Minnesota turkey grower Loren Brey of Brey Farms in New Ulm, Minn., was recently featured in “A Day in the Life of a Turkey Farmer” video. The video is part of a series of videos created and published by the Minnesota Turkey Growers Assn. (MTGA) as an effort to promote and educate consumers about the turkey industry. These videos provide an insightful view into the life of a turkey farmer – both the challenges and joys of raising turkeys in Minnesota.

“Transparency is important to many consumers; they want to know where their food comes from, how it’s grown and how it’s processed,” MTGA executive director Steve Olson said. “Tours of poultry farms are limited due to biosecurity practices that are implemented to protect flock health. To get around this obstacle, the MTGA has put out these videos on their website to provide the public the opportunity to look inside a turkey barn.”

Brey is one of the 450 turkey farmers in the state of Minnesota, and he said he was thrilled to be able to share his family’s turkey farm on the video. “This is my 30th year in the turkey business. I started picking eggs from the previous owner … and then eventually purchased the farm. It was an honor for me to share my family’s story and life on our farm in this video,” Brey said.

Minnesota ranks number one in turkey production in the U.S, producing around 46 million turkeys per year. Turkey farms like Brey’s are where the turkey life cycle begins.

Even though all farms may look different from one another, all farmers pay close attention to bird health. In the video, Brey explains the different practices used on his farm to maintain bird health – from biosecurity to barn temperature, ventilation, nutrition and much more. Farmers go to great measures to ensure the good health and well-being of their birds to produce a safe product for consumers.

“As you enjoy your Thanksgiving meal this year, be sure to remember that it may be a Minnesota turkey farmer that helped get the turkey to your table,” Olson said.