2 Minnesota turkeys selected for official pardons this Thanksgiving from President Biden

St. Cloud, Minn. (KNSI) – Two turkeys from central Minnesota could be considered lucky ducks this Thanksgiving as they have been selected to be pardoned at the White House.

Though people sent turkeys to the White House for years, the long standing tradition of the official national turkey presentation in Washington, D.C. began 76 years ago with President Harry Truman, when the National Turkey Federation provided the first. The first known turkey pardon on record was Ronald Reagan, who started sending birds to zoos in 1982. President George H.W. Bush began the formal pardoning ceremony in his first year in office in 1989.

The Jennie-O Turkey Store in Willmar will provide the two birds. After the pardon, they will live the rest of their days at the University of Minnesota campus farm in St. Paul.

According to the Minnesota Turkey Growers Association, the state has been one of the top producers in the country and is also home to the largest number of independent turkey farmers in the U.S.

Story by Jennifer Lewerenz / KNSI