Turkey growing is big in Virginia

By Linda Cicoira

Virginia farmers raise more than seven percent of all U.S. turkeys, or 15.5 million of the birds a year, according to Virginia Business Magazine. That’s 429 million pounds of turkey produced at an average weight of nearly 28 pounds per turkey, with a value of $403.5 million annually.

Turkeys are bred larger than decades ago, and fewer birds are raised. In the 1960s, the average turkey weighed 18 pounds. Researchers say the change is due to different nutrition and breeding practices.

Virginia is the sixth-largest producer of turkeys in the nation. The state’s turkey industry employs about 4,000 people.

More than 85 percent of U.S. turkeys come from 13 states. North Carolina is the nation’s top producer, accounting for 15.3 percent of turkeys by weight. North Carolina’s turkeys average 36.9 pounds.

Hobey Bauhan, president of the Virginia Poultry Federation, said the average weight per bird can be affected by “heavy toms” — male turkeys that can weigh 45 pounds or more.

“You never get a heavy tom on your Thanksgiving table,” he said, noting that such large birds are used instead for cold cuts. The traditional Thanksgiving bird is smaller

In 2023, India and the U.S. agreed to reduce India’s tariffs on U.S. turkey products, allowing Virginia’s poultry producers to export turkey to India more affordably.

U.S. Sen. Mark Warner, a member of the Senate India Caucus, announced the first shipment from Virginia to India via the Port of Virginia on Nov. 12.

    “This shipment is a tremendous opportunity for Virginia’s poultry producers and a huge step forward for U.S.-India trade,” Warner said. “I look forward to the ongoing cooperation between our two nations and to seeing a wealth of new opportunities open up for Virginia’s poultry producers,” the senator added.