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Documentary, This Farming Life S01E08 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 #Britain
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 #Britain
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AnimalsTranscript
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, is it?
00:10Scotland's farmers carve a living.
00:14Everything, a time and a season, nature doesn't stop.
00:18Breeding sheep and cattle.
00:20There's a lot of old friends here. They've come to the end of their working life.
00:23Quite a sad day.
00:25Come on.
00:26Square second.
00:27Bringing new life into the world.
00:29And battling with the elements.
00:33They're all cute in their own way.
00:36And especially if you end up on your plate as a lamb chop, yum.
00:40Over a year, five very different families let cameras onto their farms.
00:47Hell of a size of nuts on them.
00:49And into their lives.
00:51To share their struggles.
00:53I don't know why you want the flower with us.
00:55Do you need to do this?
00:56And their triumphs.
00:58Look at my baby.
00:59He's alive.
01:01As they try and turn a profit in testing economic times.
01:05That's just depressing, 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.
01:18But it's never dull.
01:20Don't let him go.
01:22It's not a job. It's a way of life.
01:24It's spring in Scotland.
01:39Bringing welcome signs of growth.
01:43And there's new life on the farms.
01:45As lambing and calving gets underway.
01:50In the north of Scotland, near Inverness, large-scale farmer John Scott runs a successful business with over 4,000 acres and 4,000 sheep.
02:02As a farmer being out and about every day, you're always looking for the first signs of spring.
02:12There are signs and there are smells.
02:14It's a great time of year.
02:15That's when the farm looks its best.
02:17Everything's growing and the crops are through the ground.
02:20But I suppose, for us as sheep farmers, the real sign of spring is lambing.
02:30Lambing here is on an industrial scale.
02:33And John's huge barns are now full of pregnant ewes.
02:38Up to 300 lambs will be born here every day.
02:49It's a hectic time.
02:51Two months of round-the-clock lambing.
02:54So John brings in extra staff.
02:57Emma from New Zealand is studying agriculture in England.
03:01She's a farmer's daughter, so is well practiced at handling sheep.
03:06I grew up on a sheep and beef farm, so I've been around sheep my whole life.
03:11And I've always wanted to come to the UK to do a lambing indoors because it's totally different to what we do.
03:18And here I am for two months over lambing.
03:23Emma's well versed in the signs of a ewe in labour.
03:27You're looking for ones that are panting and getting up and down and sort of like walking around like that,
03:35but the obvious sign is the water bag hanging out.
03:42The ewes carrying just one lamb are marked with a blue dot.
03:46One in particular is giving Emma cause for concern.
03:50Yeah, she's been lambing for probably since before I got here, so at least two hours.
03:57So I just want to stick my hand in and have a feel to see if the lamb is sitting in the right position.
04:05The perfect position for a lamb to be born is feet forwards with head resting in between.
04:12If it's not in the right position we've got to help her, but this lamb is in the right position.
04:17And it's just about there, so we'll give it a little help.
04:30It's quite a big lamb, so even though it's in the right position and it's just about out, we'll just give her a little help.
04:40She does have...oh, she's just got one.
04:46Normally if they're a single they are quite big, so they sometimes often need a little helping hand.
04:59Another tug and at last it's out.
05:02There we go.
05:03And it's alive, yay!
05:11Good lambie.
05:19It's a textbook delivery.
05:24It's good, I've learnt a lot cause it's just totally different to anything I've ever done.
05:29The principles are still the same, you know, looking after the sheep and stuff, but it's a lot more hands-on, quite intensive.
05:38But it's good, it's good learning.
05:46After three days, the lambs are strong enough to be turned out into the fields.
05:51They're marked with the same numbers as their mothers, so John can make sure each ewe is taking care of her lambs.
06:00That's quite satisfying seeing them out to grass.
06:10Quite often if you get something that's maybe not 100% or struggling a little bit, if you get it out to grass and they just improve, they just take off then, they're fine, delighted with it.
06:20Yeah, we'll go and get some more.
06:22In the west of Scotland, hill farmers Sibyl and George Macpherson are also welcoming the change in the season.
06:26We've been waiting and waiting and waiting and waiting for a few years to come and see it.
06:29In the west of Scotland, hill farmers Sibyl and George Macpherson are also welcoming the change in the seasons.
06:47farmers Sybil and George McPherson are also welcoming the change in the seasons.
06:53We've been waiting and waiting and waiting for spring to come and today we
06:58had the first curlew which is a big lift it's about 10 days late I think but the
07:02noise of a curlew on a spring morning is just music to my ears I just love it. So
07:08many signs that we look out for every year it may seem totally daft but they're
07:12big tick-offs in our springtime diary the bumblebee the first frog spawn we
07:17actually never ever change our own timepieces they set and so next week
07:21we'll be at the right time again neither of us wait a watch and the
07:24darkness tells you when it's time to go home because winter lasts longer here
07:32Sybil and George's lambing is yet to begin their ewes are tupped later to ensure
07:40their lambs are born when the weather is kinder quite amazes me to see how many
07:44people are already alarming to in the sheep world it's just shows you the
07:48complete difference in the different types of of sheep farming and within
07:53Scotland while lambing is yet to start carving happens all year round
08:04the heifer we call eccentric had her first calf last night and she couldn't
08:08have picked a worse night with wind and rain but there she has it with her just
08:14sitting below her and she had it no bother herself which is a relief
08:19eccentric was named after her previous owner not her behavior but Sybil's being
08:25cautious protective heifers with young calves can be unpredictable you're all
08:32right girl I do not wish to be attacked the quietest of cows the day after calves
08:38can be quite a fearsome beast just the maternal instincts and I don't think
08:42people understand that that when you're going into a field with with cows with
08:46newly born calves that you are taking your life in your hand because they want to
08:50protect their calves and they see anything as a big threat and they will chase
08:53them and despite the fact that cows look big cumbersome animals they can run
08:56extremely fast much faster than I can he looks a wee bit cold and shivery but I'm
09:03sure in no time he'll be up like he's good girl good girl we always like to name
09:13the calves so that we remember who they are and today's calf where is he
09:22come on Rosie oh there he is the newborn calf that's Mr Muscardini you can see just how
09:32quickly they get to their feet and start to grow he'll soon catch up with the other two
09:37you can just check that his tummy feels quite full so and her udder looks sucked so we try not to
09:46interfere with them
09:48you're a very clever girl eccentric I never cease to to be amazed just how wonderful nature is that
09:57this small newborn thing pops out and and gets its feet almost immediately and then the instinct to find
10:03the udder and get that first bite or suck of of colostrum first milk it's just amazing how they how animals know
10:18on Lewis in the outer Hebrides 30 miles off the west coast of Scotland spring is also yet to arrive
10:26ex barrister turned crofter Sandy Granville left London 12 years ago he's bracing himself for
10:36another storm and has learned to read the weather well well it's quite wild really uh yeah i suppose this
10:43is uh well i suppose it it's kind of force-8ish pretty wild sandy keeps livestock that can also handle a gale
10:56they're hardy breeds that live outdoors all year round feeding the cattle here doesn't mean just walking
11:03across the yard it means uh taking a taking a bale up a upper steep hill in in all sorts of weather
11:16today is sandy's birthday wife ali is planning a breakfast celebration i don't think we're gonna
11:29do anything very special because the weather's just so awful but um but we've got um i've got a birthday
11:34cake and um so we'll have that after breakfast so that'll be nice and some presents and things so
11:40that's that that's i like birthdays first she must also brave the weather to feed their one-year-old
11:47blackface lands it's a difficult time for young ones it's been an awful winter this is the worst winter
11:59for them it's just the wind and the rain have never stopped um and there's nothing to eat and they've
12:05been constantly wet but um so far these have survived
12:17two of their herd of 12 highland cattle kirstie and morag are due to give birth soon
12:24a quick check to see how full their udders are indicates how far off carving will be
12:29nothing happened today the animal's fed it's a fast retreat indoors
12:41here we're three i'm not going to sing to you today oh you've got to sing i don't think so okay ready
12:49oh look at that 61 it's an upgrade 61 i'll just cut out that one
13:03happy birthday
13:12just hope the cattle don't have any
13:15foolishly young calves today it's a that's a bit tough being born on a day like this isn't it
13:33at the scots on the mainland student emma has spotted another ewe in trouble
13:39this ewe's been in labor for nearly two hours
13:43if left any longer both she and her lambs could suffer emma decides to intervene
13:50she relies on feel alone
13:53she's having triplets so there's not a lot of room in there
13:58carrying three lambs significantly increases the chances of a difficult birth
14:03the triplets and the mother at risk a safe delivery is now in emma's hands
14:08they do have a lower chance of survival but that's why we scan them so we know that a
14:15ewe's going to have triplets and then we can take extra care to ensure that they'll
14:20have a good chance of survival and we don't break the umbilical cord until we have the lamb breathing just
14:26to give it a bit of extra energy from its mother
14:34the lamb is helped along with some recently acquired local knowledge
14:40it's a little trick i've learned off the scottish is you just
14:43stick a little bit of straw up its nose it helps clear the airways and
14:47wakes it up a bit
14:48the second lamb needs more of a helping hand
14:57emma pats its chest to try and get any fluid out of its lungs
15:02and then it starts to breathe
15:04so these are pretty good sized triplets they're quite large lambs for triplets
15:14the third is in trouble it's in the wrong position
15:19so this land's kind of upside down because its siblings are kind of it was taken up onto the room
15:25so just have to turn it around a bit
15:28the ewes now been in labor for over two hours
15:33it's a crucial time the longer the lamb now stays inside the more chance it could get stressed and die
15:45he's always going to be decent yeah you try and keep them to a minimum
15:50this one's a bit more difficult these are pedigree sheep so we've got to be quite careful with them
16:01because we want them to carry on breeding for a while so you don't want to do too much poking and prodding
16:11it's got its front feet forward in the right way because i've pulled them it was a bit
16:15upside down so i've just turned it around a bit to get it more streamlined to come out and i'm just
16:22finding where the head is
16:29i think what was that sunny
16:42there it is did have it right now she must get the lamb breathing
16:47you had a bit of a rough time in there didn't you mate
16:58come on emmy
17:01emma's newly learned trick with the straw helps it along
17:07it's been a real test but she's delivered all three lambs safely
17:11i love having alive lambs like it's the best feeling when you pull one out and it just takes
17:18that first breath like yes success
17:25as the smallest and weakest of the three this lamb's survival chances are not hurry
17:31the next few hours will be critical
17:41in the northeast of scotland near aberdeen pedigree cattle breeder martin ervin
17:53and his father stevie are preparing for their main carving season
17:59we start coughing in about three weeks the first day first week to the second week of march start
18:05coughing again this girl's here it's gonna be quite exciting because it's the first cast off the new
18:10stock ball irish spring is a busy time of year with the majority of their calves due over the next two months
18:19as carving can happen anytime day or night martin and stevie are on call 24 hours a day
18:27martin's hoping a new bit of kit will put an end to their sleepless nights
18:32technology and farming's changed a lot in this last
18:36five ten years this last couple of years this can be with this new coughing aid and what it is
18:42um i've got a cow here i have here due to coughing two weeks i put this probe inside her
18:48and i'll get a text message prior to coughing saying the temperatures dropped in the cow
18:53coughing the next 48 hours so you'll know to look at that cow really hard
18:58the idea of it is a bit far-fetched but everybody we speak to say it's working really well
19:04so i'm keen as beans to get my hands on it so
19:07martin's dad stevie is less convinced
19:10it's still just a bit of machine with a battery so
19:14battery microflot i don't know they trust them but we might give them a boss yet
19:19so i can get my beauty sleep
19:26today salesman john mayer has come to demonstrate the new kit
19:30so these are your coughing probes the probes then communicate with this
19:35radio base up here so that box is placed anywhere in the shed it communicates with the sensors
19:41within a 200 meters radius it can be used both outdoors and indoors as the system is battery
19:47operated so you fold up the probe very easily hold up like that and you have your applicator put them
19:53into the cow so put it into the applicator and that's it so you have your bit of lube put a bit
20:00of lube on the applicator and going through the vulva of the cow so nice and easily in through the vulva
20:04of the cow and you're going as far as the cervix so you can't actually go in any further than you
20:09when you get as far as the cervix you then hold your chest then as a lever against the applicator
20:14because we want to pull back the sleeve so we pull back the sleeve that means we release the probe
20:20then exactly where we want to inside the animal put your chest against the applicator pull back the
20:28sleeve that's here then so that that that's her inserted now each probe is numbered so martin can
20:37match its unique signal to the individual cow okay just got to remember what probes and which
20:43scouts are uh hot tootty one two zero yeah martin's turn next
20:56yeah a lot easier with the keys right dad your time your time come on let me show you i'll just
21:03leave him up to date it says gimmick come on dad no no go on the probe's in place the new kit is
21:18now up and running but it remains to be seen if the text system works
21:23further north at the scots emma's little triplet is not progressing well
21:39it's over an hour since he was born and he's still not fed from his mother
21:47emma decides to intervene and discovers a problem
21:50the ewe isn't producing any milk there's just a bit of a delay in her milk coming just because
21:57of the you know the stress of lambing they just kind of need a breather
22:05but this first rich milk colostrum could take several days to come through
22:11so to give her triplet the best chance of surviving emma has a plan
22:14we're just going to top them up with some colostrum from another year just to keep them
22:22going energy wise until her milk drops
22:29if the triplet is too weak to suck he will have to be fed with a tube
22:33a couple of attempts and he latches straight on
22:42i love it when they're like this it's just nice and they're good and strong and they suck
22:48it's so frustrating when you're trying to save a lamb and it won't suck
22:51the other two triplets are keen to get their share too
23:02i'm so happy so happy that these are all good
23:05look at this cheeky one he wants more look at my little pets
23:17had a pretty successful day today i think these being the highlight you know i land these this
23:23morning and i was a bit worried about one of them and now i can't even tell which one i was
23:28worried about because they're all just look at them they're climbing all over me and great i'm very
23:34happy with them well done i just wish they stayed this size they're so cool
23:51at the irvins family farm martin is taking advantage of the warmer weather
23:56to get out into the fields it's several weeks since the carving probes were fitted
24:02and his cows are due any day he's relying on the new text message system to alert him
24:08when a calf is on the way dad he criticized it at the start saying no it's
24:12no this day i trust it but more calves will have more times it works more we trust it
24:20i've seen us before i'm busy sewing dad he's busy doing something else you're not paying attention
24:26get home properly i think it should be all right i'll check it in half an hour come back in half an
24:30hour he's got a dead calf so with this system here it's just an early warning system there's something
24:37coughing go home check it
24:47martin is using the opportunity to plant out barley to feed his cows while the weather is dry
24:52the weather's kind of picked up we've put some temperatures up at 15 18 20 degrees and you can
24:58see this the last two weeks the whole valley has just changed grass has started to green up it's maybe
25:02not growing it's definitely greened up things are starting to look promising it doesn't matter what
25:10you're doing nothing nicer than the sun on your back feeling that warmth of the sun
25:13a few hours later no texts have arrived and martin decides to take a break
25:22fancy pieces
25:24juice
25:27a bit of health
25:28it's a nice day now i think rain stop winds got up sun's trying to commute
25:35not seeing my dad for oily so i imagine he'll be up at the sheep
25:39i'll go up at lunch time with him yeah tell him that okay okay bye
25:50at the scots family farm lambing shows no sign of slowing down john's team are on shift seven days a
25:57week it's been a successful season so far with the delivery of hundreds of healthy lambs
26:05but every year john can lose over 15 percent of his lamb crop
26:12this morning there's one you whose progress john is particularly worried about
26:19ron so these lands are rotten most likely dead don't know why one of these things
26:27this isn't gonna smell very good um but um all we gotta do now is get them out of there um
26:42because it's bad for you to have them in there obviously if a lamb dies inside the womb it can
26:48cause a fatal infection for the mother so john must act quickly
26:51the problem is if the belly is swollen behind it i won't get this out here
27:05john's suspicion is confirmed unfortunately the first lamb is dead
27:10this lamb's alive
27:22i think i won't be alive but
27:28never ceases to amaze you but how this lamb can be in there next to that rotten lamb
27:32and it's well it's alive at the moment so sometimes a live lamb in a situation like this will give the
27:40give the you the encouragement she needs to um you know get up and try and live
27:51there's an outside chance that this lamb might live
27:54it's not a great result having dead lambs but on the plus side you've got one line one and that's
28:04what keeps you going that's what um you know gives you a bit of a boost hopefully that lamb will
28:11make it yeah it just gives you a bit of a lift that lamb will make it and you come out tomorrow
28:15morning your neck's up and sucking that's what keeps you going
28:24martin's been out planting barley two days in a row he's been relying on his new text alert system
28:31to warn him of any imminent carvings back at the farm but so far no messages have come through
28:38he's in a reflective mood if i wasn't a farmer i have no idea what i'd be doing
28:45i'm quite uh might not be rich i might be skid most of the time but i'm really happy at what i do
28:54that's the most important thing to me look
29:06oh the final stretch another 50 yards that's just finished
29:10there's news from the farm the text reports that a probe has come out of one of the cows
29:20which means a carving could be imminent
29:25stevie's also received a message and is at the cattle shed ahead of martin
29:29she's good i saw her looking face isn't she oh she's feeling it look
29:44it's kicking
29:48the day i don't have my leggings on and she pees on
29:50more my leggings waterproof for the last eight months solid and the day i done i put them on
29:59this calf is larger than usual and the heifer needs assistance
30:02the calf has started breathing in the birth canal it could suffocate or drown if martin
30:25and stevie can't get it out quickly go so this is just a jack it's got a lot of power and a lot of pressure
30:36so let's take our time heating everything's there so the heat will just pop there we go
30:51just take our time and she'll push and he'll pull and she'll push okay okay
30:58all right
31:13a blast of water helps to revive the calf
31:20get up it's a great result
31:24a healthy female calf
31:26ideal nice face welcome
31:34this is another calf off the new stock wool irish so we started coughing to him a month ago
31:39so this will be calf number 10 now so they're popping it quick if they keep coming like that
31:44you're perfect oh christ it's here another day oh jesus
31:57it wasn't for the system being in i'd have been coming home every hour or dad would have been
32:02home every hour just to check the cows coughing just because you don't want to miss a hint but with
32:05this system we can spend our time dad's up at sheep i'm out in the field you don't have to come
32:10home all the time to check see who's coughing so this system just kind of gives us a bit of peace
32:15of mind and lets us go away and do our work so it's worked well there i think it's worth its money
32:21yeah it's three and a half thousand there's a lot of money to invest it only needs to save one calf
32:25and i'd say that's it justified for me and that could be the calf it wins you a show gets you a big prize
32:31gives you a lot of money
32:38the probes worked on this occasion
32:40but for stevie there's still something to be said for doing things the traditional way
32:46they're a good thing but
32:48that once you start using them you don't look at the coos because you wait for your phone to line
32:54so you get lazy you lose your natural instinct of looking at coos here oh she's going to cough tonight
33:00they've got to be dealt the coos coughing well you should see the coos cough i come in the car
33:04i think we've just had our our first calf when we fed kirsty and morang this morning kirsty was looking
33:31as though she might be thinking of carving and i think the calf has been born
33:36we're just going down to have a look and to after our congratulations to the mother
33:41we think we know kirsty well enough to trust us
33:48there it is just been born it's a little bull calf
33:53there it is
33:54shivering away because it doesn't stop that once it gets its first
34:02dose of milk in a hello morang you've come to offer your congratulations
34:13it's quite solid on its legs for the calf that's only just been born
34:18it's a highlanders are quite like quite like the deer in the way the calves are up quickly
34:27and morang how close are you morang to carving time well not much of another one new yet
34:34yes got a big bottom but not much other
34:36the calf isn't the only new arrival on the croft
34:45ali has recently received her overdue birthday present
34:49a thoroughbred ex-racehorse called fleur
34:51she's the most beautiful beautiful thing in the world look at her
34:57not to pronounce me
34:59and um oh she's just lovely and anyways the thing is um i'm 60 now so this is gonna be my last horse
35:04and samson's just a little bit bored with everything she is just lovely and uh and she loves samson and
35:11he's really enjoying having her here she's just so unlike him he's like um he's so trunky and big
35:22and she's just like a she's like a gazelle she's got tiny little legs and long long legs and she's a
35:28very very good communicator like her owners fleur seems to be taking to her new northern life
35:36but she hasn't yet been for a run on the beach
35:41she's just just delightful she's beautifully beautifully schooled she's full of
35:58girl but she's just totally light to ride and um just such fun now these sands are just wonderful
36:06it's uh just made for setting setting speed records
36:20we're just waiting to see what happens when she stretches her out on the sands this is
36:25i suspect the fastest horse she's ever had
36:34it's it it's the lone ranger
36:39she's really moving
36:43isn't that a beautiful sight isn't it just lovely
36:52is it quite good
36:55great housing today the dogs have a lovely time here as well it's just this beach is so huge
37:07we'll have a coffee and ginger cake and set off gently home
37:18it's three weeks into the busy period of spring lambing at the scots farm in scotland
37:24and there's no let up it's 5am and john's up to cover the early shift on his own
37:31his first job is to check for any problems in the lambing shed
37:36something i've got to pick up in the morning she doesn't she doesn't like that lamb
37:43and that that was my worry when i am when i came in it was outside the pen
37:49if a lamb is rejected its mother will often behave aggressively towards it
37:57john needs to separate the two of them as soon as possible
38:02she hasn't got enough milk for two
38:07sometimes you wonder if sheep actually realize
38:11it's quite a full tummy but sometimes you wonder
38:13if sheep realize that they haven't got enough milk for two so they reject one lamb
38:19but she definitely hasn't enough hasn't enough milk
38:23so pet a pen you can feel it stress this little heart's going
38:31hello heroes how are you all this morning john has a soft spot for his orphan lambs
38:38so they're putting their own pen and fed by hand
38:44it's a rare opportunity for him to spend time alone with the animals
38:50the good thing about being up at this time of day is it's it's peaceful
38:53there's no one else around it's just me sheep and i can get on with things myself
38:59um sometimes it's good just to have a bit of um time on your own you don't have to think too much
39:10you just just just just be a shepherd just do what i love doing really
39:15also up early on the other side of the farm is john's 13 year old son james
39:30he has his own brood of chickens and ducks it's a bit of a mixture i've got speckled sussex cream
39:39leg bars marins and white sussex and that's a couple of other breeds
39:51every morning james feeds them and checks for any problems
39:55most people my age don't get it's time i do as long as i'm out here with my animals it's a nice day
40:02it's great even if it's snowing or raining as long as the animals are happy i'm happy
40:19just huff me about a bit it's got a sore leg
40:25i'll see if it recovers but if it doesn't i'll probably have to get rid of her
40:32so
40:36james breeds his birds to sell and anything he earns is his pocket money
40:44today there's a local bird auction dad john is giving him a hand
40:53so
40:54james left the duck coop door open the night before and his ducks have been playing in the mud
40:59and his transportation choices don't look too promising either I'd be very
41:09surprised if we get there there's not something escaped in the back of the
41:13pickup
41:23in the northeast of Scotland Martin's keen to build on the success of his latest
41:28batch of calves some of them have been fathered by a new stock bull called
41:34powerful Irish who Martin bought a year ago our cows most our cows are big framey
41:40cows big pens big flashy girls that's how we like them and the bull Irish he is a
41:46meat machine so he's full of muscle and with him going on to our cows we're going
41:50to try and get a balance of both the females are going to hopefully throw in
41:53the genetics for the size and power and Irish with all this extreme muscle and
41:57ripness to him he's going to mix it and hopefully the cost off of this will be a
42:00better both so we'll get a bit of size and better muscle and that's what the
42:03market wants right now today the plan is to capitalize on Irish's excellent genes
42:09by collecting some of his semen we're taking the semen off the bull mainly for
42:15insurance purposes if something goes wrong with a bull we'll still have semen off
42:19them so we can still even though he's not in the go and he's dead or whatnot we can
42:23still use his DNA and stuff like that and it's a safety thing yeah it's a safety
42:29thing primarily it's a safety thing so if anything does go wrong we've still got
42:33semen off them we can use that in the future in case anything goes wrong second
42:37thing is semen sales so we've got a bull that we think is pretty special he's
42:41different and anything that's special or different people want so if we can sell
42:48some semen off them it's an extra income for us really it's quite an interesting
42:54procedure I think to assist with the semen collection Martin calls on bull
43:04breeding consultant David Fleming yeah you need a good sense of humor for this job
43:08I think David it's got a good sense of humor broad shoulders and thick skin I'll tell you it goes a
43:12long way Martin's halted up a heifer eye candy to try and tease Irish into mating but
43:21will she live up to her name if she does it's up to David to intervene and collect the
43:27semen sample using an artificial vagina given Irish weighs close to one ton it's not a
43:36job for the faint-hearted come here between the time the bull approaches a heifer and he serves
43:45the heifer naturally at seconds and there's no foreplay there's no foreplay at all to the
43:50bill he's quick so David's got to be extra quick to intervene to trick him and get a sample
43:56Irish has been kept away from the ladies for five weeks and Martin's hoping it will have put him in a
44:07romantic mood David is on high alert so I love the two bills there I just add safety and security so so the
44:18cow can't move around too much that's my boy that's my boy the semen sample is off for analysis
44:47what eye candy makes of it is anyone's guess just measures the sperm count that's got a saline solution
44:57in the air and there's a light goes through obviously the thicker the semen is then the better quality is
45:04like you know Irish's semen goes through several test processes movement and density are measured which
45:12will add up to give a quality rating yeah that's good that's a four on mortality on a scale of zero to
45:19five and it's five five mil so it's a fair old amount he's given for such a youngster but he's a good
45:29producing bull which is ideally what you want yeah I'm happy with that can Irish you can see he's wound up
45:37he's in the mood he knew exactly what was going on and he knew what was happening so just in a bit of time to
45:43tease him and cool him doing a bit because he was a bit too excited at the start and then good on David for
45:49doing what he did because he'd be quick really quick there so it's a good sample so we're happy like
45:55spring has definitely sprung as far as Irish is concerned David and Martin managed to harvest
46:06another three samples before standing the young bull down the semen will be sent to a lab where it's
46:17frozen and stored in small units called straws after a few sums Martin can see how much was
46:25harvested from Irish today so we did four jumps today normally we'll do three jumps but the third
46:33jump was quite good so we went and tried a fourth jump and it looks like it was worth it it was
46:38definitely worth it in fact so the first jump 240 straws second jump 170 straws third jump 195 straws and
46:51the fourth jump 220 straws so delighted really delighted Martin has ended up with a bumper crop of over
47:031200 straws as each can sell for 25 pounds Irish his efforts this afternoon could bring in more than
47:1130,000 pounds it's a lucrative income and a way of future-proofing the bloodline of his pedigree
47:21herd we'll check out those two leg bar tricks because James and John are checking out the
47:36competition at the chicken auction near Inverness I'm looking at these ones here I quite like them
47:44the cream leg bars and I have the top chicken can fetch over a hundred pounds so James knows there's
47:53good money to be made always too excited to sleep before chicken sales I've been coming to oxen's from
48:00the same age as James when he came down coming off to see he probably came along when he was a baby
48:04you know as soon as you can walk he was following me around so that was the same with that so yeah it's
48:08a good tradition this goes on for one generation the chickens are sold in pairs James has high hopes
48:16for a good price I think my chickens will make about 50 quid each and just hoping they'll make lots of
48:24money James's chickens are up next he's hopeful for 50 pounds a cage so 25 pounds a bird
48:48so we average 15 pounds a bird there for for the eight we sold I don't think it'll look at the
49:18me works well the ducks would you think well it works well the ducks the mucky ducks fail to sell
49:26at all still James gets to pick up a check for all his hard work made 111 pounds 60 goes in my bank
49:35account to probably spend on more chickens in the highlands of Argyle spring is now in full bloom
49:51hill farmer George is on his way to check up on his flock of Shetland sheep this hardy breed give birth
50:03on their own up in the hills hopefully no problems it doesn't Shetland's are pretty more like a native
50:11deer than a sheep they don't tend to have the same lambing problems as anybody else this flock started off
50:24from a birthday present ten years ago it's just a hobby I started on my 40th and Sybil bought me
50:33three yellow lambs now I've got 86 in 10 years quite amazing but they're productive little animals they
50:42don't take an awful lot of looking after sometimes usual problem you hardly ever get a lambing problem with
50:47them they're basically pretty well get on for the life of themselves and they're just characters so
50:54nosy little sheep just different and they always make you smile so they're just different aren't they
51:01they're cheeky I mean lambs if you were in the field at home the lambs would come and sniff you but
51:10are behind the shed of that but they wouldn't be the same just kind of attitude
51:13the other thing is the mutton is absolutely delicious I kid you not
51:21they're hard they are in a lot of breeds they're just a more kind of I don't know they're more
51:30they're not so pampered eh they've been bred in Shetland to do a job can you know I mean they're not
51:35just a they're not a super high bred or nothing it's just a sheep that tends to look after itself
51:41better and that's why I like it and there's some days it'll am and you know it gives you a huge lift
51:46just to come along and see your wee pals with a set of twins or something when other disasters
51:50happen and these guys make you laugh the arrival of warmer weather also puts Sibyl in the mood for
52:01an annual spring clean I think George is incredibly handsome person with the most fantastic smile George
52:11quite often has a beard I personally don't like his beard at all when it gets so big that I can't see
52:19his smile when it's hidden by vast amounts of beard and I can't see it anymore it's not George so I'm
52:28always really delighted when he decides to cut it off or when he allows me to cut it off and I can see
52:34his handsome face and his fantastic smile now be brave oh gosh it's struggling the good thing about
52:43taking it off now is that quite possibly birds might use it for nesting material
52:47oh
52:48perhaps we should just leave a bit on the
52:54now I know what the poor sheep feel like when you're trying to clip them
53:02I'll tell you what the sheep are a lot easier clip than you
53:10it's great fun
53:12let's see you
53:18that feels worse
53:22does it yeah it definitely does please you want that bit off as well okay
53:27bye bye beard
53:29bye bye beard
53:30yippee
53:31I know
53:32I'll go forward and walk it and say oh
53:38look at my lips left
53:42yes
53:43I'll tell you what you look fantastic
53:46you look just like Jordy
53:49that feels good
53:53I can't tell you how different you look
53:54takes years off me
53:57it does
53:57good old
53:59you happy
54:00yeah
54:01are you
54:02I think so
54:03now the barber for the haircut
54:04I'm just really sorry you won't let me
54:06fantastic George
54:07I can't believe how different
54:09I think if it was the summer I would honestly let you just do one of the big numbers
54:12you know but I think it's just a wee bit wintery yet
54:14well well done thank you for letting me do that
54:18no problem
54:18excellent
54:20right won't be so long before we have you out again wee machine
54:24near Aberdeen Martin and Mel have an auction to attend
54:33where Mel is hoping to sell Martin's ten month old heifer gem
54:38would be worth probably about a thousand pound
54:40if I can get a bit more than that I'll be happy so I'm hoping to get with 1200
54:43with carving in full swing back at the farm they're short on space
54:48the problem we've got if I never sold gem today we'd have to take her home isolate her
54:54test her to bring her back into the herd and I've got all my pens are all used up with
54:58calves right now so pretty much have to sell her
55:01it's also a significant day for another reason
55:05it's Mel's birthday
55:07Mel's in a fuss over fancy presents
55:10all that kind of stuff just get a big kiss and a big kiss and a cuddle and she'll be happy
55:15that right Mel
55:16I would rather have a sheep for my birthday present
55:19but yeah she's getting old isn't you Mel
55:21I'm not as old as him though
55:23yeah
55:24like I say you're only as old as a girl you squeeze is that right
55:27yeah
55:28while Mel is passionate about sheep
55:32Martin's the cattle expert
55:34especially when it comes to a little heifer titivation
55:38to make the cow look its best for the sale
55:41Martin doesn't like me have the cupboard so I do a rubbish job
55:44but Mel raised gem from a calf and is determined to prove herself with or without Martin's advice
55:52oh I made a mess
55:54can I not just take that bit off as well
55:57just do what you want
55:59it's really birthday
56:01see what I mean it doesn't kind of teach me saying Mel you need to do this and that
56:05it's a trick
56:05ask me to help her and then she'll be like you don't want to do
56:07it's a trick it's a good old trick
56:09no party frocks for Mel today
56:14instead she's getting dressed up to sell a cow
56:17I think you've always got to be presentable and that probably would make a difference
56:21because you want to show your beast it's best
56:24but you've got to look your best
56:25there's no point in going in with a tatty shirt
56:27and no white coat and an open white coat
56:29and I like to smell nice as well
56:31the minimum Mel will accept for gem is 1100 pounds just over what she costs to raise
56:47but today no one seems to be making high bids
56:51very sticky
56:52trade
56:54slow
56:55I've seen it a lot busier
56:57it's Mel's turn next
57:01bidding starts
57:06at 800 pounds
57:08it's more than they hoped for and a reasonable profit gem will start a new career as a breeding heifer producing the next generation of cows
57:22it's more than they hoped for and a reasonable profit gem will start a new career as a breeding heifer producing the next generation of cows
57:38Mel's
57:39Mel's efforts have raised at 300 pounds
57:41so she's worth about a thousand pounds in an ordinary fat rung
57:44and just with a bit extra
57:46titivating and feeding and showing Mel's raised at 300 pounds
57:49it's like a bonus now
57:51next time
57:58Mel and Martin get stuck into lambing
58:02we're just going to lamb
58:03this one
58:06smells too late for us you see
58:09don't let him go
58:10an important decision is made about the future of the Lennox family farm
58:14things might need to change a little bit to make it work but all of us will be together with it and we'll work it soon
58:20and Stevie needs to be coaxed out of his work clothes for Martin's upcoming wedding
58:25hi Owen
58:26hi
58:27no you'll be fine trust me
58:29good dude
58:30can you see the panic in his face
58:32tasty roast lamb on Mary Berry's Easter menu next and a day with the Archbishop of York
58:45and straight after that BBC 2 takes you right inside Obama's White House
58:50tonight affordable health care in our landmark new series at 9
58:54events
58:57and we'll see you around the Š dassir
59:07right now
59:11tonight
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