Since 1940, Jennie-O Turkey Store has raised and processed turkey for a global market, turning it into products such as whole birds, deli meat and ground turkey. Its operation includes more than 300 farms, two research farms and a live-production team of more than 1,100 people caring for roughly 52 million birds each year. The company also operates a Faribault, Minnesota plant where more than 10 deaf or severely hearing-impaired employees have joined the production workforce.
Cooper FarmsFounded in 1938 by Virgil and Virginia Cooper, Cooper Farms is a fourth-generation, family-owned Northwest Ohio company that raises turkeys, hogs and egg-laying chickens while producing private-label food products. Its integrated operation includes Oakwood hatcheries that produce 15 million poults annually, a St. Henry plant processing more than 24,000 turkeys a day, and cooked-meat facilities serving customers throughout North America.OAKWOOD, OH
Hillside Turkey FarmsFor four generations, Hillside Turkey Farms has remained a family-owned, privately operated Thurmont farm and food business, carrying forward a turkey operation that began in 1939 with Pauline and Ross Smith. Today, the USDA-inspected farm and plant raises up to 180,000 birds a year and serves families as well as restaurants throughout the surrounding region. Its turkeys are antibiotic-free and not injected, with almost everything it markets grown or made in Thurmont.THURMONT, MD
Bowman & LandesBowman & Landes is a fourth-generation family farm whose turkey-raising story began in 1938 and whose namesake business was founded in 1948. Three generations are actively involved today, carrying forward a pasture-based approach that uses grain grown and mixed on the farm. The New Carlisle operation supplies turkey to regional retailers and food-service customers, with a solar program that offsets close to its annual energy consumption.NEW CARLISLE, OH
Plainville FarmsSince 1923, Plainville Farms has produced natural and certified organic turkey, connecting nearly two centuries of family-farming tradition with grocery-store tables. Its turkeys are raised by a network of dedicated family farmers in low-stress environments, without antibiotics, and with outdoor access available for free-range and organic birds. The company’s focus on humane care and transparent farming carries through from its farms to its fresh, deli, and fully cooked turkey products.NEW OXFORD, PA