PA Sets a Thanksgiving Table

When you look down at that plate full of Thanksgiving dinner today you might be surprised to learn just how much of it could have come from Pennsylvania. The Keystone State ranks number nine in the nation in turkey production and number three in the production of butter. Pennsylvania State Data Center Director Sue Copella says the state also holds its own in wheat and corn production. 124 million ponds of sweet corn were produced in the state in 2008. Copella says at $35.40 per one hundred pounds that adds up to a big impact on the Pennsylvania economy. She notes turkey production is a $138 million industry in Pennsylvania with more than 5,000 workers in the poultry processing industry. Even before you get to the table there is a reason to be proud of the state. If you watch the Macy’s parade today you should know that it is not a tradition that started in New York. Gimbel’s in Philadelphia held a Thanksgiving parade in 1920, four years before Macy’s.