Member Profiles

Turkey For You, Turkey For Me. Wow! Turkey For Everybody!!
By Meagan Seele

That's what you have to think when you look into any one of the three buildings at the turkey growing operation that Jerry Bina has managed south of Cresco since 1989. Open the door and it is solid Tom Turkeys! The basic program of receiving day old birds and growing them to a finished size has not changed much over the years. However, only Toms are now produced, so they remain in Jerry's care a few weeks longer and currently are marketed at 36-38 lbs.

A crew of nine people work for 3-4 nights to load the semi trucks with 1,000-1,100 birds each. They are transported to a turkey-processing cooperative in West Liberty, Iowa before becoming the juicy table fare we especially associate with Thanksgiving.

The real challenge comes long before market day however, as the first few days after the young birds are delivered is critical. The buildings must be cleaned and sanitized before the new batch of 16,000 day-old birds arrive. They require fresh water, lots of feed, and a constant 90° temperature for the first several days. Turkeys huddle together much like chickens do, so smothering can be a concern. As the birds grow and mature they are moved from the starter building to the finishing building. Because of the numbers involved it takes as many as six people to help Jerry make this transfer.

The birds take about 19 weeks to reach market weight. The Binas strive to achieve at least a 90 % livability during that time. Like all poultry, turkeys are subject to any number of maladies. Would you believe that heart attacks claim a number of birds from each group that Jerry raises?

After learning about the challenges involved in raising turkeys I have one additional thing to be thankful for this Thanksgiving Day, dedicated people like Jerry Bina who provide that most traditional of holiday meal main courses!