Thanksgiving factoids by the pounds

Some 242 million turkeys were raised in the U.S. in 2010 for slaughter, down 2 percent from 2009’s total, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture's National Agricultural Statistics Service. Last year's birds were worth about U.S. $3.6 billion.

About 46 million turkeys will end up on U.S. dinner tables this Thanksgiving—or about 736 million of turkey meat, according to estimates from the National Turkey Federation.

Minnesota is the United States' top turkey-producing state, followed by North Carolina, Arkansas, Missouri, Indiana, and Virginia.

These "big six" states produce two of every three U.S.-raised birds, according to data compiled by the U.S. Census Bureau.

U.S. farmers will also produce 735 million pounds of cranberries, which, like turkeys, are native to the Americas. The top producers are Wisconsin and Massachusetts.

The U.S. will also grow 1.9 billion of sweet potatoes—many in North Carolina, California, and Louisiana—and produce 931 million pounds of pumpkins.

Illinois, California, and Ohio grow the most U.S. pumpkins.

But if you overeat at Thanksgiving dinner, there's a price to be paid for all this plenty: the Thanksgiving "food coma." The post-meal fatigue may be real, but the condition is giving turkeys a bad rap.

Contrary to myth, the amount of the organic protein tryptophan in most turkeys isn’t responsible for drowsiness. Instead, scientists blame booze, the sheer caloric size of an average feast, or just plain-old relaxing after stressful work schedules.

Each year at least two lucky turkeys avoid teh dinner table , thanks to a presidential pardon—a longstanding Washington tradition believed to have originated with U.S. President Harry Truman.

Since 1947 the National Turkey Federation has presented two live turkeys—and a ready-to-eat turkey—to the President.

There are two birds, the presidential turkey and the vice presidential turkey, which is an alternate, in case the presidential turkey is unable to perform its duties.

Those duties pretty much boil down to not biting the President during the photo opportunity with the press. In 2008 the vice presidential bird, "Pumpkin," stepped in for the appearance with President Bush after the presidential bird, "Pecan," had fallen ill the night before.

Starting in 2010 the lucky birds will no longer share the same happy fate as Super Bowl-winning quarterbacks. For the past five years pardoned turkeys have gone to live at Disneyland’s Big Thunder Ranch.

This year’s birds will instead follow in the footsteps of the first president and live out their days at George Washington's Mount Vernon Estate and Gardens.

Gobble-gobble,

Jakey
Rhymes with Turkey
Which I will not be having
Maybe