Sho Nuf Turkey Farm has been a Thanksgiving tradition for decades. New

Nov. 25—While some wake up on Thanksgiving morning to holiday traditions like family turkey trots or squeezing on the couch to watch the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade, Chris Bohrer follows his usual routine before heading to dinner — a 4 a.m. wakeup call to check on his turkey farm.

“I tell people in November, I generally only work half days — about 4 in the morning ’til 4 in the afternoon,” Bohrer said. “It’s half of the day.”

A flock of turkeys huddled under a barn at Sho Nuf Turkey Farm on Thursday while barn dogs Missy and Buddy barked as they kept watch for predators. Turkeys clucked as they roamed, occasionally pecking at each other or turning their heads in unison with one swift “gobble” as a reaction to a sound or something else in the environment. The toms displayed upright feathers, showing their protection over the hens.

Bohrer’s been working at the farm for 37 years, taking on a more full-time role after retiring from being a Montgomery County police officer about two years ago. The Fulton farm began raising turkeys in 1938 after Bohrer’s wife’s grandparents received turkeys as a wedding gift. Now, Bohrer’s daughter Izzy, who stood at the front table to help customers, is the fourth generation in the family to work on the farm.

“It’s nice to see that they want to do it because they want to work hard. Hopefully, we’ve taught them a good work ethic that they want to work hard,” Bohrer said. “I think it gives you a better appreciation for hard work.”

But the fate of the farm appears uncertain as the developers of the Maple Lawn community across the street own the land, Bohrer said. The landowners have been renewing the farm’s lease for one year, or sometimes two years at a time. Bohrer said he thinks they’ll have a few more years at the farm, adding “I’m not ready to go yet.”

The land is a great place for houses to be built, Bohrer said, but he’s unsure if the farm will move due to the cost of infrastructure and government regulations that are tough for small farms.

“That’ll be the toughest part for me when they start building. I don’t care about the houses but not being able to cook a turkey that I’ve raised or had a hand in raising, that’ll be the toughest thing when we stop doing turkeys here,” Bohrer said.

Cooking a Sho Nuf turkey traditionally in the oven is Bohrer’s preferred method, while other families might grill or deep-fry their bird. Picking up a turkey has become a family tradition for many customers, Bohrer said, with some people traveling from two to three hours away or even as far as South Carolina.

The farm raises 20,000 turkeys each year with sales split about equally among wholesale to grocery stores or markets, bulk retail for companies that provide turkeys as a gift to employees, and retail for individual customers. Bohrer said the farm is slated to have about 3,000 customers lined up the Tuesday before Thanksgiving.

What makes the farm unique is that the turkeys are never caged or carted around as they are on other farms, Bohrer said. A few years ago, the farm received a 100% score on an animal welfare audit, “so we feel pretty good about the way we treat the animals,” he said.

More in Business

While there’s always been an appeal for the farm’s free-range turkeys, there are newer customers who are “very interested,” Bohrer said. Generally, people like to know where their food is coming from, he said, which is what draws them to strawberry fields, Christmas tree farms or pumpkin patches.

“You don’t really pick your own here, but you’re not going to get much fresher than this,” Bohrer said. “Unless you do it yourself.”

The days leading up to Thanksgiving are the busiest, but sales continue through New Year’s. Then the coolers are turned down to freezing, and frozen turkeys are sold throughout the year, Bohrer said. After visiting the farm on Thanksgiving, Bohrer will fill up on turkey and relax.

“Generally, it takes me to about Sunday after Thanksgiving to really sleep in,” Bohrer said. “But I’ll be ready to sleep.”

Have a news tip? Contact Kiersten Hacker at khacker@baltsun.com or @KierstenHacker on X.

—

Chris Bohrer and his daughter Izzy discuss the operations inside a turkey barn at Sho Nuf Turkeys on Thursday. (Brian Krista/Staff)

—

Chris Bohrer and his daughter Izzy inside a turkey barn at Sho Nuf Turkeys on Thursday. (Brian Krista/Staff)

—

A flock of turkeys gather outside a barn at Sho Nuf Turkeys on Thursday. (Brian Krista/Staff)

—

Chris Bohrer and his daughter Izzy inside a turkey barn at Sho Nuf Turkeys on Thursday. (Brian Krista/Staff)

—

A flock of turkeys are seen inside a barn at Sho Nuf Turkeys on Thursday. (Brian Krista/Staff)

—

A flock of turkeys gather outside a barn at Sho Nuf Turkeys on Thursday. (Brian Krista/Staff)

—

A flock of turkeys gather inside a barn at Sho Nuf Turkeys on Thursday. (Brian Krista/Staff)

—

A hen, left, and tom turkey are seen inside a barn at Sho Nuf Turkeys on Thursday. (Brian Krista/Staff)

—

A flock of turkeys gather inside a barn at Sho Nuf Turkeys on Thursday. (Brian Krista/Staff)

—

A flock of turkeys gather outside a barn at Sho Nuf Turkeys on Thursday. (Brian Krista/Staff)

—

A flock of turkeys gather inside a barn at Sho Nuf Turkeys on Thursday. (Brian Krista/Staff)

—

A tom turkey is seen at Sho Nuf Turkeys on Thursday. (Brian Krista/Staff)

1 of 12

Chris Bohrer and his daughter Izzy discuss the operations inside a turkey barn at Sho Nuf Turkeys on Thursday. (Brian Krista/Staff)

Expand

EMEA Tribune is not involved in this news article, it is taken from our partners and or from the News Agencies. Copyright and Credit go to the News Agencies, email news@emeatribune.com Follow our WhatsApp verified Channel