WASHINGTON — President Joe Biden pardoned two turkeys, “Liberty” and “Bell,” from the dinner table during the 76^th annual National Thanksgiving Turkey Presentation at the White House on Nov. 20.

National Turkey Federation (NTF) Chairman Steve Lykken, group vice president for Hormel Foods and president of Jennie-O Turkey Store, and Jose Rojas, assistant vice president of live production at Jennie-O Turkey Store, presented the turkeys to Biden, who formally pardoned them so that they may live out the rest of their days at the University of Minnesota’s College of Food, Agricultural and Natural Resource Sciences (CFANS) in St. Paul, Minn.

This is the first year U of M was chosen to house the National Thanksgiving Turkey.

After two days of paparazzi, red carpet and fanfare, Liberty and Bell are headed home to a quiet abode where they will serve as educational ambassadors in Minnesota, the top turkey-producing state in the United States, university officials said.

“Turkey production has long been a fundamental part of Minnesota agriculture and is important to providing high quality protein to consumers all over the world,” said Brian Buhr, dean of CFANS. “At CFANS, our world-class poultry and animal agriculture experts are serving and growing the industry with innovative research, teaching and outreach. We’re delighted to welcome Liberty and Bell as fellow ‘expert educators’ on our CFANS team, working closely with Drs. Anup Kollanoor Johny and Kahina Boukherroub in our Department of Animal Science.”

Liberty and Bell were raised in Willmar, Minn., under the direction of Lykken.

“We appreciate President Biden for warmly welcoming the National Turkey Federation and my esteemed colleagues and associates from the Jennie-O team to the White House earlier today,” said Lykken. “This is a busy time of year for our industry and we’re grateful for the turkey producers and farmers that deliver food to our tables this holiday and every day.”