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Documentary, This Farming Life S01E03 Scotland

The working day begins as the sun rises above the horizon and it ends long after the sun has set. Across Scotland and Northern Ireland, the struggles and triumphs of farmers and their families are documented to give a unique perspective into the lives of those providing the nation with milk, meat and more. Against a backdrop of some of Britain's most remote and beautiful locations, these farmers go about their day with unprecedented dedication as they tend to their animals, harvest their crops, and care for their own families, as they endeavour to keep everything on the farm running smoothly during often testing times.
#ThisFarmingLife #FarmingLife #Documentary #Scotland
Transcript
00:00Across some of the most beautiful and remote landscapes of the British Isles.
00:07This is not a bad office, is it? You know, it looks like.
00:10Scotland's farmers carve a living.
00:13Everything. I've got a time and a season. Nature doesn't stop.
00:17Breeding sheep and cattle.
00:19There's a lot of old friends here. They've come to the end of their working life. Quite a sad day.
00:25Come on. Swear second.
00:26Bringing new life into the world.
00:30And battling with the elements.
00:34They're all cute in their own way.
00:36And especially if they end up on your plate as a lamb chop. Yum.
00:40Over a year, five very different families let cameras onto their farms.
00:46Hell of a size of nuts on them.
00:48And into their lives.
00:50To share their struggles.
00:52I don't know why you want the floor with us.
00:54Do you need to do this?
00:55And their triumphs.
00:57Look at my baby.
00:59Is alive.
01:01As they try and turn a profit in testing economic times.
01:05That's just depressing, aren't they really?
01:07There's cause for celebration.
01:09Gorgeous.
01:11And a time to reflect.
01:13I feel sad that I haven't provided the next generation to carry on here.
01:17But it's never dull.
01:19Don't let him go.
01:21It's not a job.
01:23It's a way of life.
01:25It's late autumn.
01:27On the Isle of Lewis.
01:2930 miles off Scotland's west coast.
01:31In the Outer Hebrides.
01:33The weather is unseasonably mild.
01:35And preparations to get the livestock ready for winter.
01:37Continue for Crofter's sandy granville.
01:39Indian summers are wonderful.
01:41Summer is full of the noise of animals and insects.
01:45And everything goes much quieter as the autumn goes through.
01:49If you get an Indian summer, it all goes on a little bit longer.
01:53But there's always an end to it.
01:55The longer the darkness can be put off, the better.
01:57The pose is always very sort of sost önem.
01:59And those three trees scendered from cold산.
02:01It has a little yellow tree.
02:03Theningar own differentけれども also look different in here,
02:04but the wet weather has saved drought.
02:05So, for many others enjoy the heat下一 day.
02:07Any time to be available in here.
02:09And the melting that takes care of their pyramids
02:11andihnids are very bright then.
02:13An end tree too far.
02:15That would be nice.
02:16The university ofanner Hebrides there director
02:18would be a new様 or Department of Commerce okay.
02:19He would never say anything to arrive here
02:20in the visibility in the 2020's summer.
02:21So while it came out,
02:22this time of year we're very busy we bring the use in off the more they come bustling home big
02:33girls they haven't had any lambs feeding for the last two months and they're they're feeling pretty
02:40good crofting is a new career for sandy he used to be a criminal barrister in London but gave it up
02:48and moved here 12 years ago with his wife to become one of 6,000 crofters in the Western Isles rearing
02:55shape and Highland cattle dating back to the late 1800s crofting is unique to the islands and
03:05Highlands of Scotland sit there now traditionally a croft is a small agricultural holding of about
03:1212 acres that's often part of a community where much of the work is shared I'd like this way of
03:20life it's a cooperative way of life you have to work together and there's a delight in being part
03:26of a of a traditional system that will only work because you're you're quite good at doing it and
03:34there's a great deal of pleasure in trying to master that system and be part of it today Sandy's getting
03:44together with four other crofters to round up all their use for dipping before the mating or topping
03:50season begins so for the last week or so we've been out on the walls bringing all the sheep into this
03:57area we've got here we call the brave this flock of around 700 sheep belong to different crofters
04:05and as tradition dictates they've been grazing together on common land on the moors it's a big
04:11effort together and a lot of fun the sheep are being herded to the communal handling pens on the
04:24outskirts of the village known as the Frank where the dipping will take place it's a beautiful fact
04:31isn't it not a beautiful we've built it about eight years ago just like the people at the fact the
04:47sheep are split into batches owned by each crofter the ewes have been living wild in the
04:53hills for five months don't think these ones are so keen on bath time once separated the sheep are
05:00plunged into the dip the young ones going quite nicely but the old ones hang back and put them off and who
05:13would blame them who would blame them I certainly wouldn't like it if it happened to be the dip is an
05:20insecticide which will get rid of external parasites and help maintain the quality of their wool
05:26scab is the thing with we've got to eliminate because they're all going out on the common grazing
05:36meeting sheep from other places so there's there's always a risk of scab scab is an infectious skin
05:43disease caused by mites and can lead to death if left untreated scab used to be common here but it's
05:50quite rare now because of the dipping just got to get the whole sheep in there make sure there's no
05:56ticks or beasts or scab on any bit of them
05:59that's what we're going to do
06:07Sandy's wife Ali is allocated the task of counting the sheep as they go through we share the cost of the dip
06:12so all these sheep belong to one person and so at the end of the day we'll just divide the cost of the dip
06:19between number sheep that went through it they'll have a brand on the horn with the number of the
06:25croft on it they'll have ear tags with the croft number and an individual number on and then the
06:30final thing is a paint mark yes that's our mark at the moment purple behind the um just behind the head
06:37people are very very wary of talking about how many sheep they've got but I know how many will go
06:44through the dip life as a crofter is a completely new departure for Ali who also worked as a lawyer
07:06in London until she was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis I used to work for the government I got
07:16my MS and was finding it more more difficult to work basically I had very little energy and it was a
07:23very demanding job and then eventually I had to take early retirement but when you suddenly realize
07:30that you'll you might just throw everything up in the air and and start again then you start
07:34thinking what you really would like to do with the rest of your life and so that's when we suddenly
07:39thought well we could we could we could just come to do this the island was a frequent holiday
07:46destination for sandy and Ali when their two sons were young as sandy has family in Lewis my mother did
07:55was born in this village but she didn't actually spend very much time living here and the croft next
08:01door to us was my grandfather's when Ali and I were looking for somewhere to move to to live this
08:07kind of life it was a cousin of mine in the village who told me that this croft was for sale and that's
08:13how we finished up here it's a very pleasant life and it's very very beautiful here and I think that I'm much
08:21fitter now that I was 12 years ago when we first came here so obviously the life suits me and I feel
08:28very well I think it suits both of us really at the funk most of the flock are through the dip one of
08:40them needs to get its horns trimmed this stops them damaging their eyes it is a bit like getting your
08:47nails clipped it's not uncommon it's not uncommon is there another one then the sheep are released to
08:58the common grazing in the village where they live until it's time to meet the tups for the tupping
09:04season in a few weeks the whole of the grazing is now between the two categories are open it's quite
09:12a lot of raising nobody's been in it since May so it's lovely grass everywhere and therefore two
09:19weeks so the village will be full of sheep it takes five hours to dip all the sheep and the total cost
09:26of 300 pounds will be shared among the crafters this team's got more managers than most football
09:37team no only one manager he has hand player managers I guess it guess who it is attempted managing here
09:45we get on pretty well here really hey I'm in okay have a slap down people are good now pretty welcoming
09:53there's a lot doing in this village and in the crafting part of the island society we're quite
10:01busy we've got lots of contribute I think we've completely integrated not a bad day but probably sleep
10:11well tonight
10:23on the west coast of Scotland Sibyl and George McPherson rear sheep and cattle on 15,000 acres of rugged mountain terrain
10:34their land covers two farms one they rent and the other Sibyl owns and has been in her family for nearly 200 years
10:47I'll never forget how lucky I am to have the opportunity to farm it's something that I love
10:55I greatly care for my livestock I enjoy working with them I think rearing sheep and cattle is a fascinating
11:04way to live your life
11:11having done most of their sheep work for the autumn today they're starting to tackle their herd of 60 cows
11:21come on nighty night good girl
11:24George is bringing them in from the fields to get them ready for winter
11:30oi you you big rascal watch watch watch watch
11:35oi rona
11:37having lived mostly wild in the hills since spring some are a little lively
11:46oi rona you behave you ready got me
11:50most of the herd are breeding cows that live for around 14 years
11:58so during their time on the farm George and Sibyl get to know them well
12:03follow on everybody in you go
12:05on you go come on
12:07you're very skinny bonnie
12:09I've got a much softer spot for some than others
12:12come on two or nine on you go
12:14they're all a different character they respond to different situations differently
12:19just like human beings do
12:20come on Willie
12:22and yeah we get very attached to them
12:24just to let you know I'm behind you
12:25that's Willie, Twisty, Tiny, Moira
12:29Grant, Rona
12:32no this one hasn't got a name 606 it doesn't have a name
12:36come on clunky
12:38so you build up a sort of relationship and they understand us and know us
12:43and recognise us
12:45so yeah I do get fond of them
12:47some more than others
12:48that's Rona's a bully she boxes everybody
12:51she boxed George coming down the hill
12:54didn't you Rona you're naughty
12:57come on Willie
13:00in you go spooky good girl good girl spook
13:04the cattle are put in a pen overnight
13:06like many hill farmers across Scotland
13:09Sibyl sends most of her herd to lowland farms to graze for the winter
13:13the majority of the herd are Salaire crosses
13:17a large breed of beef cattle
13:19originally from France
13:20known for their foraging ability and longevity
13:23come on Willie
13:24shh shh shh
13:25they would struggle though to find enough food to survive on the hills over the winter
13:29we don't grow anything here to feed them with
13:34we either send them away for wintering or winter them at home
13:38in which case everything they eat has to be brought in excess of 100 miles to here
13:43come on Willie
13:44without sheds to house the herd
13:46sending them away makes economic sense
13:49come on Willie around you go
13:50out out out out out out
13:52tomorrow she'll be dispatching her first batch of the season
13:57come on Bonnie
13:58come on
13:59come on
14:00come on
14:01come on
14:02come on
14:03come on
14:08come on
14:09come on
14:10come on
14:11come on
14:12the next day
14:16the lorry arrives to take the cows to their winter grazing
14:19not the bonniest day but it's usually a day like this when we do this I can assure you
14:28the weather has turned really really nasty
14:33sadly the wind and the rain has made the cows quite spooky
14:37they hate the wind and so they've run away
14:40today the weather isn't the only hurdle
14:43the calves now six months old need to be weaned to help their mothers recover from constant milking
14:47so they're going to be separated
14:54for a few days the cows will break their hearts looking for the calves and it is quite sad to be removing them
15:00management wise and condition wise for the cows it's the very best thing that can happen because they need a break from milking
15:02when the weather turns bad and the grass stops growing and the cows are milking and the cows are milking and they lose condition quickly
15:15but for the first few days they roar and roar and roar and the calves will cry and cry and I must say I find it quite upsetting to listen to them
15:21it is very stressful
15:28the mothers and calves will be going to different farms and need to be loaded into separate compartments on the lorry
15:36for an easy delivery the calves are first on board
15:49come on guys it's for your own good again can you not it's for your own good
15:55enticed by the scent of their young
16:01go and see you baby
16:02the mothers follow
16:03come on spook
16:05go and see you baby
16:07go and see you baby
16:09come on
16:11come on
16:13finally they're all on board
16:15it's a huge relief to know that tonight
16:18all those we calves will be lying you know knee deep in straw in a shed
16:22okay they'll be breaking their hearts looking for their mothers
16:25but they'll be out of this wet wind and rain
16:29and for them you know in a few days time they'll be just they're in luxury compared with being here
16:35it's definitely the answer for them
16:38the lorry will deliver this first batch to separate farms a hundred miles away in the east of Scotland near Dundee
16:45on the other side of Scotland north of Aberdeen where the weather is proving kinder
16:52Martin Irvine and his family rent a 240 acre farm rearing pedigree limousand bulls
16:59Martin's family have been farming here for five generations
17:02the focus of his business is to produce breeding bulls
17:06that he can sell for a profit at auction
17:08three years ago
17:09he made the best sale of his life
17:13selling one bull for thirty years
17:15for thirty years
17:17the weather is proving kinder
17:18Martin Irvine and his family
17:20rent a 240 acre farm
17:21rearing pedigree limousand bulls
17:23Martin's family have been farming here for five generations
17:25the focus of his business is to produce breeding bulls
17:27that he can sell for a profit at auction
17:30three years ago
17:32he made the best sale of his life
17:34selling one bull for thirty thousand pounds
17:38when it comes to bull sales and us making money
17:41one bull can make a difference between a good year and a bad year
17:44we'll sell a lot of bulls
17:46three, four, five thousand which are great
17:49but what we need is that one or two bulls a year
17:51that superstar bull to make good money
17:53just to keep things going fine
17:56what's tilling
18:00pull that gate this way
18:02today
18:03Martin and fiance Mel
18:05are also bringing in their herd of 168 cattle for the winter
18:13I think they're quite happy to be inside to be honest
18:16oh steady
18:20this is us going up for winter pretty much
18:23cows and calves
18:25heifers
18:27bulls
18:28in the bottom shed here
18:30tomorrow we'll bring in all the dry cows
18:32which is cows with no calves
18:34we'll just get into our winter routine
18:36and feed in the morning
18:38feed in the afternoon
18:39check them and
18:41that's it
18:42next seven, eight months
18:43this is it
18:44we find they're better to get them in early
18:46and keep the condition on them
18:48and they're easier maintained inside
18:50Martin can control what they eat
18:53how much they eat
18:54how much they eat
18:55if they're getting too fat
18:56you can slim them down
18:57or beef them up if you need to
19:04limousans are a large continental breed
19:06imported from France in the 70s
19:08because of the high quality of their meat
19:11they have become the most popular beef cattle in the country
19:17to nourish his precious herd through the winter
19:20Martin feeds them a special diet
19:22which costs him about 15 pounds a week per animal
19:26so what we've got here is the silage
19:28in the draught
19:29so this is what we feed the cows through the winter
19:31so this is the silage
19:32which is chopped up grass
19:33we'll harvest through the summertime
19:35put into a pit
19:37and what it is
19:38it's basically
19:39fermented
19:40fermented grass
19:41smells nice
19:42smells nice
19:43so we cut it in the summertime
19:44we store it in a pit
19:45and it feeds the cattle through the winter time
19:47so it's just your grass
19:48another feed we've got here is draught
19:50draught is pretty much the byproduct for your distilleries
19:54so this is part of your whisky
19:56whisky pretty much
19:58and all it is is barley
20:00it's been soaked and cooked
20:01and all the procedures are going to making whisky
20:04and this is the byproduct
20:05and we've got 20 distilleries in a 10 mile radius
20:09so plenty of opportunity of getting draught cheap
20:12which makes it a good feed for the cattle
20:14quite good for putting in condition
20:16and bloom onto cattle
20:21during the coming months
20:23the other crucial job will be bringing in the next generation
20:28carving on martin's farm happens in two blocks
20:31autumn and spring
20:33and he's just had this season's first delivery
20:37so we're just getting his tags
20:39every calf that is born
20:41anywhere has to be tagged
20:44double tagged
20:46so what's on here is
20:48his UK number which corresponds with his passport
20:52and we name every calf as well
20:55so the letter changes
20:56so this year it's J
20:57so we've decided to call this one JZ
20:59so now Martin's going to catch the cow
21:03yeah
21:04so she doesn't attack us
21:05but I don't think she would
21:06she's quite quiet
21:07yeah
21:08but you've always got to watch the freshly calved cows
21:10yeah
21:11so
21:12even your quietest cow
21:13when she coughs instinct kicks in
21:16if that calf had to make a funny noise
21:18instinct would kick in
21:19that cow could kill you pretty much
21:21so what we'll do is we'll cut the cow in the yolks
21:23so what'll happen
21:24we'll turn that
21:26she'll put her head in
21:28it locks
21:29and she can't get out
21:31so we'll tease her with a bit of feed
21:33lock
21:37lock
21:39that's her secure so she can't get us
21:41that's her safe
21:42and then we'll go in the pen
21:43cut your calf
21:44tag the calf
21:45and we're safe
21:46just watch the don't kick
21:48but I don't think it's going
21:50working with cattle can be dangerous
21:53in the UK
21:5556 out of the 74 people killed by cattle in the last 15 years
22:00have been farm workers
22:02this is the latest addition to Arnside
22:06Arnside JZ
22:08Arnside JZ
22:10we've got a big bottle of calves for the next two months
22:13and here's the start of it
22:14so it's a good start
22:16he's alive
22:17good calf
22:18so hopefully it'll be like this for the rest of the spell
22:20so cute
22:22he's actually not moving
22:24because he'll probably think we're a predator
22:26and we're going to eat him
22:28the thing we find
22:29the quicker you make contact with the calves
22:32like speak to them or touch them
22:34they get used to you
22:35so it's good to get that kind of connection
22:38that first connection with the calves
22:39quite young
22:40and they'll be quieter
22:41usually as they grow up
22:43first tug
22:44right lug
22:45does that hurt them?
22:46it's like an ear piercing
22:47so you'll see
22:48I'll show you it's lug
22:49you'll see it's ear here
22:50there's like three fingers
22:52like cartilage that come across the ear
22:54one, two, three
22:56and we're going to aim for this soft bit in the middle here
22:58just wait a minute
22:59just wait a minute
23:00just wait a minute
23:01just wait a minute
23:02just wait a minute
23:03just wait a minute
23:04Jay-Z is the first of this year's expected crop of 65 calves
23:12so there you go
23:17Jay-Z
23:19well that's him official now
23:22if they're lucky
23:26he might grow up to be Martin's next superstar bull
23:29and help boost the profits of the farm
23:32on Lewis the ewes are now grazing in the village
23:51so there's a brief respite from active sheep rearing duties
23:54for Sandy and Ali
23:56one has spoken to the other two
23:57I'll close the money
23:58I haven't put David in for ages
24:00David hasn't been in at all
24:02running a croft is an all-consuming business
24:05and there's always jobs to do
24:08while Ali gets on with the books
24:10Sandy embarks on a training session
24:12with the youngest of his four border collies Doyle
24:19now a year old
24:20he only made his working debut three weeks ago
24:24right
24:25we've got our braining gear
24:27we've got our braining gear
24:29okay heel
24:31and sit
24:33sit
24:34he's been working quite nicely on the hill
24:37sit
24:38so we're just coming down to the training paddock
24:41stay there
24:42just to improve his technique
24:44and
24:45heel
24:46to stop him
24:47thinking that he knows everything
24:49border collies originated in the borders
24:53between England and Scotland
24:55in the late 19th century
24:57to help shepherds herd their sheep
25:00across vast distances
25:02their temperament
25:04and hunting instinct
25:05makes them perfect for the job
25:08it's estimated that for every mile a shepherd walks
25:13his dog covers 15
25:15sit
25:16today
25:17Sandy's practicing the key commands collies need to learn
25:21to herd sheep
25:22come by then
25:23keep out
25:24come by
25:25come by
25:26come by
25:27come by
25:28come by
25:29come by means herd the sheep clockwise
25:32good boy
25:34away to me
25:36away to me
25:37away to me
25:38is the anti-clockwise command
25:40walk up door
25:43sit there
25:45renowned for their intelligence and sensitivity
25:50collies quickly learn instructions from their owner
25:53walk up
25:54walk up
25:55it's a very bad policy to say it
25:57only bad to the dog
25:58because it's always a shepherd's fault
26:00occasionally a high spirited collie will just pack up and go home
26:03if
26:04if his handler is badly behaved
26:06keep
26:07heel left
26:08come by
26:09come by
26:10sit there
26:11like Doyle
26:12Sandy's also a bit of a novice
26:14I've only had four dogs
26:15he's my fourth dog
26:17so
26:18I'm
26:19not such an experienced dog trainer
26:21and they've all been members of the same family
26:24the original bitches retired through ill health
26:29she was a very fine dog indeed
26:31we learnt everything
26:33that we know
26:34between the two of us
26:36he's very patient
26:38with the animals
26:39I tend to
26:40not to be quite so consistent as I should be
26:42so
26:43when I
26:44I know that there are rules that you should stick to
26:46but then
26:47when
26:48one of the dogs is doing something really sweet
26:49or
26:50break
26:51our rules
26:52he
26:53he's
26:54I think that's why he's really consistent
26:55he doesn't ever
26:56let them off just because they're looking so cute
27:00walk up
27:02walk up
27:03walk up
27:04walk up the door
27:05walk up
27:06training dogs and working the croft
27:10is a world away from Sandy and Ali's old life
27:13as London lawyers
27:14I'm always prepared to try something different
27:17in fact I
27:18I was probably a bit fed up with
27:20not with the work which I always enjoyed
27:22but I was probably a bit fed up with
27:24travelling to and from work
27:26get up and get on trains first thing in the morning
27:29wait at me
27:31wait at me
27:32I think being in Lewis has brought us closer together
27:36we
27:37we enjoy the same things
27:38we're working on the same things
27:39I think
27:40before we came
27:41there were some things we did together
27:43and some things we did separately
27:45and this is some
27:46yeah this is good
27:47we have the same
27:48goals
27:49and work away at them together
27:51all the time which is lovely
27:53come by
27:55come by
27:57so I think you have to make a change now and again
27:59if you've only got one life
28:02it's a shame to spend it
28:05the whole life
28:06doing only one thing
28:07come by
28:08ah the Doyle
28:10I think that's probably quite enough for him today
28:13he doesn't think it's all that interesting
28:15that's a boy
28:17on the mainland
28:31near Loch Lomond in central Scotland
28:34Bobby and Anne Lennox
28:36are halfway through their sheep work for the autumn
28:39they rent two hill farms
28:42stretching across 5,000 acres
28:44where they rear over 2,000 hardy black-faced sheep
28:56come on lambies let's go
28:57ho ho ho ho
28:59come on
29:00come on
29:01like many hill farmers
29:02come on
29:03they're sending some of their livestock away for the winter
29:05whoo ho ho ho ho ho
29:07but today
29:08the weather isn't helping
29:10it's pretty yucky today
29:12ever since mud
29:14with the rain
29:15ever since just mud
29:16it's like walking in treacle
29:17every year
29:20Bobby and Anne send their new lambs away to graze on a lowland farm
29:24try to see you again Anne
29:26and this season
29:27they're dispatching 900
29:29we haven't got good enough grass to keep them at home over the winter
29:41and it just gives these lambs a good start in their life
29:44getting a good first winter
29:46it means a stronger
29:47fitter sheep
29:48now seven months old
29:51the lambs need to fatten up
29:53some are females who will return for breeding next spring
29:57but the males will go for slaughter
30:00before any of them can leave the farm
30:04Bobby has to process them
30:0629
30:08by law the movement of every single animal must be recorded
30:12the lambs are also given worm medicine
30:15to prevent them spreading parasites to other farms
30:18well this is what we call a lightsaber
30:21but it's just an electronic tag reader
30:23the yellow tag has got an electronic chip on it in the lambs
30:27and this reads it and stores the number
30:30it's a lot of work
30:32so Bobby's hired in contract shepherd Derek to help
30:36the last number of years
30:39they've got all the regulations to do with tracing
30:42you know for animal welfare reasons
30:45health reasons
30:47and that sort
30:48basically so the government knows where every single animal is at any one time
30:53it's a paper trail nightmare
30:55we're a bit lively anyway at this age
31:02this is one of the last flocks to go
31:04and Bobby and Ann are itching to get the whole job done
31:08because at the end of the week
31:10they're heading off on their annual holiday
31:14I'll be quite glad when we leave here on Sunday
31:17and go to Tenerife
31:18it'll be quite nice to get off the plane
31:20and the heat just hits you
31:22and if it's not I'll be very upset
31:28we know we're going to get another six months like this
31:30till the spring comes again
31:32a breakaway sets you up
31:35nicely for the winter
31:36and recharges the batteries
31:40and my doctors recommended a bottle of wine for me
31:43I got a jag in my shoulder
31:45I've got a sore shoulder
31:46so I got a jag in my shoulder yesterday
31:47so he recommended a bottle of wine
31:49aday
31:51bobby
31:55but before they get carried away
31:57bobby's got to deliver this batch of lambs himself
32:04the flocks winter home is only a 20 minute drive away
32:07in the lowlands by the river Clyde
32:09they're less exposed here
32:11and with less stress to deal with
32:13they'll grow better
32:14definitely not Tenerife
32:16but in the middle of winter
32:17it will feel like Tenerife compared to where we are
32:22it costs bobby 50 pence per animal per week to winter them away
32:33this is totally strange to them
32:35it doesn't seem to upset them too much
32:37but it's cheaper than buying in their food
32:41and keeping them on the farm
32:43another truth of jays
32:46we'll have everything all sorted out
32:48and away
32:49then we can get away
32:50and we'll just switch off
32:51and have a good break
32:52and the rooster's up ready for the winter
32:54further west
33:08where you want to go with it
33:10Sybil and George are still in the process of dispatching their cattle to their winter grazing
33:15we're just going to leave this in
33:18and today they're dealing with the special cases
33:22they're moving six young calves to a lowland farm near Dundee
33:36come on ladies
33:37on you go
33:40only two months old
33:42they're too young to be weaned
33:44and will be reunited with their mothers at the farm
33:50steady yourselves
33:52steady yourselves
33:54but apart for the first time
33:56they're all a bit jittery
33:58you're a hot old monkey
34:00it's a bit sore
34:02that was rather painful
34:04they might be young
34:08but a kick from a calf can still do some damage
34:10oh you wee monkey
34:12you alright?
34:14well yes
34:16I am
34:18do right
34:20I've had a kick for ages
34:25I wasn't expecting it
34:27in fact
34:28both of us worked
34:29where did you get you?
34:30just here
34:31both of us worked
34:33both of us worked at the
34:37at the suckle calf sale in Domali for UA to help them with their cattle
34:40and there'd be what
34:41I don't know
34:421200 calves through the market that day
34:44neither of us got a kick
34:45and you go to two little animals
34:47we squirts here
34:49and get a kick like that
34:50it was quite
34:51quite unpleasant
34:52before she married George
34:54Sybil ran the farm on her own for 22 years
34:57and has fine-tuned the art of being tough
34:59it's one of the things I think I've found all through my life being a woman in this job
35:05that people always imagine
35:07that you're not going to be up to either physically or mentally
35:10I think nowadays things are a wee bit
35:13you know women are more accepted into agriculture
35:17but certainly you know 30-40 years ago
35:20especially in this part of the world
35:22this type of farming
35:23it was very much a man's world
35:26and I suppose because I've
35:29you know worked outside
35:30and done the physical things all my life
35:32I'm probably fairly lucky
35:33in that I am quite strong
35:35and built like
35:37built like
35:39right
35:40it's part of Sybil
35:42that I do admire in so many ways
35:44is her determination
35:46and depth of strength
35:48I'm a softer person by miles than her
35:51in nature
35:52and she's helped me develop into a better person
35:55I admire her as a farmer
35:57and I think it's amazing
35:58what she's trying to do here
36:00I don't know if it helps
36:01since I've joined the forces or not
36:03I just think this is more stable
36:06Today there's another tricky case
36:09that needs to be dealt with
36:11one of her continental crossbreeds
36:14has just given birth in a field nearby
36:20it's a cow that's calved last night
36:22and we're quite keen to get her in
36:24out of the
36:26out of the weather
36:28it's a bit of a nuisance
36:29she's calving kind of out of sync with everybody
36:31but er
36:33so we need to make a
36:35just a temporary
36:36pen for her at the moat just now
36:38right
36:40that's looking pretty good
36:46do not jump the fence
36:48George and Sybil must approach new mum Ghost with extreme care
36:53with a calf so young
36:56she may get aggressive
36:58come on ghost
36:59he went for me
37:00she went for you
37:01he went for me
37:02he did
37:03on you go girl
37:04just watch
37:05he's kinda tired
37:07as very young calves are not used to being handled
37:11they also need to be treated with caution
37:15come on wee guy
37:18just watch yourself
37:21one in five farm workers killed by cattle in the UK
37:25are by cows that have recently carved
37:27in you go girl
37:32good lass
37:33smashing
37:34absolutely smashing
37:36the thing that I always find with the sheep physically
37:40you can overpower them
37:42you can do whatever
37:43I want her to take some cake
37:45come on ghost
37:46she's called ghost because of her colour
37:49her pal's called spook
37:51but with the cattle if they decide they want to do something
37:55well they do it
37:56good girl
37:57and erm
37:58you've got to appeal to their better nature to play ball
38:00good girl
38:01good girl
38:02good girl
38:03good girl
38:04were you waiting for me when I stood him up like
38:07did you?
38:08look at you monkey
38:09good girl
38:10it's a naughty little calf you've got
38:13he's really beauty
38:14he is a topper
38:15isn't he?
38:16ghost
38:17ghost is pacified
38:19cattle cake
38:20has done the trick
38:23hello
38:26ghost's calf is too young to travel
38:29so they'll stay together on the farm to be taken care of by Sybil and George through the winter
38:34he's quite cheery isn't he?
38:36quite amazing really to think that this time yesterday it was tucked up inside there
38:41and now it's out and running about
38:44end up on somebody's dinner plate one day
38:46don't speak like that
38:48he's a pretty wee son
38:56good girl
38:57ooh
38:59ooh
39:11on the isle of Lewis
39:12Sandy's also working his way through his autumn to-do list
39:18ok ready?
39:23today a high tide is predicted
39:25so he's seizing the chance to get his boat into the water
39:29he's roped in local Callum to help
39:38she was coming quite nicely there
39:40she was coming quite nicely there wasn't she?
39:45we used it to take sheep out to the islands and back
39:52the boat can hold up to 30 sheep
39:54and will be used to transport a flock to a nearby island for their winter grazing
40:01if they can get it into the sea unscathed
40:05ok? on you go
40:07she's pretty tough
40:09you can bounce off anything
40:11very heavy though
40:13about three tons
40:17it's not the easiest object to manoeuvre without a trailer
40:20especially down a 45 degree ramp
40:23only a scratch I hope
40:24I wanted to get it down a bit further but that'll have to do
40:41he now has to wait for the tide to come in
40:43for the boat to float
40:44as Sandy won't have another spare day for a while
40:48he's hell-bent on sticking to his schedule
40:51about four hours to the full tide
40:53so I'll come down
40:56I'll come down and look at her in two hours or so
41:00and see how near floating she is
41:02Sandy's back to finish the job
41:09now he plans to motor the boat out into the bay
41:13and moor up
41:15all he needs to do is start the engine
41:17well that's a usage
41:32but before he can fix the engine
41:35he needs to secure the boat
41:38it's quite heavy work putting down these big anchors
41:42many people would think that it doesn't look very pleasurable
41:45but there's a lot of joy in it
41:49it's a fine thing to be
41:51testing yourself against that hard physical challenge
41:55and this task is proving to be especially challenging
42:04no, we're not holding
42:07Sandy's run out of options
42:09that's interesting
42:32four hours later
42:33he's back where he started
42:37he'll have to fix the engine
42:43and try again another day
42:45he'll have to fix the engine
42:47and try again another day
42:48while the rest of the farmers get on with their normal routine
43:03one lucky family is taking a complete break from theirs
43:06sheep farmers Bobby and Anne
43:10are off to the Canary Islands
43:12Are we going to go on a plane?
43:14Yay!
43:16I love going on holiday
43:18it's just so nice to drive down that road
43:23and we're away
43:27With their grandchildren
43:28daughter Jill
43:29and twins Alan and Kay
43:31they holiday in Tenerife
43:33where they've been going for the last 15 years
43:36it's a great chance just to relax
43:39go out of one or two meals out
43:42and just have a nice easy lazy time
43:45I like having the family around
43:48great in the swimming pool and going to the beach
43:51and a very good night for Alan and Kay's 30th birthday party
44:05Hooray!
44:07Hooray!
44:0812 days later
44:21they're back
44:23at their Loch Lomond farm
44:26and back to the autumn routine
44:30Shifty shifty
44:32there you at
44:34I miss my morning swim
44:35I miss the heat of the sun.
44:39By the time it gets to the end of the holiday,
44:42it's nice to get back, but...
44:45..it's also nice just lying about doing not a lot.
44:49But there's no chance of a lazy day.
44:55Having sent their lambs to winter grazing,
44:57their big job over the next fortnight
44:59is to bring in their entire flock of 1,500 ewes from the hills.
45:05For the start of the tupping season.
45:09Today, the plan is to gather 200 of them
45:12scattered across 500 acres of hillside.
45:16Working on his trial bike,
45:1960-year-old Bobby is covering the low ground
45:21and will drive the sheep towards Anne.
45:25Anywhere a sheep can walk, we can get a two-wheel bike, basically.
45:28So that allows us to do a lot more work.
45:32We can gather much bigger areas of the hill
45:34because of the bike.
45:42But 62-year-old Anne has drawn the short straw.
45:47She's covering the middle ground on foot.
45:49I need oxygen.
45:53I would like a wee bit of oxygen.
45:55I mean, I've just lain about for the past fortnight,
45:57not done much, you know.
45:59The strongest thing I've lifted was a glass of wine, you know.
46:04Anyway, let's go.
46:06Come on, down by, down.
46:07While traversing up the 45-degree gradient,
46:12Anne's job is to try and gather all the sheep that Bobby sends her way
46:16and wrangle Collie Jim into sending them towards the farm.
46:21Come to hell!
46:23Jim!
46:24Come by, come by!
46:27Oh, bugger!
46:29Jim!
46:30Come by!
46:32Jim, away!
46:35Away, away!
46:37She's trying to get Jim to turn the flock in the opposite direction.
46:41But after the holiday, everyone's a little rusty.
46:46Lie down.
46:46Just lie down there.
46:49Come by!
46:52He wants to work sheep.
46:56He hasn't worked sheep for three weeks
46:58and he just is desperate to work sheep
47:00and he's just not listening.
47:02It's I don't maybe give him the right command at the right time.
47:11That's also the problem.
47:13Right.
47:15Come by, Jim!
47:16Come by!
47:17Come by!
47:19Hello!
47:21Jim!
47:22Jim, come by!
47:23Come by!
47:24At last, Jim manages to turn the flock.
47:27Good dog, now.
47:28Lie down!
47:28But now Anne has to catch up.
47:34Right, just you concentrate.
47:37Concentrate.
47:39On a typical gather,
47:41Anne can easily cover eight miles.
47:43Jim, come by!
47:45As long as we keep going.
47:49To keep the sheep moving towards the farm,
47:52Anne now needs Bobby's backup.
47:54I'm in the top of the ridge
47:59where I met up with you the last time, Bobby.
48:03Over.
48:04Since then.
48:08There's Bobby coming.
48:10Come here, boy.
48:11Come on.
48:16Hello, dear.
48:18All right.
48:19Knackered.
48:19It's hard, but this tussocks is very hard to ride on.
48:25If you head for just that other cut,
48:26and I should get these to start running down.
48:28Right, OK.
48:29OK.
48:30We'll walk on to get them to make sure they go down, then.
48:32Right?
48:33OK?
48:34OK, OK.
48:35With Bobby on the sheep's tail,
48:38the pressure's off,
48:39and Anne can head home at a reasonable pace.
48:44Sheep are going in the right direction.
48:46I don't seem to have lost any,
48:47so that's a good day.
48:48Sunshine's shining over there.
48:54I like the outdoors,
48:56and I deal at this, but it's nice.
48:57It's dry.
48:59It's a pleasure being out here
49:00once I've got up the steep bit.
49:08It's taken three hours' hard graft,
49:10but all 200 sheep are now in.
49:16Successful, that.
49:17You know some days you go out,
49:18and you know there's some got a way on you,
49:21and there are other some days you're not sure
49:23whether there's some got a way or not,
49:26and that's more frustrating.
49:28But no, I think we've got them all.
49:29This is only the first flock,
49:32and they'll have to keep going out every day
49:36until they bring in all 1,500 ewes.
49:39I'll just have to help Bobby and Derek tomorrow.
49:42We'll go gather the wood,
49:43and, yeah, we'll just sort them out.
49:46Do as I'm told, as always.
49:47Make the tea for tonight.
49:49Make your tea.
49:50All right, that'll be interesting.
49:52He's getting macaroni and cheese.
49:56Last night's leftovers.
49:58In Stirling, central Scotland,
50:12bull breeder Martin and fiancé Mel
50:14have made the 150-mile journey from their farm
50:18to take part in a prestigious show for beef calves
50:21called Stars of the Future.
50:24An annual event,
50:26it's like a beauty pageant for calves
50:28aged between 5 and 16 months
50:30and showcases upcoming talent across Scotland
50:33to prospective future buyers.
50:36Today, over 400 calves from 8 different breeds,
50:42including Beef Shorthorn, Hereford and Highland,
50:46will all take part.
50:48The most impressive in each class
50:50will be awarded a rosette.
50:56Martin and Mel have entered
50:57two 11-month-old limousine bull calves,
51:00injector and informer,
51:02that they hope will be
51:04their next top-earning superstars.
51:06These bulls will be bulls
51:08that I bring on for next year at sales,
51:10and if someone's here and sees this bull here
51:13and he wins his class
51:14and he does well in his class,
51:16they kind of plant a seed in his head.
51:18So a lot of people will watch for young bulls here
51:20and follow them right through
51:21when they sell them next year.
51:24It's good advertising for the farm and the herd,
51:27but we enjoy it.
51:28It's competition,
51:29and I like competition.
51:31Competition is good and healthy,
51:32and we're definitely in it to win it.
51:34We're not here to mess them out.
51:35A top prize for Martin today
51:40is the Senior Male Championship
51:42in the limousine rounds.
51:44The winner will receive widespread publicity
51:46in the Breeding Society press,
51:49a golden opportunity to increase their price tag
51:51at auction in a few months' time,
51:53when they'll be sold at their reproductive prime.
51:56I'm just doing their tails,
52:02and what we do is we just backcomb it,
52:04like all the girls do,
52:05to give it a bit of volume.
52:07It's basically just like a girl putting on make-up
52:09and blow-drying their hair,
52:12making everyone look pretty.
52:19Using their magic box of tricks,
52:21they're indulging in some creative window dressing
52:24to show off their bulls to their best effect.
52:27This is a really, really strong gel,
52:30and spray that on,
52:33comb it up,
52:34and it sets really good.
52:37We call it spray glue,
52:38but it's pretty much as strong as glue.
52:40It's pretty good stuff.
52:43Now, for all the short hairs on our legs,
52:45it's just great at pulling it all up.
52:49There you go.
52:50It looks apart now.
52:52It's Informa and Injecta's first show,
52:55so they need a bit of encouragement.
52:58Come on.
53:00I'll call it a little bugger.
53:03No.
53:06But Martin and Mel
53:07can't control everything.
53:18Okay, Martin, let's go.
53:20Chef.
53:21It's just a different surrounding for them,
53:22so different noises, smells,
53:24and as long as it's not me getting drugged,
53:27I think it'll be all right.
53:29No Mel, she, but I don't know.
53:30But it happens to the best of us.
53:32Time to step the unruly Bulls into the ring for the first round.
53:37They're up against two other limousands of the same age.
53:41So, peace.
53:42I'm small, but I'm spicy.
53:47Martin leads Informa,
53:49and Mel is with Injecta.
53:52The winner in this round will qualify for the next,
53:55the senior male championship title.
53:59But badly behaved Bulls will be asked to leave the ring
54:02and disqualified.
54:06Oi!
54:13Good morning.
54:14Good morning.
54:15To try and keep Injecta calm,
54:18Mel tickles his stomach with a stick
54:20and also uses it to position his feet in line
54:23with the four corners of his body
54:25to make the most of his big frame.
54:29And kicking the judge isn't likely to help their cause.
54:38Informa wins first prize
54:40and is through to the big competition.
54:43Naughty Injecta comes second to last.
54:47Didn't like my baby boy.
54:48Now Martin's in with a shot at the title.
54:59Winning here would help lay the groundwork
55:01for the spring sales
55:02and make up for their dismal performance
55:04at last month's auction
55:06when Martin failed to sell three of his four bulls.
55:113,800, 3,800, 3,800, 3,800.
55:17Very sorry, I'm up to date.
55:18I'm up to date.
55:19I'm up to date.
55:20That's just depressing, that really.
55:21Isn't it?
55:25Not enough.
55:26But we'll go try the next three.
55:27I'm really looking very excited for us really.
55:28Hard work.
55:29Really hard work.
55:304,500, 4,500.
55:31And the old one now.
55:324,500.
55:33You can see there's no atmosphere.
55:34There's no buzz.
55:35It's hard work.
55:36Really hard work.
55:37There's a bull we should have been selling for 6,000 easy.
55:38It's unsold.
55:39It's pretty sad look.
55:40At stars of the future, Martin's about to step into the ring for the big competition.
55:57Failing's my biggest fear.
55:58They got a real hiding in October.
55:59The bull sales.
56:00It wasn't our fault.
56:01It was too many bulls.
56:02Not enough buyers.
56:03And we were the tail end of it.
56:04So February needs to be good.
56:05Informers, the youngest and smallest of the four limousine finalists.
56:10Two prizes will be awarded.
56:11First and runner-up, known as reserve.
56:12He looks good standing there.
56:13It's a pretty wee boy.
56:14Either would put Martin in a strong position at the spring sales.
56:43Hey!
56:44We've now got a reserve senior mail.
56:45So yeah, that's good.
56:46Didn't expect that.
56:47Happy days.
56:48Informer has come second.
56:49A good result for Martin.
56:50Yay!
56:51Yay!
56:52Yay!
56:53Yay!
56:54Yay!
56:55Yay!
56:56Yay!
56:57Yay!
56:58Yay!
56:59Yay!
57:00Yay!
57:01Yay!
57:02Yay!
57:04Yay!
57:05Yay!
57:06Yay!
57:07Yay!
57:08Yay!
57:09Yay!
57:10Yay!
57:11Yay!
57:12Yay!
57:13Yay!
57:14Yay!
57:15Yay!
57:16Yay!
57:17Yay!
57:18What?
57:19Fair chapter that.
57:20Again, he's given away five months compared to the one that got it chomping, you know.
57:25It's a wee star.
57:26Like, his star is just beautiful.
57:28Yay!
57:29Yay!
57:30The prospects for the spring sales are looking good.
57:35Another one to the wall.
57:36Yay!
57:37Yay!
57:38Yay!
57:39Yay!
57:40Yay!
57:41Yay!
57:42Yay!
57:43Yay!
57:44Yay!
57:45Yay!
57:46Yay!
57:47Yay!
57:48Yay!
57:49Yay!
57:50Yay!
57:51Yay!
57:52Yay!
57:53Yay!
57:54hits lewis pretty group pretty group i'm probably gonna get worse yet
58:02at one of scotland's top livestock auctions love is in the air for sybil i love the back
58:08of his head i like the colors and the hair on his face and he's got a really good waterproof coat
58:13just like him and in the irvine's carving shed there's a desperate struggle to save a life
58:24in a new series over on bbc one alex jones and steph mcgovern open your eyes to a smarter way
58:38to spend and shop well for less improving tiny and big homes size really does matter on bbc
58:45two's 100k house tricks of the trade with pierce taylor next
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