Dirty Jobs Season 1 Episode 18 Turkey Farmer

Mike Rowe heads to a turkey farm in Ohio for the 18th episode of Dirty Jobs. The episode titled “Turkey Farmers” aired on December 20, 2005.

In this episode, Mike gets a taste of the daily grind that turkey farmers go through to get their birds to market. He starts the day by learning how to properly catch a turkey (without harming it), which involves crawling around in a cramped pen and trying to grab the birds as they run past. This is no easy task, as Mike soon discovers, and he quickly gains a newfound respect for the farmers who do this day in and day out.

After catching a few hundred turkeys, Mike and the farmers move on to the next step in the process: loading the birds onto trucks for transport to the processing plant. This involves some heavy lifting, as turkeys can weigh up to 30 pounds each, and the trucks themselves are not exactly easy to maneuver. But with some teamwork, they manage to get the job done.

Once at the processing plant, Mike sees firsthand how the turkeys are prepared for market. He watches as the birds are stunned, bled out, and then sent through a series of machines that remove their feathers and innards, leaving only the meat behind. It’s a messy and complicated process, and Mike admits that seeing it all unfold has given him a newfound appreciation for the work that goes into bringing a Thanksgiving turkey to the table.

But the job isn’t over yet. After the turkeys have been processed, they need to be packaged and shipped out to stores across the country. Mike helps out with this step by boxing up the birds and getting them loaded onto yet another truck. It’s a fitting end to a long day of hard work, and Mike is grateful for the opportunity to learn about yet another dirty job.

As always, Mike’s sense of humor shines through in this episode, and he manages to find joy in the most unexpected places. Whether he’s dodging turkey poop or commiserating with the farmers over the challenges of the job, he’s a reminder that even the dirtiest of jobs can still be fun – if you have the right attitude.

Overall, “Turkey Farmers” is a fascinating look at a world most of us never see. It’s a reminder that the food we eat doesn’t just magically appear on our plates – it’s the result of hours of hard work and dedication from farmers and laborers across the country. And it’s a testament to the resilience and ingenuity of the American worker, who is willing to do whatever it takes to get the job done.