Where your Thanksgiving meal came from

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When you give thanks for your Thanksgiving meal, don’t forget to include truckers in your list of appreciation.

Every item probably traveled on a truck in it’s journey from the farm to the store to your table, and it’s likely that something on your plate came from one of the states show below.

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Shown is the #1 producing state for each of the traditional Thanksgiving foods. (Graphic by DAT. Source: U.S. Census Bureau)

Regional differences 

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the top turkey producing state is Minnestoa, followed by North Carolina, Arkansas, Indiana, Missouri, and Virginia.

The top states for cranberries are, in order, WisconsinMassachusettsNew Jersey, Oregon and Washington.

Where you live also determines where your Thanksgiving ingredients come from. If you live on the West Coast, it’s likely that your turkey, sweet potatoes, and pumkin pie filling come from California, your cranberries from Oregon and your pecans from New Mexico. If you live on the East Coast, your turkey and sweet potatoes probably came from North Carolina, your cranberries from Massachusetts, your pumkin pie filling from Pennsylvania and your pecans from Georgia.

Happy Thanksgiving from DAT, and thanks to all of you who played a part in delivering our favorite Thanksgiving foods! 

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Jeff Hopper is the Chief Marketing Officer at DAT. In that role, he oversees the customer service department, which houses