Two lucky birds: Farmamerica’s Peach and Blossom

Northfield area turkey farmer John Zimmerman is the chairman of the board for the National Turkey Federation, a one-year office he has held since February. Because board officers follow a sort of cycle, he has known for three years he would be chairman in 2024–and so he knew it would be his job to raise the turkeys presented to and pardoned by the U.S. President this November.

Apparently not one to procrastinate, already in 2023 Zimmerman conferred about a future home for the birds with Sam Ziegler, director of Greenseam, a Mankato-based organization which advocates for regional ag businesses and growth. Ziegler suggested Farmamerica as a potential home for the birds, likely to live another three or four years after being pardoned. Contacts were made and arrangements were put in place–more than a year before the turkeys in question were ever hatched.

Zimmerman mentions that previously pardoned turkeys have been housed in places like Disney World, Mt. Vernon, and a number of petting zoos.

According to Farmamerica program director Kari Wadd, the facility houses a few head of cattle, goats, sheep, pigs, chickens and–until November–one turkey through the warm part of the year, but nearly all are returned to the farms which supplied them as the tourist season comes to a close.  The poultry was the lone exception, since the flock numbers fewer than 10 and can easily be housed in a small, temperature controlled structure on site.

The as yet unnamed turkeys would be a new level of responsibility, but also represented a remarkable opportunity to enhance the organization’s purpose of educating about agriculture and the rural lifestyle while also advocating for agribusiness.

Having seen the interest the birds generated during the Nov. 29 “Turkey Trot” event, and having fielded numerous calls from television stations and other media, Wadd says it’s clear any complications the birds might represent will be vastly outweighed by the benefits they bring. Attention regarding Peach and Blossom began rising shortly after the state fair, which is when it was publicly announced the birds would be living at Farmamerica.

“It’s an honor to have them,” she observes. “We will be keeping them in the kind of environment where they’re comfortable and they can thrive.”

Zimmerman points out the annual “pardoning” of turkeys is important to the National Turkey Federation because of the publicity and attention it brings, helping consumers recognize that by buying turkey meat they are helping support a farmer who raises turkeys.

“The days are gone when a large share of people had grandparents still living on a farm,” he comments. “People are becoming less and less aware of that human connection. We want them to know there’s a family helping make sure their family gets healthy, nutritious food.”

When it came time to begin raising the needed turkeys, Zimmerman conferred with past chairmen about their methods. Having been told others began with 20 or 30 turkeys, he acquired 44 hatchlings in mid-July. He created a designated space in one of his buildings and set about the task of ensuring he would have at least two high-quality birds which dealt well with human presence and distraction.

Zimmerman’s fourth-grade son Grant was brought into the project; neighbor children were invited to help care for and to interact with the flock as much as possible.  Music of all types was played in their vicinity–country and western, rock, polka, and more. The objective was to have at least two birds which were friendly, calm, docile, didn’t struggle when picked up or handled, and, of course, were excellent specimens. 

Any flock members which showed failings along the way were removed and placed with the birds being raised in the larger barns on Zimmerman’s property.

Zimmerman says that as the time approached to select the two “pardonees,” he had twelve or so birds, any of which might have been suitable.

He gathered some fellow turkey farmers to help make the choice. “We had laser pointers,” he remembers with a laugh. “We wanted the prettiest ones,” he describes. “We would point out different birds and compare their appearance, their behavior. We were really nit-picky, finding some really arbitrary reasons to eliminate some of the candidates.”

The birds traveled to Washington loose in the back of an SUV. “Once they got used to the motion, they just settled down, watched the sights, and enjoyed the music,” Zimmerman observed, saying although past pardonees have been taken by airplane, they do much better in a ground vehicle.

Zimmerman’s family and invited representatives were able to visit personally with President Biden during the presentation and pardoning of the birds. “Grant was able to sit in the president’s chair in the oval office,” he said.

“We made a lot of special memories that week.”

During the pardoning ceremony, President Biden named some personal characteristics for the birds, including that they like hot dish and tater tots, and ascribe to being “Minnesota nice.”

Zimmerman explains the characteristics were devised by staff members at the National Turkey Federation, all with the intent of representing the state where they were raised. 

As has been the case with all previously pardoned turkeys, the president chose the birds’ names: That is the reason two birds from Minnesota ended up with the names of the Delaware state flower, the peach blossom.  Delaware is President Biden’s home state.

Now that the two turkeys are at Farmamerica, their lives continue to be somewhat privileged–although not quite the “spa” that was mentioned on one national talk show. They are housed in their own enclosure built specially for them by John Zimmerman and will never have to worry about their water dishes freezing. To help them remain docile, they are persistently exposed to human presence and are even taken outside for occasional walks. Come summer, of course, they will spend much more time outdoors.

Their next command appearance will be from 4 to 8 p.m. this Saturday, Dec. 14, when they will greet visitors arriving for Farmamerica’s Santa Experience. The evening will include crafts, activities, the chance to visit with Santa, and even to see two reindeer between 6 and 8 p.m.

The cost is $5 per child: adults and very young children (2 or younger) get in free. 

As Peach and Blossom continue to settle into their new home, according to Wadd, the Farmamerica staff will continue finding ways the two can fulfill their roles as educators and advocates for agriculture.