The Humble Turkey Becomes an Environment, Global Trade Player

Relegated to lunchmeat status most of the year, the humble turkey takes its time-honored place at the center of the American dining table just once a year.

But apart from Thanksgiving, the turkey industry has also become the poster-bird for an increasingly complex globalized food system: It’s a major factor in international trade pacts and export markets, and has raised concerns about environmental impacts.

Engineered for Size

Up until the 1950s, turkey farming was a small-scale affair, where most farmed-raised ...