Ruffled Feathers
Iowa's turkey industry grows despite alleged "fowl" play

by Matt Miller and Jared Curtis

With more than 280 million turkeys sold nationally each year around the holiday season, the bird has become more than a source of food; it has become an American tradition. And along the way, turkey production has provided employment for thousands of people, including more than 4,000 Iowans.

Ben Franklin called turkeys "true American originals" and stated his tremendous respect for their resourcefulness, intelligence, agility and beauty. Most Iowans share the appreciation for turkeys, or at least seem to enjoy eating their meat, as the industry continues to grow. But some view this growth as mismanaged, creating horrific environments for the birds as they are prepared for slaughter. We took a look at the turkey industry and share its impact here in Iowa and across the nation.

The light meat
Iowa's turkey industry is one of the most productive in the United States, generating approximately 8.54 million turkeys each year. But there is more to the industry than large confinement buildings scattered across the state's farmlands.

"The value of the turkey industry in rural Iowa is very important because it has great economical benefits for the state," said Gretta Irwin, executive director of the Iowa Turkey Federation (ITF), located in Ames. "This state has excellent farm families and the perfect system for the industry. We need to embrace and celebrate it."

Embracing it is just what family farmers around the state have done, beginning in the 1930s when farmers started raising and processing turkeys. Today, the national turkey industry has reached uncharted territory with unprecedented growth. Since the 1970s, turkey production in the United States has increased 300 percent.

"When you think about the overall positive impact that the turkey industry has on our country, and here locally, it's unbelievable," said Paul Hill, chairman of the National Turkey Federation (NTF). "The industry not only produces turkey that can then be used, it also employees hundreds, if not thousands, of people."

Companies are involved in all phases of turkey production from breeding through delivery to retail. By maintaining control over research, hatching, growing, feeding, processing, packaging, transporting and marketing, the industry is able to produce what those involved consider to be wholesome, safe, high-quality products at a low cost to the consumer. Nationally, in 2007, 547 million pounds were exported. Currently, Iowa ranks ninth in turkey production for the U.S., fifth in turkey processing and employs approximately 1,750 at four processing facilities, which are located in West Liberty, Storm Lake, Sigourney and Mount Pleasant. According to the ITF, when all direct and secondary efforts are considered, the total impact accounts for $810.7 million in sales, $158.7 million in personal income, $253.3 million in contribution to the gross state product and approximately 4,200 jobs.

"I see it as a win-win for everyone involved, and we're very excited about what we're doing right now," Hill said.

Although a lot of talk has been made about the economic benefit that the turkey industry provides, the presence of the feathery fellows is felt throughout the U.S., including reaching some of the nation's most prominent people and places.

Since the first presentation of the National Thanksgiving Turkey to President Harry Truman in 1947, the NTF has continued a long-standing tradition of participating in the event. On Nov. 19, the Hill family presented President George W. Bush with the bird, which signaled the unofficial start of the holiday season and provided the president an opportunity to reflect publicly on the meaning of Thanksgiving.

"This being the 61st anniversary of the tradition is special," said Hill, whose son and grandsons help
raise the bird that will go to Washington, D.C. "It's been a life-long goal of mine to have this privilege to go to the White House with my family and present the bird to the president."

The goal of having such an honor began in 1948 when Paul's father, Hubert, began raising turkeys on the family farm. Every year since, the Hill family has raised commercial turkeys and contine to be a significant owner of West Liberty Foods, a leading co-packer and private label manufacturer.

"It's very unique for me personally," Hill said. "It brings national attention to the industry and what we're doing in Iowa."

Iowa's turkey production is not only felt on the steps of 1600 Pennsylvania Ave., but all across the country. Turkey officials report that consumption has doubled over the past 30 years, propelled by efforts like the Iowa Turkey Growers Cooperative (ITGC), which is a major supplier of foodservice retail. A growing number of consumers are also realizing the nutritional value, backed by people consuming turkey year-round, not just during the holidays. According to www.iowaturkey.com, U.S. consumption is expected be approximately 18 pounds per person this year. Iowaturkey.com also proclaims turkey is lean meat that is low in fat and has Vitamin B6, important for energy production, and selenium, a trace mineral that is a key component in DNA repair and synthesis in damaged cells.

Hy-Vee, Inc., which sells both frozen turkeys and heat-and-serve holiday dinners, is helping consumers enjoy those 18 pounds each year.

"The traditional frozen turkey still sells very well," said Greg Frampton, assistant vice president of food service for Hy-Vee, Inc. "But we started creating complete holiday dinners, which we can customize to the customer's liking."

Frampton says Hy-Vee will sell an estimated 17,000 holiday dinners, which are available in the beginning of November and through the Christmas season.

"We offer more than just turkey; we have added prime rib dinners and ham dinners," Frampton said. "Every dinner comes with a wide selection of sides and desserts."

Frampton says customers enjoy the flexibility and the customization that is available at any price level.

"You can always add sides, desserts and entrées to any dinner," he said. "Grandma might make the pies, and another relative might make the stuffing. So you can mix and match and get exactly what you want."

The dinners range in prices from the Turkey Breast Dinner ($34.95), which serves up to four people, to the Steam Ship Round Ham Dinner ($99.95), which serves 12.

"It takes the worry out of the holiday," Frampton said. "You can just heat and serve our dinners. It definitely takes away the time you'll spend slaving over the stove."

The dark meat
Although much research exists about the economic and health benefits of turkey, there are those who sit on the other side of the dinner table, including members of the People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA), who claim these birds live in unsafe conditions.

"People always ask me if eating a free-range farm turkey is OK," said Lindsay Rajt, spokesperson for PETA. "Unless you can go to a farm and see the conditions for yourself, you shouldn't trust the free-range label."

Irwin says the confinement buildings are better for turkeys.

"The main purpose of these buildings is to save the turkeys from predators, diseases and weather," Irwin said. "Everyone is entitled to their own opinion, but what people don't understand is that these buildings are large, open and they are free to move about. All we want to do is protect them, and I'm very proud of the industry for what they've done."

Although the Iowa Turkey Federation proclaims the free-range farms are large open buildings, which allows the animals to roam, Rajt says that isn't always the case.

"Companies can label the flesh of a turkey, living in a huge building, free-range," she said. "As long as they cut a hole in the wall, the turkeys can 'technically' have a way to get outdoors. There is a lot of confusion of what truly is free-range."

PETA says a lot more happens in the turkey industry than the public knows. They claim turkeys are killed when they are five or six months old, and during their short lives, are denied even the simplest pleasures, like running, building nests and raising their young. Large amounts of feces build-up can cause ammonia back up, which burns the birds.

"The turkeys are crammed (10,000 or more birds) into crowded sheds and are forced to live in miserable conditions," said Rajt "The birds run rampant with diseases. Plus they have their throats cut while still conscious."

Turkeys raised on factory farms are hatched in large incubators and do not see their mothers or feel the warmth of a nest, according to goveg.com. When they are only a few weeks old, they are moved into windowless sheds with thousands of other turkeys, where they will spend the rest of their lives. To keep the birds from killing one another in such crowded conditions, parts of their toes and beaks are cut off. The site claims seven million turkeys don't make it past the first few weeks of life in a factory farm before succumbing to "starve-out," a stress-induced condition causing young birds to stop eating.

"People are surprised to learn that there has been a major shift over the past 50 years from being raised on a small family farm to recently the more industrial factories," Rajt said. "The first time most of these birds feel the sunlight is when they are loaded on trucks to be slaughtered."

PETA has investigated several turkey factories and found what they define as "horrifying activity." Not only have there been multiple cases of animal abuse, but also sexual abuse. PETA's investigation into Crestview Farm, a large turkey farm in Minnesota, uncovered shocking cruelty. On video, the farm manager is seen wringing 12-week-old birds' necks and ineffectively bludgeoning dozens of others with what he called his "killing stick." He is also seen using a pair of pliers in an attempt to kill sick birds, because they would decrease profits by continuing to eat feed. Many birds did not die immediately after being bludgeoned and suffered what appeared to be slow, agonizing deaths. According to PETA, this method was not condemned by turkey growers and remains one of the ways in which birds are killed on the farm. During an undercover investigation at a Butterball slaughterhouse in Ozark, Ark., workers were documented punching and stomping live turkeys. One employee stomped on a bird's head until its skull exploded, another swung a turkey against a metal handrail so hard that its spine popped out, and another was seen inserting a finger into a turkey's cloaca (vagina).

"This is only a small amount of what goes on behind the scenes," Rajt said.

Butterball turkeys are killed using a process that involves hanging live birds by their legs, shocking them in an electrified bath of water so that they become paralyzed, slitting their throats, and then
running them through a tank of scalding-hot water for defeathering. Because Butterball's current slaughter method gives workers access to live birds, the animals often suffer when workers become frustrated, bored and desensitized, as PETA claims was the case at this Butterball plant and other poultry plants.

"We do our best to get the word out on what is happening in these factories," Rajt said. "But companies are spending millions of dollars on false advertising."

Hill stands by his word.

"I would like to take the PETA people into each of the turkey barns and then take them into their own homes and see what they think," Hill said. "Many of these birds live in better living conditions than they do. We treat the turkeys like we would our children. We don't feed them anything bad, and they live in good living conditions with clean air, water and wholesome food. PETA is a vegetarian organization, and they treat it like a religion. That's fine what they think, but we are producing wholesome, healthy turkeys."

PETA preaches the best way to save an animal is to not eat it, and that vegetarians save more than 100 animals every year by not eating meat.

Meanwhile, large majorities of people continue to eat meat every day. Knowing where their Thanksgiving turkeys come from and how they have been raised does not appear to have impacted the industry's growth, but PETA's efforts continue.

"The holidays are a time to give thanks with family and friends," Rajt said. "But a rotting corpse of an abused animal is not an appropriate centerpiece for a celebration." CV

On most warm summer evenings in Des Moines, the Vaudeville Mews is a reliable place for a social scene. Blazed hipsters and buttoned-up metrosexuals lean against windows where unique posters promoting upcoming shows are on display. Mingling between the Converse All-Stars and the espadrilles, unwanted promotional fliers, all designed to reflect the styles and personalities of various bands, litter the street. For Brandon Foley, guitarist and singer of local band Mondo Cane, nothing is more beautiful.

Despite the fact that there are hundreds of flyers and multiple posters, these notices are not what bring in the eclectic crowds. The digital flyer, sent out to people through MySpace, is the new way that bands are communicating with their fans.

MySpace features

Often associated with the bad reputation it has received from the people who use the Web site in a perverse manner, MySpace is a phenomenon that started in 2003 and has grown to become one of the most clicked-on social networking Web sites in the world. MySpace is similar to Web sites like Friendster, LiveJournal and Facebook, in that it allows people to create public profiles for themselves. Profiles usually include basic personal facts like age and gender, as well as individual interests that can include favorite movies, music and hobbies.

Another feature of the MySpace profile is the blog, which is used to distribute messages to a person's list of "friends." There is also a space on the profile where "friends" can interact by posting comments. A "friend," on MySpace, is by no means confined to the standard definition. "Friends" can be anyone, from your best friend to someone you have never met before. The way it works is that one person asks another person to be a "friend." Once the request is made, it is up to the second person to either "accept" or "deny" the friendship. There is no limit placed on the number of "friends" that an individual may have, so many profiles boast thousands of "friends." These basic features foster easy communication among people all over the world and have made MySpace's popularity what it is today.

MySpace as a marketing tool

For numerous businesses, MySpace serves as an excellent marketing tool. Popular television shows like "Project Runway" have created MySpace profiles to entice new viewers. Many movies and magazines have also created MySpace accounts to promote their products.

In Des Moines, the use of MySpace as a promotional tool is becoming very popular among local bands. One of MySpace's most popular features is MySpace Music, a space designed specifically for bands and musicians, with an mp3 player that allows people to listen to songs. For Foley, MySpace is a free and easy way to gain exposure, meet fans and book shows.

"MySpace has created an equal opportunity for every band in the world to expose themselves to anyone in the world," he says.

With the greater and more equal opportunities that MySpace provides, it is becoming the new way to promote bands. MySpace is also fostering a new form of interaction between bands and fans, one Foley thinks is so important that it will create a lasting impact on music in popular culture.

"I think that music and MySpace will coincide in the future's memory of this generation's music," he predicts.

The experiences of some other local bands suggest that Foley may be right.

The Autumn Project

The Autumn Project, a Des Moines band that describes their music as "something without words... something soundless," originally joined MySpace with the hope that, at the very least, they could expose their music to a larger audience.

For The Autumn Project, MySpace has proven to be "a great tool for people to 'stumble' across [our] music and become interested in what [we] are doing, thus spreading the word," says drummer and keyboard player Mike Gustafson. There are now more than 650 people from as far away as Latvia declaring themselves as "friends."

MySpace has allowed The Autumn Project to meet people as well as keep in touch with fans that they meet on the road. MySpace's mp3 feature also promotes The Autumn Project's music by allowing fans to sample songs, ultimately persuading many to purchase their records.

"We have noticed a big increase in the 'I am going to buy your new record!' comments [on our MySpace wall] and most actually follow through," Gustafson says.

Since joining MySpace to promote their music, Gustafson has also noticed a greater turnout at shows, although he believes that more traditional marketing efforts are still essential to a successful show.


"You still can't beat a good ol' fashioned poster or paper handbill," Gustafson says. "If you have a show on Saturday and you send out a MySpace bulletin on Friday afternoon while people are browsing the Web and slacking off at the end of a work day, I can guarantee you that those people will likely come out to the show if they like you. It is not so much a great promotion tool as it is a great reminder tool."

However, for The Autumn Project, the biggest benefit of MySpace has been a greater ability to book shows. Gustafson explains, "You can book through bands or through people that really like what you are doing."

By using MySpace, The Autumn Project has gotten better shows and better turnouts.

When The Autumn Project books shows through MySpace, they usually don't contact the venue directly, but rather local bands or fans. The Autumn Project's recent show in St. Louis was set up through a fan who contacted them through MySpace. When they played in Kansas City, a local band set up their show. Gustafson says that other bands contact him to book shows in Des Moines as well, but booking through other bands is not completely simple.

"If someone wants help with booking a show in Des Moines, they better be able to offer us something where they live," he says. "It is bartering, I guess."

Booking a show through MySpace involves a long process of coordinating schedules with different bands and hoping both the bands and the venue are what they expected, based on MySpace information.

"It is a gamble every time," Gustafson says. "You never know what you are going to end up with. Sometimes it is great, and sometimes it truly is not."

Patience is a virtue

Venue gambles and long booking processes aren't the only downsides to using MySpace. Networking with solid contacts takes time and patience - a patience that for The Autumn Project is paying off as they book better shows in bigger venues.

Gustafson, however, encounters a lot of bands on MySpace that just want to use other bands to get shows without offering some sort of return.

"I see a lot of bands out there on MySpace that are just getting started, and they are utilizing other bands to book their shows for them," he says.

The Autumn Project has experienced some of these bands firsthand. Gustafson explains, "I get three or four messages a week about some band trying to put together a show in Des Moines, or [asking] 'Can you slip my band on your bill?'"

Gustafson has learned to ignore these people and focus on more redeeming opportunities. For The Autumn Project, MySpace has created a more democratic way to book shows and expand their network of fans because it allows them to show their music as well as their personality. The Autumn Project's MySpace is in no way a marketing panacea, but the fact that it is free and easy to maintain has made it an invaluable networking tool.

Cantus Firmus

Described by fans as having a sound that is similar to the bands Muse and Weezer, Pella band Cantus Firmus uses MySpace to share what their profile describes as "efforts to make unique and interesting music."

Like The Autumn Project, Cantus Firmus joined MySpace to introduce their music to a larger audience; however, this band has taken a bolder approach to promoting their music by requesting hundreds of people from specific demographics to be their MySpace "friends," putting their total number at more than 3,000.

According to Kellee Van Hemert, the singer and guitar player for Cantus Firmus, this promotional method has been successful.

"We had a show in Sedalia, Mo., so we added like 150 kids from there," he says. "Probably at least half of them accepted the ad, maybe 10 of them commented on how they liked our music, and like six of them came to the show purely because of what they heard on MySpace."

Six may not seem like a lot, to some, but for Van Hemert, using MySpace is the easiest way to increase the number of people at their shows.

As a result of their success in Sedalia, Van Hemert says that he and his band mates will continue to add people in the towns where they have shows in order to increase their turnouts.

Using MySpace has also fostered better fan interaction. When Cantus Firmus posts new songs to their MySpace, they send a mass blog informing their "friends." In response, fans will post comments about that new music.

One fan writes, "I just love to come here [MySpace] and listen to you guys! Ahh!! I want a CD!!"

For Van Hemert, "MySpace is a great way for us to get our material out there and get almost immediate feedback from people that aren't our relatives or real-life friends."

Promoting demos

One of the MySpace glitches is that bands are allowed a maximum of four songs on their MySpace pages. When Cantus Firmus reached their limit, they still wanted a space to post the songs that they had been working on, so they created another MySpace account titled Cantus Firmus Demos, where they post their demo songs.

According to Van Hemert, this concept is fairly unique for MySpace. Cantus Firmus contacted all their "friends" and asked them to become a "friend" of their new MySpace, Cantus Firmus Demos. More than 100 of their "friends" joined. For Van Hemert, the Cantus Firmus Demos page only strengthened the band's following.

"I think that for those kids who take the time to listen to the demos, they are becoming more of a fan because they've been let in on something unique and special," Van Hemert says. "They can comment on our demos and give us feedback on the new ideas. They can actually help shape future songs. So it gives them some input on what we're doing."

Gig-swapping

Like The Autumn Project, Cantus Firmus uses MySpace to network with other bands and music venues in order to book shows.

Van Hemert describes "gig-swapping" or "trading shows" as a common practice "where one band offers another band a show if the other band can do the same in return."

Cantus Firmus keeps in contact with at least 20 Iowa bands with which they play shows and "gig-swap," something that Van Hemert feels would be impossible without MySpace. For Cantus Firmus, MySpace is the primary way that they book their shows, conducting roughly 95 percent of their shows' bookings through MySpace and very rarely scheduling solely through telephone or even email.

Even though MySpace is great for booking shows, Van Hemert says, press kits are still essential tools for some venues and all record labels. Van Hemert says handbills and posters are unnecessary.

"Since MySpace has the ability to make virtual posters for shows, we just put those in 'comments' and/or 'bulletins' and the word gets out just as fast, and most of the time even faster than the traditional poster," he says.

The convenience and ease of networking and promoting through MySpace makes it an essential tool for Cantus Firmus.

In Van Hemert's opinion, "I think it'd be insane for a band to not have MySpace. It's the new medium. It's what makes our band, Cantus Firmus, possible."

Local venues

The swelling number of bands and fans who use MySpace as a networking tool is also affecting local music venues. Both the Vaudeville Mews and House of Bricks have created MySpace accounts. Although these do not replace their business Web sites. It is clear that the profiles are well visited, with each claiming nearly 1,000 people as their "friends."

For Ladd Askland, the booking agent at the Vaudeville Mews, MySpace is a great way for the business to receive "positive and constructive criticism" from bands and fans. On the Vaudeville Mews' comment space, one fan writes to suggest a possible lineup for a show: "You know what would kick ass? A Mondo Cane and Peaches show."

Askland says that the Vaudeville Mews uses these comments to better their business.

"We take [the comments] all in and try to improve to make The Mews the best place to see live music and, flatly, have fun each and every night," he says.

MySpace party

Both the Vaudeville Mews and House of Bricks say they generally don't book shows via MySpace. However, Askland says that many bands initially ask to set up shows by sending a message through MySpace.

About a month ago, J.C. Wilson, owner of the House of Bricks, used the popularity of MySpace to create an innovative concept, new to Des Moines: a MySpace party and show. Wilson says that he sent out invitations through a mass blog to members of the House of Bricks' MySpace community. Members were told that if they brought printouts of their MySpace pages, they would receive a discounted rate at the show. The event ended up drawing a crowd, and Wilson deemed it a success.

We are Cityview. Based in Des Moines, Iowa, we are Central Iowas only weekly alternative newspaper. Fueled by 14 years of tradition, were hell-bent on doing what we do best: educating, entertaining and empowering you every week of the year.

Whether you are looking for witty opinion pieces on the latest local and national news, an introduction to the newsmakers themselves, the latest skinny on the hottest political and business topics, an apartment, a new job, a stranger to love, or page upon page of the most detailed entertainment listings and the best music, theater, art, film and food reviews in town, there is only one place to find it all: inside your weekly copy of Cityview.

Why are we so confident? Because we understand that having a true alternative news source for a community like ours is an important job one we take quite seriously. And because publications like this one can mean so many different things to so many different people, we have to tackle each area we cover with vigor. The work can be exhausting. But the reward of truly making a difference is indisputably unrivaled. We absolutely live for it.

Unlike daily newspapers where the individuals tend to be replaceable cardboard cutouts and guided by corporate directives, we understand that no one can do what we do, and that our community not only deserves a strong alternative newspaper but should expect one as well. So the content that you will find inside these pages week in and week out will create conversation, make you laugh, make you raise your eyebrows, inform you, piss you off and sometimes lead you to believe we have no idea what the hell were doing.

Still, some of the responsibility lies with you. Obviously, you cant expect us to do all the work. Scores of readers let us know how were doing every week, while scores more beg for publicity, a spot in our calendar section, a chance to tell their stories or respond to ours. We want for nothing more than for this to continue. Write, call and email us often. This paper has been built with this community in mind and thus will be brought to you by people who care deeply about the community. So we need to hear all about it all from you every chance you get.

We can make you one promise: we will not be soft in our approach no matter the subject and we will come at you pointblank each and every week in everything we do. We are excited and energized. Were having an absolute blast doing it.

Back in the day, Cityviews motto used to be We Eat Sacred Cows for Breakfast. Let it be known that weve set the table again.