As Americans settle in to celebrate Thanksgiving by consuming about 45 million turkeys AFSRC scientists are finding ways to safely and economically use some of the turkey litter produced. About 10 million tons of turkey litter is produced by 270 million turkeys raised in the United States annually. The pile of turkey litter shown here is destined to be spread on beef pasture. AFSRC scientists are also investigating ways to use turkey litter as one of the ingredients in a constructed soil for turf grass production.

Turkey litter photo by Douglas G. Boyer
Turkey picture by Gene Alexander, USDA

Fun turkey facts