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Alabama’s last commercial turkey operation is a family-run business dating back to 1923 when Mamie Bates gave her son nine turkey eggs as a wedding present.

Now into its ninth decade, Bates Turkey Farm near Fort Deposit continues to garner national attention for quality, even though it’s far from being among the poultry giants who produce millions of birds during the year.

The patriarch of the family is Bill Bates, Mamie’s grandson and keeper of an agricultural flame that has provided enough financial light in the past 81 years to help educate a pack of grandchildren.

Some of the kids will watch over the franchise in the years to come. Of that, there is no doubt.

“I never had any doubts about this being a success and I have every reason to believe it can continue to be for a long time,” Bates said, at his farm just off U.S. 31 near Greenville.

Becky Sloane tours their turkey farm with brothers Thomas Bates, center, and John Bates.

Thomas Bates inspects Tom Turkeys a few days before they were processed for Thanksgiving tables around the country.

“It’s just wonderful being in this family,” said Becky Sloane, who has three brothers – Pete, John and Thomas and a sister, Jane. “We’d come home from school and Mom and Dad would be there to greet us. Then, we’d change clothes and get to work.”

When the Bates children were young, the family raised chickens and turkeys from “scratch.” Turkey layers provided the eggs that would provide future birds. There also was a hatchery at the farm.

“We’d get up early in the morning to take care of the chores associated with raising turkeys,” said Sloane, 53. “We’d do everything that needed to be done. We were part of the process.”

It could be because his land is his birthplace – literally. He was born in a house in the middle of a pasture where his turkeys eat and drink and wait to be important parts of Thanksgiving each year.

“Four generations of our family have operated this farm with but one purpose in mind... to produce the finest turkeys to ever grace a table,” Bates said.

Turkeys have helped save the Bates business. In addition to being the main product for the family, they also became collateral for a bank loan to pay property taxes during the depths of the Depression.

“We owed $175 one year and we used all of our 175 turkeys to back the loan,” said Bates, with a big laugh.

“It came out to $1 a bird and it was a pretty good decision because it kept us alive.”

There have been major changes along the way, of course. One of the biggest has been doing away with

Bill Bates has operated Alabama’s only commercial turkey business for many years.

Gov. James E. “Big Jim” Folsom “pardons” the Turkey in 1949 – the first such reprieve by an Alabama governor prior to Thanksgiving. Bill Bates, standing next to Folsom with “Clyde,” has been bringing his best and biggest bird to Montgomery every year since Folsom’s original “pardon.”

The family operation used to process up to 50,000 or more turkeys a year, but now focuses on about 20,000.

“That’s nothing, really, in volume,” said Thomas Bates. “Some turkey plants can process 25,000 a day. Alabama ranks near the bottom in volume, but we make up for it in other ways.”

Without saying it, he meant “quality.” Quantity isn’t something Bill Bates and his family concern themselves with that much. They want to turn out the best turkeys in the world, not necessarily the most.

Sloane said a health-conscious America has led poultry and meat processors to become more mindful of how they raise their farm animals for consumption.

“People want products that are safe,” she said. “Our price is higher than many competitors, but we offer only the best turkeys. When people ask us why our price is higher than what they can get in a supermarket, we tell ’em that they’re getting 100 percent meat. We’re not giving them something injected with broth or sodium. It’s all natural.”

She said this year’s turkey “crop” has been given feed without animal fat. No growth hormones are added, either.

Turkeys at the family farm are kept about four months before they are slaughtered at a facility adjacent to the area where they are raised.

Reducing stress is important in raising turkeys, John Bates said. Hurricane Ivan provided a bit too much stress for the birds when it roared through Lowndes County in late September.

“We lost a lot of turkeys to hypothermia,” he said. “Some also died when tree limbs fell on them The wind was really bad. There was nothing to block it.”

Many of the turkeys did find a way to use the downed trees and limbs for some fun. They roosted on them after the storm passed through.

Life on a turkey farm can produce its own amount of human stress – but with a much better outcome. Several of Bill and Teresa’s grandchildren are in college or headed that way. A good business can provide a good education.

The Bates children and grandchildren know the meaning of responsibility. They know that whatever rewards they might reap will be the result from hard work.

“This is a 7-day-a-week job,” John Bates said, as he walked across a field where thousands of his turkeys were resting. “I’ve told my children to try and find a job that’s five days a week. They soon realize how much work is involved in an operation like this one.”

As Thanksgiving draws near, the Bates operation begins to wind down for the year. Most of the work has been done by then. The turkeys have been raised, processed and shipped out to hungry fans around the country.

Bates turkeys are not sold to supermarkets, but specialty shops have become customers in recent years, especially in Birmingham and Montgomery.

“Housewives are concerned about what they put on their table and not necessarily whether it only costs 59 cents a pound,” Sloane said. “They want products that are safe.”

For several years, Bates turkeys have made their way to supper tables as far away as Alaska. They fly there – on planes, of course.

Two female turkeys enjoy the warm sunshine at their temporary home in Lowndes County where they were raised by the Bates family.

The mail order business continues to do well for the family. Customers who order them know it’s going to be expensive, but well worth the price and wait.

Shipping costs can exceed the price of the bird. Whole frozen turkeys and turkey breasts can cost up to $50, depending on the distance traveled.

In addition to shipping turkeys out to distant points, Theresa Bates oversees the Bates House of Turkey just off 1-65 in Greenville. Hungry customers headed to the beaches or back home often stop by for sandwiches or whole turkeys to take with them.

Producing quality turkeys is a total team effort and the Bates family credits Quality Cooperative Inc. of nearby Greenville with helping to provide all that’s needed to raise them.

“We couldn’t do without them,” Sloane said. “They have everything we need – from fertilizer to seed, overalls and chemicals. If they don’t know the answer to a problem we have, they’ll find it for us.”

Ralph Ricks, manager of Quality Cooperative Inc. of Greenville, returns the praise from the Bates family. They are among his best customers.

“They’re wonderful people,” Ricks said. “They shop with us throughout the year and we certainly appreciate their business.”

Bill Bates is as tough as his birds. He grew up during the Depression, served his country as a pilot instructor during World War II, returned home to save the family farm and recently whipped cancer.

He knows he’s in his twilight years, but he’s not worried about the future of his turkey operation.

He said one friend who used to raise turkeys sold his farm for more than $80 million. An offer of that size would be difficult to decline for anyone.

“We’ve had chances to sell, but turned them all down,” he said. “This is our land, our farm. We’re going to keep going as long as we possibly can.”

Alvin Benn is a freelance writer from Selma.