITION OF
THE THE TURKEY ON PRICE GIVING AND THE FARMING COMMUNITY.
VIRGINIA HAS A HUGE ROLE IN TURKEY PRODUCTION.
>> WE WERE TALKING EARLIER THAT IT WAS ONCE THE POULTRY CAPITAL
OF THE WORLD. >> WE STILL KIND OF CONSIDER
ROCKINGHAM COUNTY THE TURKEY CAPITAL.
CURRENTLY, ROCKINGHAM IS THE THIRD LARGEST TURKEY PRODUCING
COUNTY IN THE COUNTRY. VIRGINIA RANKS FIFTH NATIONALLY
IN TURKEY PRODUCTION. >> SO - WHEN THIS BIRD IS
SELECTED AND IT COMES FROM ROCKINGHAM COUNTY, VA., WHAT
DOES THAT DO FOR OUR VIRGINIA POULTRY FEDERATION?
>> IT IS VERY EXCITING FOR OUR ENTIRE POULTRY INDUSTRY.
IT GIVES US A CHANCE TO HIGHLIGHT THE IMPORTANCE OF THE
POULTRY INDUSTRY IN VIRGINIA. WE EMPLOY MORE THAN 10,000
PEOPLE IN THE COMMONWEALTH AND SUPPORT THE LIVELIHOODS OF MORE
THAN 1100 FAMILIES HERE. HUNDREDS OF JOBS OUTSIDE OF THE
INDUSTRY PROVIDE PRODUCTS AND SERVICES, POULTRY PROCESSORS AND
FARMERS. THE INDUSTRY AS A LARGE ECONOMIC
IMPACT STATEWIDE MOSTLY RIGHT HERE IN THE HARRISONBURG AREA.
>> IS DEFINITELY A BIG INDUSTRY AROUND HERE.
I THINK WE ARE LUCKY TO HAVE SO MANY LARGE EMPLOYERS IN THIS
AREA. IN THAT REGION.
TELL ME WHAT WILL HAPPEN AT THE CEREMONY?
WHO GOES TO IT AND WHAT ARE YOU EXPECTING TO HAPPEN?
>> I HAVE SPENT MY LIFE AND THE TURKEY BUSINESS, MORE THAN 40
YEARS, SO THIS IS A HIGHLIGHT FOR MY FAMILY AND A NUMBER OF
OUR EMPLOYEES WHO WILL GO IN. THE GROWER WILL BE GOING INTO
WASHINGTON. >> WHO IS OUR BOARD?
>> WE CANNOT TELL YOU THAT. >> IT IS A SURPRISE?
>> IT IS ABOUT SECURITY FOR THE TURKEYS.
WE WILL HAVE A SENDOFF PARTY THAT WE ARE EXCITED ABOUT AND WE
WILL LET YOU KNOW SOON. >> YOU WILL HAVE TO LET OUR
VIEWERS KNOW WHO THE FARMER IS THAT RAISED THESE MAGNIFICENT
TURKEYS. >> THAT'S RIGHT.
>> YOU ARE TAKING YOUR KIDS? ARE THEY EXCITED?
>> AND GRAND KIDS. AND THEY GET TO GO TO THE WHITE
HOUSE. >> THAT IS AMAZING.
THAT WOULD BE FUN. >> IT IS SUCH A RICH TRADITION.
MANY BELIEVE THE FIRST THANKSGIVING WAS HELD HERE IN
JAMESTOWN, VIRGINIA. MANY BELIEVE THE COMMERCIAL
TURKEY INDUSTRY STARTED IN 1920. IT IS AN AMAZING HISTORY.
>> AND THEN YOU GET TO THIS CRAZY CEREMONY THAT WAS STARTED
BACK -- I READ IN 1947 IT WAS THE FIRST TURKEY PRESENTED TO
PRESIDENT FROM THE FEDERATION? >> THAT WAS FROM THE NATIONAL
TURKEY FEDERATION. IT GOES BACK INTO THE 1800'S,
BACK TO THE TIME OF ABRAHAM LINCOLN, WHEN TURKEYS HAVE BEEN
PRESENTED TO THE PRESIDENT AT THANKSGIVING TIME.
THE TRADITION OF PARDONING THE TURKEY I BELIEVE STARTED WITH
PRESIDENT GEORGE H. W. BUSH IN 1989.
THAT WAS A FORMAL PART IN IT AND GO BACK TO THE KENNEDY
ADMINISTRATION, THEY WERE ON OFFICIALLY PARDONED AND WERE
ABLE TO LIVE OUT THE REMAINING YEARS OF THEIR LIFE ON A LOCAL
FARM. >> THAT WAS MY NEXT QUESTION --
THERE ARE TWO THAT ARE GOING AND I GUESS YOU'LL PICK THE ONE THAT
HAS THE BEST ATTITUDE TO PRESENT TO THE PRESIDENT THAT YOU GOT
IT. >> AFTER THE TURKEY IS PARDONED
AND THE CEREMONY IS OVER, WHERE DID THESE TWO TURKEYS GO?
BUT THE TURKEYS WILL THEN GO TO MOUNT VERNON WHERE THEY WILL
LIVE UP THE REST OF THEIR NATURAL LIFE.
>> DO THEY HAVE A PETTING ZOO THERE?
>> YES, VIEWING OF DIFFERENT ANIMALS THERE.
I HAVE NOT BEEN THERE YET BUT I UNDERSTAND IT IS NICE.
>> IT IS NICE -- I HAVE BEEN THERE AND IT IS BEAUTIFUL.
>> IT HAS BEEN THERE FOR THE LAST THREE YEARS.
>> THAT IS GREAT, GENTLEMEN, THANK YOU FOR BEING HERE AND I
LOOK FORWARD TO HEARING FROM YOU ABOUT WHICH FARMER IS RAISING
THESE TURKEYS AND WE WILL DEFINITELY LET OUR VIEWERS KNOW
SO WE CAN SHOW OUR VIRGINIA PRIDE.
>> THANK YOU FOR THE OPPORTUNITY.
>> WE WILL BE RIGHT BACK.