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Thanksgiving means different things to different people, but for a turkey none of it is joyful. This time of year, the birds life serves but one purpose: to feed our families in the traditional feast of thanks. No matter which way you slice it, the turkey gets the short end of the deal during the holiday season but there are some birds that fare better than others. The luckier of the turkeys are those that had the good fortune to have been raised on pasture at a small-scale farm at least they lived a life in the open air before meeting their end. There is a downfall to the pasture-raised turkey: the steep price tag. A commercial Butterball turkey will cost about $30 for a 20-pound bird, but the price hits closer to $120 for the same size bird raised on open fields.

Despite the price hurdle, the past two decades have given way to a steady rise of small farms that are working to change our current big Ag, factory farm food system. The Butterball scandals brought to light by animal welfare advocacy group Mercy for Animals in 2011 and 2012 is a testament to the importance of that shift (especially since Butterball provides the nation with roughly 13.4 million turkeys each Thanksgiving ). The advocacy group revealed the abuse turkeys undergo in factory farming environments. These are horrors that no creature with a beating heart should have to endure, from extreme physical abuse to maggot-infested living conditions and in some extreme cases, being ground up while still alive. These nightmarish images are reminiscent of Upton Sinclairs The Jungle, but they arent stories from the Industrial Revolution; they are happening today.

The severe mistreatment of turkeys paints a dark stain on the entire meal. Its during these times that the importance of small farms, where humanely raised actually means something , can so clearly be felt although it is a standard that should be held year round. And its why the rare small farm that has slowed down and preserved its principles becomes such a treasured part of the community, such as Pete and Jens Backyard Birds in Sudbury, MA.