Pardoned Turkeys Are Emblematic of North Carolina’s Strong Poultry Industry

Jesse Grimes has compiled an extensive list of accomplishments during his 32 years at NC State. As NC State Extension’s turkey specialist, a researcher, and a faculty member within the Prestage Department of Poultry Science, he has been at the forefront of advances in the industry that benefit both producers and consumers.

In the last few years, Grimes has added another bullet point to his impressive resume — chief caretaker for celebrity turkeys.

Since 2022, NC State’s Talley Turkey Education Unit has hosted a rafter of famous birds that have received presidential pardons during the annual White House Thanksgiving tradition. Chocolate and Chip arrived in ‘22, and this year it was Gobble and Waddle’s turn to move into the relatively luxurious accommodations.

Gobble and Waddle moved into their climate-controlled lodgings at NC State’s Talley Turkey Education Unit after receiving a presidential pardon in November 2025.

They are housed in 100-square-foot, climate-controlled pens, giving them extra room to stretch their wings. They are checked on regularly and receive fresh bedding, food and water daily. They are on a special diet.

“Their feed is made at our NC State mill, and it’s a special feed,” Grimes said. “It’s low-fat, low-protein, so they don’t gain a lot of weight.”

Where Presidential Turkeys Meet Proven Poultry Experts
The Talley Turkey Education Unit, part of the Lake Wheeler Road Field Laboratory, exists to provide teaching, research and Extension opportunities with a goal of enhancing management practices to improve turkey production, reproduction, genetics, waste handling, welfare and nutrition.

Every bird at the facility is well cared for by a team of experts, including unit manager Stephen Hocutt. But Grimes knew the VIP toms would merit an extra level of attention.

“We’ve been honored twice now for those birds to come here, which we appreciate and do not take for granted,” he said. “Our staff here on this unit are great with looking after them. We have good people that take care of them every day.”

Grimes considers it an honor because the North Carolina-raised pardoned birds represent something deeply important to him — the strong turkey and poultry industry in the state.

“We are No. 1 in total weight produced and No. 2 in total numbers produced for the commercial turkey industry,” Grimes said. “We have a huge broiler industry in the state, and we have egg production. When you put all those together, we’re the No. 1 poultry state in the country.”

Poultry also is the No. 1 agricultural industry in North Carolina.

Powering the State’s Poultry Leadership
NC State Extension and the university’s College of Agriculture and Life Sciences play a key role in supporting that success.

“The university has three major functions,” Grimes said. “One is teaching, another is research, and the other pillar is outreach or Extension. On the turkey unit we do all three.”

The pardoned turkeys residing at NC State are ambassadors that educate the public about poultry, the No. 1 agricultural industry in North Carolina.

Research is conducted by faculty, assisted by graduate and undergraduate students. Projects are designed with an eye toward how they will help producers and benefit consumers.

“From an outreach standpoint, just about all the research work we do here is applied,” Grimes said. “We are communicating with producers. They may give me an opinion on what they would like to see done, and we take that opinion seriously. It’s a partnership.”

Research, applied with the help of Extension, has real-world impacts in the poultry industry.

“We don’t raise birds the same way we did five years ago, much less the same way we did 30 years ago or 50 years ago,” Grimes said. “Whether it’s done in our department or whether it’s done in ag engineering or whether it’s done with veterinary medicine, learning about diseases, vaccines, the landscape of commercial poultry production changes on a regular basis. Over the years, there’s been a steady progression of improved technology for raising birds that gets turned into on-the-farm applications, making it better for both the birds and people.”

A major change in the way poultry is raised has been the move from outside ranges to inside pens. Raising the birds inside creates a more stable environment.

“The more birds we raise, the more critical it is to have good facilities where they are protected from the weather and from anything else that can be outside, including predators and disease,” Grimes said. “Of course that means when we bring birds inside, we take on the responsibility as caretakers.”

Allison Pullin, an Extension specialist in animal welfare, has done a lot of work in ethical housing design, ensuring the environment benefits the birds. That has led to improvements in ventilation, heating, cooling and air movement.

“We can keep the environment at the highest optimal conditions so the birds are raised properly from the time they’re placed until the time they’re harvested for processing,” Grimes said.

There have also been improvements in genetics, growth rates and efficiency, which benefit consumers of the country’s most popular meat.

“Broiler meat has gone from the idea of ‘a chicken in every pot’ to now poultry is the No. 1 meat that people consume,” Grimes said. “It’s good from a cost standpoint and also from a nutrition standpoint. It’s a low-fat and high-protein product that people appreciate.” 

Extension also has been at the forefront of helping producers meet demand for cage-free eggs and antibiotic-free meat.

“Those came out of consumers wanting a different product, raised in a different way,” Grimes said. “The consumers really made that happen.”

NC State Extension turkey specialist Jesse Grimes talks to the media on the day pardoned turkeys Gobble and Waddle arrived at NC State. Grimes is one of the many Extension experts who support North Carolina’s poultry industry, which is No. 1 in the country.

Biosecurity remains a constant focus for Grimes and other poultry experts due to the continuing threat of avian flu and other diseases.

“There are some challenges that have been there for a long time,” he said. “As we expect birds to grow better and faster, the challenge on management and health and biosecurity, it all increases.”

Advances in poultry management and production are disseminated throughout North Carolina – from contract growers and major producers to backyard flock owners – through a host of Extension experts.

They include Richard Goforth, Margaret Ross, Jonas Asbill and Lauren Greene, area agents who specialize in poultry. Between them they cover every corner of the state.

“All four of them do a super job,” Grimes said. “A lot of people call upon them, Extension agents and also producers. They work independently, but they have a really close working relationship with each other. They’re always looking at putting programs together to help other agents — livestock agents and 4-H agents — who are involved in poultry.”

Further information on poultry diet and welfare comes from Extension nutritionist Peter Ferket, feed mill director Adam Fahrenholz, Marissa Cohen, area specialized agent for animal safety, and Lisa Bielke, who is conducting research into several aspects of poultry health.

Preparing the next generation of poultry professionals is also essential. Youth interested in poultry, perhaps with an eye toward future careers in the industry, have many hands-on learning opportunities through North Carolina 4-H, under the statewide leadership of Mary Fosnaught.

A Career – and Industry – Built to Last
Grimes is moving to emeritus status at the beginning of the year, transitioning from his Extension, research and teaching duties to a consulting role.

“I’ll still be around, but I won’t be as active,” he said. “I can serve in an advisory role, on graduate committees, whatever I can do to still help the department. I’m here if the opportunities arise.”

After received the traditional presidential pardon in 2022, Chocolate and Chip moved into their quarters at NC State’s Talley Turkey Education Unit.

He will be followed into retirement by Extension poultry specialist Ken Anderson, who has been at NC State for 36 years.

Even amid the leadership transitions, Grimes is encouraged by NC State’s commitment to maintaining its strong poultry Extension and research programs.

“We have great people, both in Extension and the poultry industry in general,” he said. “We have generational changes sometimes. We’re going through that a little bit now, but we have some really good young faculty coming up. With continued commitment from the university, the work will still get done.”