Stories & Essays: Field to Feast

As family farms increasingly give way to subdivisions, and their products to corporate factories, few farmers have held on to the old ways. The Flanagans are an exception. For four generations and nearly 75 years, they have farmed turkeys in Pungo, one of the last remaining rural parts of Virginia Beach.

Every year, on a single day before Thanksgiving, they hold a "turkey killing day," to process their flock for the holiday. The day's work is done by dozens of Roy and Jeannie Flanagan's friends, neighbors and family members who volunteer their time. In the tradition of an old-fashioned barn raising, it's a true community effort. "It warms your heart," said Jeannie Flanagan, "to think that people will still do this."