There are many things to give thanks for on Thanksgiving every year, with the food we get to partake in being a common one. Thanksgiving menus may alter slightly from house to house, but the basics remain relatively unchanged. Where does all of the food we’re consuming come from on Turkey Day, and how much of it is from our own state?
Turkey: In 2023 producers in the State of Illinois slaughtered slightly less than 4,000,000 turkeys, however this pales in comparison to the top state of Minnesota that produced almost 40,000,000 turkeys. North Carolina, Arkansas, and Indiana are a few of the other high production states for turkeys, however with 218,000,000 birds being processed annually in the US, no single state contributes a majority of the turkeys that are consumed.
Mashed Potatoes: Potatoes in the US are the most widespread vegetable grown, with close to a million acres of potatoes produced annually. Unsurprisingly, Idaho produces a third of the potatoes in the US primarily under center pivot irrigation. Within Idaho, most of the potatoes are grown in the Snake River Plain, a low lying area of fertile soils, abundant water for irrigation and a good climate for producing potatoes.
Stuffing: Uncommon to see but grown in a few small pockets across the U.S. are the vegetables consumed annually. However, for those with stuffing recipes containing celery, they can thank California for 100% of the celery produced in the US across 27,000 acres. California can also be thanked for over a quarter of the onions produced in the U.S., with Oregon and Washington contributing a large amount to annual onion production as well. The bread used in stuffing is largely produced across the Plains states as it requires hard red wheat, uncommon to the Eastern half of the U.S., including Illinois. Farmers producing wheat in Illinois grow soft red wheat which has a lower protein value and different characteristics than what is targeted for bread production.
Green Beans: For green beans, Wisconsin comes in as the leading producer annually, with Florida and New York being the second and third largest producers. Interesting enough, Illinois produces between 7,000 and 14,000 acres of green beans annually and is in the top 10 states in production in the nation. Yield continues to increase on the national level, with each acre producing close to 4.5 tons of green beans.
Mac and Cheese: With two parts to this common Thanksgiving side dish, the macaroni is produced from durum wheat, which is commonly grown in Canada, but produced in four small pockets within the US as well. Distinguished into Northern Durum and Desert Durum, the Northern Durum is grown in all regions of North Dakota, as well as one small area in Central Montana. Desert Durum is produced in the extreme southwestern corner of Arizona and Southern California, as well as in part of the Central Valley of California. Dairy products come from different areas nationwide, however much of American cheese comes from the Upper Midwest, Southwest and California. It is safe to say that the US loves consuming cheese however, as over 1.2 billion pounds of cheese are produced each month! Wisconsin is responsible for a quarter of cheese production, with California falling in as a close second.
Cranberries: Grown in bogs as seen in the Ocean Spray commercials, cranberries are produced in very niche areas of the US, with 60% of them grown in Wisconsin. Massachusetts is responsible for another 25% of the US cranberry crop, a nation that produces 750,000,000 pounds each year. Whether it’s in a jello, sauce, or some other dish for Thanksgiving, there is a high likelihood that the cranberries you consumed were from either Wisconsin or Massachusetts.
Pumpkin Pie: The crop that Illinois is known for, with a Libby’s plant in Morton and a Seneca Foods plant in Princeville, the pumpkin pie you made for Thanksgiving likely was grown and canned right in our own state. 75% of the nations canned pumpkins are canned at the Libby’s plant in Morton, with the Dickinson pumpkin variety being the variety of choice for farmers growing them. Thank an Illinois farmer for the Pumpkin Pie you ate over the Thanksgiving Holiday!
Pecan Pie: With slightly over 400,000 acres of pecan groves nationwide, this tree crop is grown almost exclusively in 5 American states. Georgia grows over a quarter, with Texas, Oklahoma, New Mexico, and Arizona comprising the rest of the production. On a global scale, the US grows roughly 80% of the pecans in the world.
With such a wide variety of agricultural products grown in the U.S., it is interesting to think about where the food we eat comes from. Crops and livestock products are commonly localized, although in the case of Durum Wheat and cheese, not always localized to areas with similar characteristics. Who knew that so much of what we eat on Thanksgiving likely came from Wisconsin? We have much to be thankful for in the US, and the food production (farmers and processors) sector is a root for the large meals that we get to share each year for the Holidays.