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Show Aggie Lif• Monday, Nov. 21, 2011 Page 7 Utah State University • Logan, Utah • www.utahstatesman.com Turkey talk: the art of raising birds BY MARIAN NOBLE features senior writer It's the time of year when families and friends gather to gobble down a Thanksgiving feast, but many people may not know where the turkey part of the turkey dinner comes from. David Frame, USU poultry extension specialist, said there are some small turkey farms around the state, but by far the biggest producer in the state is Moroni Feed Company, whose brand name is Norbest. Bob Cluff, Moroni Feed export sales manager, said one unique part of this company is the cooperative relationship it has with local farmers. "We're basically a collection of family and individual growers that unite together to market that framework (of raising turkeys)," Cluff said. "Everyone else in the country is a corporation. Since we're family farms, you've got multiple generations, and there's a lot of expertise." According to the Norbest website, there are 47 independent growers located near company headquarters in Moroni, Utah. "All the growers live here in Sanpete County," said Heather Owens, the executive assistant for Moroni Feed Company. "(Our business) is also the largest private employer in Sanpete County." The company, established in 1938, employs more than 500 people in addition to private growers. "Another advantage is that the plant is located in the mountains there in central Utah, where conditions are very favorable for growing turkeys," Cluff said. Owens said the company makes more than 200 different products, ranging from whole turkeys to drumsticks to deli meats. "We place 5.4 million poults (baby turkeys) annually," Owens said. "The families or individuals who are growers bring the grown turkeys back to the processing plant here in Moroni." She said 8 percent of the plant's output is exported worldwide, but the majority of it is sold domestically in the U.S. "We export to 25 countries outside of the U.S., mostly in Asia and Mexico," Cluff said. "Inside the United States, our biggest markets are here in Utah and throughout the Pacific Northwest to California, with the exception up in the northeast in the New York area. They have a heavy market for the large turkeys we grow here." According to the website, the facility processes millions of pounds of turkey each year, and Frame said some of the turkeys used for testing. He said before USU's turkey research facility closed in 2006, Moroni Feed Company worked with the school's diagnostic lab to conduct special projects. "It could be anything from health programs to nutrition to management," Frame said. One experiment that seemed to impact the general public, he said, was an experiment in which turkeys were fed camelina meal, rich in omega 3 fatty acids. Frame said the project tested whether or not there was a difference in muscle development in the turkeys. Higher-than-usual amounts of omega 3 fatty acids were also found. The company has not yet changed its methods of producing turkeys based on these test results, but it's a possibility in the future, Frame said. "Now it's a situation where they invite me to come," Frame said. "They'll call me up and ask advice, or I'll help with diagnostic work in Nephi." Frame said his knowledge has grown after years of working with turkeys. "They're very sensitive," Frame said. "It takes more tender love and care to raise a turkey than a chicken, for instance. Turkey hasn't been domesticated as long as a chicken has." He said the turkey has more commonalities with game birds like pheasants than with chickens. He also said they grow at a "tremendously fast" rate. "If human beings grew at the same rate as the turkey, a teenager would weigh 500 pounds, and an adult would weigh over a ton," Frame said. "They utilize feed very efficiently." Cluff said the demand for turkey is at its highest during November and December, even though turkey production still happens year round. "The per capita consumption (of turkey) in NORBEST TURKEYS COME FROM Moroni Feed Company, the largest turkey producer in Utah. Though sales peak in November and December, the company produces turkeys all year round. DELAYNE LOCKE photo the United States is just over 16 pounds," Cluff said. "But Israel has the highest in the world; it's something like 23 pounds per capita." Frame also said he wanted to put to rest the rumors about turkey making people tired on Thanksgiving. "People say that because the amino acid tryptophan is found in turkey," Frame said. "Tryptophan makes people drowsy, but turkey doesn't have a lot more than some of the other meats. In fact, wild elk and goats have more." – m.noble@aggiemail.usu.edu Far from home or the holidays BY MARISSA SHIELDS staff writer Students everywhere will leave campuses this week to visit the homes of family and friends for Thanksgiving, however, some won't have the opportunity to go home for the holidays. Christian Orr, president of the International Student Council, said there are three basic options for international students not going home for Thanksgiving. He said students staying in Cache Valley can either use the days off from school to travel somewhere close, go to communityorganized events — such as eating Thanksgiving dinner with a host family or a community dinner in town — or they can choose to not celebrate at all. "It's more about being alone," Orr said, "because when you're Hindu or Buddhist or ....any of those things, it's just that you're bored." i KIMBERLY SHORTS graphic illustration KIM Orr said most international students don't do anything for Thanksgiving or Christmas, especially the ones that have never been to the U.S., or aren't Christian. International students get homesick during the holidays but not because they're missing out on the holiday spirit. They're in class and their friends are gone, he said. "If you go to The Marketplace on Dec. 20, I think it would be about a quarter full, and 10 percent would be American," Orr said. But not everyone stays on campus for the holidays, and for some international students this Thanksgiving, that means going to Las Vegas. Chaeyoung Son, a freshman studying English education, and Hyunjoo Huh, a junior studying computer science, are both South Koreans going to Las Vegas for the break. "It's the first time I've been to the U.S., so it's a good opportunity to travel," Huh said. Since she is an exchange student, Huh said she does not have any family to spend the holidays with. While in the U.S. for the holiday season, Huh said she will have the opportunity to see New York City. Son said she plans to visit New York City as well over the holiday break, because this is her only year in the U.S. "Thanksgiving is a Christian holiday. There aren't very many Christian Asian countries," said Cheih-Hsin Lin, a junior studying computer science, when asked if he thought international students would feel comfortable attending holiday activities. Lin said he's a member of the Christian minority in Taiwan. His church celebrated Thanksgiving on a weekend, with tables full of Taiwanese food. When he transferred to the U.S., Lin said he lived with a host family that celebrated every year with the traditional American fare of turkey and mashed potatoes. Now that Lin lives on his own, he said he celebrates with friends. Derek Ward, employee at the Office of International Students and Scholars, said lots of American families want to host international students during Thanksgiving. Since the office can't give out student's contact information, it's up to the office to get international students excited about Thanksgiving and have the students contact participating families. "American families just want to give them the American experience with football and turkey," Ward said. Students can also go to the Loaves and Fishes community meal at the Presbyterian Church. Loaves and Fishes, a nondenominational gathering, happens every third Saturday and is hosted by non-profit organizations, said Lisa Hancock, program administrator for New Student Orientation. For November, she said the A-Team cooked a Thanksgiving meal for the community and international students, to kick off International Education Week. "Part of International Education Week is to get the Logan community exposure to what cultures the international students bring, but we also want them to get exposed to a traditional American Thanksgiving dinner," Hancock said. Hancock said the A-Team aimed to have 25-40 international students at the dinner. "We've got apple pie, turkey, mashed potatoes and squash. We're trying to make it the whole nine yards," Hancock said. – marissa.shields@aggiemail.usu.edu |