President Biden pardons Minnesota turkeys at the White House
The National Turkey Federation celebrates 77-year tradition of national Thanksgiving turkey presentation
26 November 2024
4 minute read
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National Turkey Federation (NTF) Chairman John Zimmerman presented the National Thanksgiving Turkeys named Peach and Blossom to President Joseph R. Biden, Jr. during the National Thanksgiving Turkey Presentation on Monday at the White House.
Peach and Blossom received a formal pardon from the holiday table and will now reside at Farmamerica, Minnesota’s Center for Agricultural Interpretation, in Waseca, Minnesota. This year’s presentation marked the 77th year of this time-honored American tradition dating back to 1947.
“We appreciate President Biden for warmly welcoming the National Turkey Federation and my family, friends and colleagues from the Minnesota Turkey Growers Association to the White House earlier today,” said Zimmerman. "While this is a busy season for our industry, it’s an honor to share the story of the hardworking turkey farmers, like ours, and processors who provide food not only for the holidays but every day of the year. Their dedication feeds families across the globe, and we couldn’t be more thankful for their commitment to nourishing America and around the world."
The 2024 National Thanksgiving Turkeys were raised in Northfield, Minnesota, by NTF Chairman John Zimmerman. Zimmerman has been raising turkeys for over 20 years on his farm, where he and his family have raised approximately 4 to 5 million turkeys. In addition to turkey farming, the Zimmerman family also grows corn and soybeans to support their flocks.
Zimmerman was joined in presenting the National Thanksgiving Turkeys by his son, Grant (shown in article images), who played an instrumental role in preparing Peach and Blossom for their debut at the White House. While i
n Washington, D.C., Peach and Blossom stayed at the historic Willard InterContinental.
NTF’s participation in the National Thanksgiving Turkey Presentation began in 1947 with President Harry Truman. It has continued for 77 years across 14 successive administrations.
Presidential pardon for Peach & Blossom and holiday message
"Based on your temperament and commitment to being productive members of society, I hereby pardon Peach and Blossom," said President Biden. "They will now head back to Farmamerica, Minnesota’s Center for Agricultural Interpretation to serve as educational ambassadors of America’s top turkey growing state and inspire the next generation of agricultural students."
"Let me close on a more serious note. This event marks the official start of the holiday season here in Washington. It’s also my last time to speak here as your president during this season and give thanks and gratitude. So, let me say to you: It’s been the honor of my life. I’m forever grateful.
"Later today, my wife, Jill, and I will travel to Staten Island, New York, for a Friendsgiving with members of the Coast Guard and their families to demonstrate our gratitude for their service and sacrifice, like my son. We also keep in our hearts those who have lost so much, who will have an empty seat at the Thanksgiving dinner table Thursday night.
"May we use this moment to take time from our busy lives and focus on what matters most: our families — my dad used to have an expression; he’d say, “Family is the beginning, the middle, and the end” — our friends and our neighbors, and the fact that we are blessed with these — to live in America, the greatest country on Earth. And that’s not hyperbole. We are. No matter what, in America, we never give up. We keep going. We keep the faith. We just have to remember who we are. We’re the United States of America. There is nothing, nothing, nothing beyond our capacity when we do it together. So, happy Thanksgiving, America. God bless you all, and may God protect our troops."
History
According to White House historians, the tradition of “pardoning” White House turkeys has been traced to President Abraham Lincoln's 1863 clemency to a turkey recorded in an 1865 dispatch by White House reporter Noah Brooks, who noted, “a live turkey had been brought home for the Christmas dinner, but [Lincoln’s son Tad] interceded in behalf of its life. . . . [Tad’s] plea was admitted and the turkey’s life spared.”
More recently White House mythmakers have claimed that President Harry S. Truman began this holiday tradition. However, Truman, when he received the turkeys, and subsequent presidents did not “pardon” their birds. The formalities of pardoning a turkey gelled by 1989, when President George H.W. Bush remarked, “Reprieve,” “keep him going,” or “pardon”: it’s all the same for the turkey, as long as he doesn’t end up on the president’s holiday table.
The White House Presentation signals the beginning of the holiday season of national thanks, historically representing agriculture’s bountiful harvest. The presentation also highlights the contributions of America’s turkey growers as well as the important role of agriculture in modern America.
Images courtesy of The White House and the National Turkey Federation
