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Documentary, This Farming Life S02E01
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.
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#FarmingLife #ThisFarmingLife #Scotland
#Documentary
#FarmingLife

Category

🐳
Animals
Transcript
00:00Across some of the most beautiful and remote landscapes of the British Isles.
00:07There's not many views like that. It's absolutely stunning.
00:10Scotland's farmers work day and night, producing our milk and our meat.
00:17Trying out new ideas.
00:20Buffalo doesn't want to do something. You're going to find it very difficult.
00:24And striving to turn a profit in tough economic times.
00:28We're struggling. We're definitely struggling.
00:32Over the course of a year, six very different families let cameras onto their farms.
00:39Everything that could have gone wrong there went wrong.
00:42The idea of lying on a beach. Bliss.
00:45To share their struggles.
00:47We have to get her out or she's going to die.
00:49And their triumphs.
00:52It's not about the paycheck. It's about the lifestyle.
00:58It's mid-autumn in Scotland.
01:13As the season advances, the last of the warm weather makes way for rain and early frost.
01:19And farmers are under pressure to get ready for the winter months ahead.
01:32In the rolling farmland of Fife on the east coast.
01:35It's time to move an unusual herd to their winter shed.
01:41Scotland's first water buffalo.
01:46I absolutely love cattle.
01:48Huge part of my life growing up on the farm.
01:50But as I got to the stage where I was looking to create a business.
01:54I was looking for a unique product which I could market.
01:57The path was much clearer with the buffalo meat as opposed to normal beef.
02:04Which is already a host of Scotland's full of great producers of quality beef.
02:1034 year old Stevie Mitchell spotted a gap in the market.
02:14And because buffalo meat is unusual and low in cholesterol.
02:18The business has taken off.
02:20Now he keeps a herd of over 400.
02:23So these are all nearly coming up for two years old.
02:27These are all young boys which were bred for meat.
02:33Today, Stevie needs to move his bull calves from the hills into their winter housing.
02:38Normally we would do this by lorry because it is a bit of distance.
02:42But the fields in between our farm and the farm are taken to this just now are in stubble.
02:49So I've decided to save a bit of money.
02:51We're going to try and take them by foot.
02:53So it will be an interesting project.
02:57There shouldn't be too much trouble.
02:59But famous last words.
03:05Good boys.
03:08The bull calves are keen.
03:13But Stevie's prized stock bull 007 is having none of it.
03:19He's a big peddler.
03:20We need to move him out of the road so we can bring these young bulls up.
03:25But the only thing he's bad at is he really hates other males.
03:31He's a top dog.
03:34We bought him as a calf probably about eight or nine years ago.
03:37He's father now to most of our females that we keep because he's got such a good temperament.
03:44He may be well loved but buffalo are notoriously stubborn.
03:49007 weighs over a tonne.
03:52Come on.
03:54Stockman Eddie lends a hand.
03:55It makes it quite difficult for us sometimes because he's so headstrong and weighs so much.
04:00I'm trying to get him to do anything.
04:02Come on big fella.
04:03Let's go.
04:04He's got such a thick skin and a big horn he doesn't feel anything.
04:07Come on.
04:08No.
04:09Hey.
04:10No.
04:11Come on.
04:12The other way.
04:13Come on.
04:14Turn around.
04:15Come on.
04:16Don't be silly.
04:17Come on boy.
04:18Come on.
04:19Come on.
04:20Hey.
04:21Good boy.
04:22That's a boy.
04:25With 007 shifted, Stevie and Eddie can finally get going.
04:32Come on then guys.
04:37When the buffalo get out they behave quite different to cows.
04:40Cows tend to get quite excited.
04:41The buffalo just march and they can get quite far.
04:44Domestic water buffalo are more commonly seen tilling the rice paddies of Southeast Asia.
04:57They stick as a group.
04:58They stick as a herd.
04:59They are, I think, crafty.
05:01They're definitely quicker.
05:02They run faster than cows for an extra five or ten miles an hour quicker definitely than cows.
05:09I mean it's how people shifted animals back in the day.
05:12All the drovers shifted them from market to market, you know.
05:15So it's quite a modern thing, these big livestock lorries.
05:18They're getting ahead of me so I better crack on.
05:2945 minutes later, the buffalo arrive at their winter home.
05:35Feeling quite good about things.
05:36That all went really, really well.
05:37Just need to get them up around the shed.
05:39Home sweet home.
05:43They'll spend the next few months being fed indoors.
05:46Come on guys, out of here.
05:50It's both better for them and the fields, which can grow new grass for the spring.
05:56Well done, that went alright.
05:58It's just so much nicer for the animals.
05:59You can see how happy they were.
06:01Almost go out for their leisurely stroll this afternoon.
06:04Most of the bulls will spend their last winter here.
06:09But one of these young fellows could get lucky and live on to become Stevie's new stock bull.
06:15It's a funny noise you make, isn't it?
06:17It goes, seeing a still night, it goes for miles.
06:21It's really funny.
06:22A hundred and thirty-five miles north in the highlands near Inverness, Robin and Penny Calvert run a croft.
06:37A traditional small-scale holding, unique to the highlands and islands of Scotland.
06:41A croft, possibly even more than a proper farm in inverted commas, it almost becomes part of you.
06:52It's a funny thing to say.
06:54It's the seasons, the way the colours change.
06:58It's the weather that all sort of get under your skin over the course of time.
07:02Make sure that calf goes into the funk, Penny.
07:08Maggie, just stay there.
07:10They make money by butchering and selling meat from the animals they raise.
07:14Okey-dokey.
07:16So when a cow nears the end of her breeding life, her value to the croft dwindles,
07:21and Robin and Penny need to sell her while they still can.
07:23This morning we're preparing our cows to go to the market, and we're having them ready overnight.
07:33Then we'll take them early next morning.
07:35Up for sale are twelve-year-old Honey and eleven-year-old Blondie,
07:39and Blondie's three-week-old heifer calf.
07:42They're still capable of having maybe two or three calves,
07:46so somebody else can make use of them.
07:48And selling one with a calf at foot is always a good thing as well.
07:53We'll leave them there for now.
07:57Highland cows will fight to establish a pecking order when they're contained.
08:02The problem we've got at the moment is these two have never been terribly fond of each other.
08:06So we're going to have to put them in the trailer tomorrow morning,
08:09so I want them absolutely used to each other before they go in there, these two.
08:13Oh, no, no, no, no, no!
08:15Calf's on the wrong side.
08:21Right, we'll have to bring her back round.
08:24They're just organising their pecking order.
08:27And she jumped the fence.
08:29Right, Ben, I'm just going to have to lead her down.
08:31So she's no longer in the fank, she's actually in the hen run.
08:36The difficulty being that she's going to have to leave her calf over the fence
08:40in order to get round the corner and back, so that might be a little bit difficult.
08:45Robin lures Blondie with some tasty treats.
08:49Up, up!
08:51That's with having them in a tight space.
08:53If I had to open them up, we wouldn't have had that happening.
08:57Let's open this gate here.
08:58Come on, good girl.
08:59Good girl.
09:01Good girl.
09:04That wasn't very nicely tempered of you, was it?
09:08They're back together for now.
09:12They're fine now.
09:14I'll be sorry to say that old cowgirl, she's been a good one.
09:16But I really don't want her around here when she's getting old and grey like me.
09:23But tomorrow it's market day, which means an even tighter squeeze in the trailer.
09:38South-west in the Inner Hebrides, the Isle of Mull is home to new entrant farmers,
09:43Janet and Alistair Taylor.
09:47They're tenants of a small farm on the south of the island.
09:53Along with two horses, ducks and a large brood of hens,
09:58together they look after 180 sheep.
10:01This is Toffee and this is Chantelle, quite eager to get some breakfast.
10:07And 20 Highland cattle.
10:09So that's Hazel, Goldilocks and Patience in front of us.
10:15That's a lot of mouths to feed.
10:19Janet and Alistair depend on subsidies and grants to survive.
10:23The only income their farm's livestock have brought in this year
10:27is from the sale of lambs, a mere £2,000.
10:29What are you doing out, old fool? No shooting for you.
10:35So to boost their income, the couple take paid work on other farms.
10:40This autumn, Alistair's hoping to take over a potentially lucrative job,
10:46managing red deer on three estates.
10:48It could provide the struggling farmers with up to £9,000 extra a year.
10:55Alistair's learning the ropes from Callum and Twissel.
11:00Callum's always in charge.
11:03That way if we don't get anything it's Callum's fault.
11:06Yeah.
11:09Safety is absolutely paramount.
11:12This is Mull.
11:14Here there's a bit of binoculars behind every bush.
11:17People are perfectly entitled to be out here,
11:20best as it is for us doing our job, but it is part of life,
11:23so we just have to accept it.
11:25There are over 7,000 red deer on Mull,
11:30and they have no natural predators.
11:32Without some being culled every year,
11:35the population would explode,
11:37leading to the ransacking of vegetation across the island and disease.
11:42But today, the deer are proving elusive.
11:46They're hiding at the moment.
11:48I think if they've got any sense,
11:49they're hiding in the trees out of the wind.
11:51German pointer Driesch is learning the ropes too.
11:56He's a gundog, an ideal candidate for deer stalking.
12:01And half an hour in, he picks up a scent.
12:05He's saying that way.
12:09The tail's there, and there's scent in the air.
12:13He can smell a stag.
12:16But it's over 200 metres away.
12:18239 metres when we first saw him.
12:23And then he spun.
12:25He was head on to it,
12:26so it's not a shot you would take at that distance.
12:29He'll live for another day.
12:31That's stalking.
12:33Driesch could smell it.
12:35Yeah.
12:36When we came halfway across there, we stopped him,
12:39because he was...
12:43To the kettle.
12:45Tea time.
12:47Before he can take over from Callum,
12:49Alistair needs a stalking certificate,
12:51which means passing a shooting exam.
12:53Driesch was really good today.
12:55I was really pleased with him, because he was calm.
12:57And he didn't get frustrated when we were waiting around,
13:00and didn't make any noise.
13:02So, really pleased.
13:04Driesch has passed his first test.
13:06Next, it's Alistair's turn.
13:07A hundred and twenty miles east, in Fife,
13:23Stevie's also putting his animals through their paces.
13:28He's hoping to spot a new stock bull,
13:31while weighing all the buffalo he moved earlier.
13:34Stevie's invested in a brand new bit of kit for the job.
13:38A special cage for holding cattle, called a crush.
13:42Been looking forward to getting this crush for quite a long time,
13:45so that we could get some facts, rather than going on instinct.
13:51By weighing the bulls,
13:53they can work out how much feed they need
13:55to reach their optimum weight for slaughter.
13:58But as water buffalo are a new species in Scotland,
14:01Stevie's always on a steep learning curve.
14:05So, it should say 172 kilos.
14:12I don't know what weight I am, though.
14:14You know you're 72 kilos, eh?
14:16I think I'm 100, but I'm not sure.
14:19It's something we probably should have done a long time ago,
14:23but, you know, this crush wasn't a cheap piece of equipment,
14:26and you've got to prioritise.
14:27When we're right in the middle, it's right?
14:29Yes.
14:30What's that, 100 kilos?
14:32It's 112 kilos.
14:34They're saying I'm 112 kilos?
14:36Yes.
14:37They're saying you're 72, right in the middle.
14:40It's probably got a wee bit of wiggle room, so...
14:43Right, let's get started.
14:47Stevie has 160 obstinate bulls to weigh.
14:50Come on, boy.
14:51Up you.
14:53But these boys have never been in a crush before.
14:55Don't be stubborn.
14:56Goodbye.
15:04So, we're writing down all their weights.
15:06The plan is that we'll do this again in 30 days' time,
15:10and just see how much they've grown.
15:12Don't come back.
15:15Goodbye.
15:16Buffalo can be extremely stubborn,
15:19and the good news is that of all the traits that they've got,
15:22they never kick,
15:23whereas the cattle beasts are quite dangerous from behind.
15:27Come on, here you go.
15:29Up, up.
15:31Let's go forward.
15:34The buffalo's on,
15:43but the scales aren't.
15:45We're not at that zero.
15:52May that bucket.
15:54So he has to come off again.
15:55Five, one, four.
15:57The buffalo, like, you just have to accept that it takes time.
15:59The more you get stressed, the less cooperative they become.
16:02The more you fight them, the more they go against you.
16:04Come on, move on.
16:06As the youngsters go through,
16:08Stevie's been looking for a new stock bull,
16:10and one of them has caught his eye.
16:11There's lots to look at in a bull.
16:12He's got to be good on his feet,
16:13got a decent head,
16:14really good top line,
16:15without...
16:17I don't know.
16:19I don't know.
16:20I don't know.
16:22I don't know.
16:24I don't know.
16:25..but if they've got a big line of the bull,
16:27he's got a big man.
16:29As the youngsters go through,
16:30Stevie's been looking for a new stock bull,
16:32and one of them has caught his eye.
16:35There's lots to look at in a bull.
16:37He's got to be good on his feet,
16:38got a decent head,
16:40really good top line,
16:42without being hard on this piece,
16:44it's just not got the same,
16:46it's not as full,
16:48not quite as well put together.
16:50It's actually, for a buffalo,
16:51got really good shape.
16:52While the rest of these young bulls are destined for the food chain,
16:57this lucky fellow could be plucked out to live a very different life.
17:01But you will get a name if you get one of the breeding bulls all have names.
17:05We've got 007 because his mum was 007 and he became Mr Bond.
17:10Get on, get on, get on, get on, get on, get on.
17:13But only if he gets the thumbs up from vet Simon Ward.
17:17First time I tried to take a blood sample off a buffalo,
17:21Steve said it was easier to get blood out of a stool and I didn't believe him.
17:26Come on big fella, come on.
17:29It is your luckiest day ever.
17:32Hopefully, provided the vet thinks you're up for the job.
17:36Come on, keep going forward.
17:39Come on son.
17:40Stevie wants Simon to size up his great new hope.
17:44They have notably smaller scrotums.
17:47Simon will have felt more bulls balls than I have so he'll maybe...
17:52I was wondering where you were going then.
17:54He'll maybe be able to tell us how different they are.
17:57So what we're looking for is symmetry of the two testicles.
18:00Are they both present?
18:02Is there a hernia associated above it?
18:05And particularly down at the tail of the epididymis, is there a hardened lump on them?
18:10Yeah.
18:11And they both feel perfectly symmetrical.
18:13You do?
18:14Yeah.
18:15If the young bull passes muster, he'll be put straight to work.
18:18As Stevie's favourite, 007 has recently been firing blanks.
18:23007, for the first time ever, didn't get his cows in calf.
18:27So this is why we're picking out a new bull to, at the moment, help 007.
18:33Potentially have to replace 007.
18:35Seems alright.
18:36Yep.
18:37Good to go.
18:38Yep.
18:39Yep.
18:40Well, Eddie, looks like we've got a new son.
18:41Well, thanks for that, Simon.
18:42Good luck.
18:43So now just a puppy.
18:44Puppy.
18:45Yeah.
18:46Last up is Stevie's latest acquisition.
18:50This is her wee friend, Maple.
18:51So she's just eight weeks old.
18:52Before starting her career as a gundog, Labrador Maple needs to be vaccinated and microchipped.
19:02Whoa.
19:03I'm picking my jacket.
19:05Warmer in here.
19:06Eh?
19:07It's like butter wouldn't melt.
19:08Normally she's running around like an absolute terror, aren't you?
19:13Whirlwind.
19:14Destroying everyone in this site.
19:16I thought this would be nicer than having to go to the...
19:19the vets.
19:20The vets come to Maple because she's special.
19:26Good dog.
19:27So, we will get a wee whimper off this one.
19:30This is our microchip.
19:32It's a very, very big needle.
19:34We'll have to put it in the back of the neck so they...
19:37you can't let a wee whimper out.
19:40It's okay, Maple.
19:42You're okay.
19:43Brave dog.
19:44Brave dog.
19:45I feel a little bit...
19:48un-farmerish right now.
19:49Look at this, love.
19:50I feel a little bit...
19:51un-farmerish right now.
19:52Look at this, love.
19:53It's yours, love.
20:14On the west coast, it's an early start and a big day for Alistair.
20:18he's taking the ferry from mole to the mainland where he'll be sitting his deer stalking exam
20:27i need this certificate to be allowed to sell venison into the food chain so without it all
20:38the deer i shot wouldn't be available for sale to the public so that would take away any profit
20:43from shooting deer so it's pretty important it's about as important as they come for tests that
20:49i've got to do i'm feeling suitably nervous about getting it done because i have to do it there's
20:54no there's no i can't do it or i maybe wouldn't do it um so if i don't pass it i have to come back
21:01and do it again which just cost a fortune adding to the pressure alistair's absent from the farm
21:08for five days the longest he's ever been away while i'm away janet's um mostly quiet hopefully
21:18there shouldn't be any problems with anything maybe it's easier when i'm away and it's i'm not
21:22there to make a mess alistair and janet met when they were teenagers and have been inseparable ever
21:29since it's really unusual for the two of us to be apart so this going away for five days is quite a
21:36big thing coolin coolin coolin coolin come on we've got eight collies and dreech coolin moss duke
21:51shaw brier pit rusty and dreech and bud forgot one
21:58people always ask me how i keep track of them and i've really i've trained them to keep track
22:05of me so they know where i am with so many dependents janet knows alistair will be feeling
22:13the pressure it's a big thing gonna make us a bit busier but it's lots of benefits to it too
22:21i think he's probably quite nervous he needs this for the job so he needs to pass and everyone
22:29he spoke to keep saying oh yes when i was on the course i passed but quite a few people failed
22:33which doesn't help
22:35in the highlands north of inverness it's market day for robin and penny
22:47blondie and honey have been kept together in a pen overnight to encourage them to get on
22:55sometimes they'll go in with a bucket sometimes they won't we'll just have to see what happens
23:00now they need to coax the pair and blondie's young calf into a small trailer now honey you're
23:07going to come in like a good girl we're going to have to coerce you in
23:10oh she's very nervous i think we're going to have to hurdle them in
23:18yeah which is not a thing so i'll put the bucket there as an incitement inducement
23:23okay now keep coming in with me with that game robin has a plan he's going to take the hurdles
23:33and gradually pull them in and diminish the area that they're in and push them in and push them
23:39until they've got only one way to go on you go oh oh oh come on on you go come on come on on you go
23:47oh these two cows just don't want to be absolutely close together
23:50oh it's like any calf here mind that gap then
23:57oh they're going the calf is going to get out of the other side
24:00go on get out
24:01the calf escapes and blondie's not happy
24:08now we've got a problem
24:10where's the calf
24:12no that's the problem we've got
24:18where's the little one
24:21fine i'll worry about the calf later undo that rope then quickly
24:28boom
24:32blondie's in
24:34but honey's not keen to join her
24:39just go into the front open the front gate and rattle these buck knots here
24:42as quick as you can
24:47that's it
24:50okay you two just steady up
25:01right where's the calf any idea
25:04don't let that calf jump in with the others whatever we do
25:07sheepdog meg's herding instincts kick in
25:11meg come to heel
25:12come to heel
25:13good girl keep it going that direction
25:18good girl
25:19come to heel
25:25we've got her
25:28steady steady now
25:30fine we've got her into the
25:31fine we're not actually going to put her through the race
25:34if we open the gates up we're going to lose the cows out there
25:36i think the only thing i can do is actually physically pick up the calf in here
25:42and then put it through the small door in the trailer
25:46come and get the headlock quickly
25:48pull hard down
25:50pull hard down then pull the gift thing towards you
25:52pull the other one towards you now
25:54she's not yet three weeks old but the calf already weighs around 45 kilos
25:59right get that bottom door
26:01fast as you can
26:03help lift it in
26:08as easy as that
26:18basically everything that could have gone wrong there went wrong uncorporated cows breaking out calves
26:26it's all taken longer than robin hoped
26:33quick change quick cup of tea and let's get down to the mark before we get there too late
26:39meg come and get in
26:41meg get in
26:43come on get in
26:44now all he has to worry about is getting the cows and calf safely to market
26:49and in time
26:52there isn't really room for these two to completely turn around among themselves because they're quite big cows
26:57if they do decide to have a
26:59a bit of a waltz or a tango on the way down then we'll just have to drive accordingly
27:03over 50 miles southeast near aberdeen
27:18fifth generation farmer martin ervin rents a 240 acre farm
27:24and they knew exactly what they wanted to do next
27:31it was very broody
27:33in
27:36hunting
27:40you may kiss the bride
27:42malin martin tied the knot on the banks of the river speig
27:49and they knew exactly what they wanted to do next
27:52She's very broody. Very, very broody.
27:55Babies, babies, my babies. Really?
27:59Now it's 16 months later,
28:02and they have a new addition to the Irving clan.
28:06Baby Erin.
28:10Four-month-old Erin is already showing signs of having farming in her blood.
28:16Oh, she'll definitely be a sheep now. Definitely.
28:19See?
28:20You like a sheep?
28:25Today, Mel and Martin are planning to worm the sail lambs,
28:29all 500 of them.
28:30Shoo! Shoo! Tilly, come out of there!
28:34Mel can't get as hands-on as she used to.
28:38Me and Erin do some back-pinning.
28:40It's a safe place for her.
28:43Isn't it?
28:44Shoo! Shoo! Shoo! Shoo! Shoo!
28:47She hasn't got to watch that she doesn't get bashed or bumped.
28:50Either by me pulling a gait or a sheep.
28:53But you'll survive, won't you?
28:55We start off with an easy job,
28:57and then when she can hold her worm and gun, she can do it.
29:01Until then,
29:02Martin has to worm the lambs on his own.
29:04If they just stand and open her mouth, it'd be a lot easier,
29:08but the more they fight, the harder it is on them.
29:15Everyone kind of said to us, you know,
29:16when you have a baby, it changes your lives,
29:19and yes, it does, but not as much as I thought it would.
29:24And she's been in the tractor and the digger and the quad bike
29:26all before she's five months old.
29:31Yeah, she's had a good start.
29:34It takes an hour and a quarter to dose all 500 lambs.
29:39We did it, didn't we?
29:41It's a good afternoon's work.
29:43But there's no rest for Martin yet.
29:45He and Dad Stephen want to see if their crop of barley
29:49is dry enough to harvest.
29:53A late spate of warm weather
29:54could save them money on drying costs.
30:00So what we've got here is a hand for a grain,
30:02just a random pick,
30:04and we just have to separate the seed for the chaff pretty much.
30:07So we just crush it up on our hands.
30:09What I want to do is just a small hand for a clean seed to test.
30:15Martin has a high-tech moisture meter.
30:19And all we're doing here is just crushing it.
30:23Just turning it into a powder for the moisture meter.
30:27And it feels good.
30:28I'm guessing 19%.
30:32Let's see what I guessed at.
30:3619 and a quarter.
30:40Stephen's moisture meter is a bit more old school.
30:43Well, you bite it.
30:45And if it goes, cracks in your teeth,
30:47you kind of dry it.
30:47Or if it just squashes,
30:49it's supposed to crack in your teeth.
30:51The harder it is, the drier it is.
30:54Is that right there?
30:55No.
30:55That's right.
30:56Why he's got no teeth?
31:00So that's good.
31:01That's 18%.
31:01So it's getting close.
31:03We normally add a percent and a half,
31:05two percent by the time it goes through the combine.
31:07So I'd imagine if I combine this now,
31:09it would be about 20%,
31:10and that's just too wet for us.
31:12If I get it low, 17%, maybe 16%,
31:14if we're very lucky,
31:15I've got no drying costs at all.
31:17So that's us saving money.
31:18It is very much a gamble.
31:20But as far as I can see,
31:21the forecast's good.
31:21So I'll gamble.
31:22I'll leave another two days,
31:23and hopefully it'll drop down
31:24to just where I want it to be.
31:28Jack.
31:29Jack.
31:29Come on.
31:30Come on.
31:31Come on.
31:31Help.
31:33Martin's banking on the good weather.
31:35But if the rain comes early,
31:37his harvest could be ruined.
31:39We're not going to get too excited just yet.
31:41It's coming.
31:42The weather's good.
31:42It's close.
31:43You can hear the barley crackling away,
31:44and patience.
31:4650 miles west in Dingwall,
31:57farmers from around Scotland
31:59are buying and selling
32:00rare breed and highland cattle.
32:03On you go.
32:06Honey and Blondie
32:07seem to have put their differences
32:09to one side.
32:10We're back on track again.
32:12The carby seems quite happy.
32:13No injuries there or anything.
32:14I mean, these two are quite settled.
32:17Blondie's looking a bit fed up.
32:18She's been here before a few years ago.
32:20It's where we got her for originally.
32:21But it's a big cross-section
32:24of what happens to these animals
32:25at the end of the day.
32:26Some people keep them almost as pets,
32:28you know,
32:29and either of these two
32:30more or less could go for that.
32:32The only thing going against them
32:33is actually their age,
32:34which will knock a lot of the value off,
32:35because they are quite old cows,
32:36which is exactly why
32:37we're getting rid of them.
32:39Come on, girls.
32:40If he can sell them today,
32:42Robin will have three less mouths
32:44to feed over the winter.
32:46Honey, shift on.
32:47But with the cows' advanced age,
32:50they might not fetch a good price.
32:52So we'll just have to see
32:53what happens when we get out there.
32:54I'm really not looking
32:55any predictions on it at all.
32:58Good morning.
33:01First up is Blondie,
33:02with her calf at foot.
33:04Very quiet cow.
33:05A three-week-old calf.
33:07It's a nice, quiet cow
33:08here in this table.
33:10It's a good start.
33:1740, 16, 80.
33:1940, 80, 40, 80, 80.
33:21They've sold for 480 pounds.
33:25And now it's Honey's turn.
33:32Very quiet cow.
33:32A total of £720 before commission is a great result, and a satisfying end to a trying day.
33:57Whoever's bought them has got good value. I'm quite happy to get rid of them at that price.
34:01At least I've got enough buck in the pocket there to get myself a nice young heifer next spring.
34:13In Perthshire, Alistair is at the Deer Certificate Assessment Centre.
34:18He needs to pass an exam and a shooting test.
34:22The stakes couldn't be higher.
34:25Janet and Alistair need every penny they can get to keep the farm afloat.
34:28From the written test side of it, there's a lot of information to remember.
34:34As for the shooting side, it's probably going to be, if anything, nerves that get the better of me on that one.
34:40Examiner Donald Muir will be testing his shooting skills.
34:43We're going to put the mat out, we'll get you down, we're going to get you comfortable, then we're going to go into the formal shooting test.
34:52And I could see the excitement already.
34:53Oh yeah, lots of excitement.
34:56Once the range goes live, put you into shooting position, three shots to get within the four-in circle.
35:02You get three attempts at that.
35:05When we then move on to the deer target, then we have to get the six shots into that.
35:10Again, if we drop any of them, we'll start again.
35:13Are you quite happy with what you have to do?
35:16Yep.
35:16Now it'll just have to do it.
35:17To prove he can get a clean kill, Alistair needs to place his shots perfectly in the four-inch circle, set up 100 yards away.
35:28I've shot on a range before, but never had a shooting exam before.
35:33Nothing like this.
35:35Sun's shining, there's no rain.
35:37It's just ideal.
35:39It's less to give an excuse for.
35:40If it was raining and blowing again, at least I'd have an excuse to say why I was missing everything.
35:52In your own time, Alistair, three rounds into the left-hand zero target at 100 yards.
36:10That's Alistair's first go-over.
36:32This is your first attempt.
36:35You were quite a bit off the target there.
36:36Yeah, that was pretty bad, yeah.
36:37Those three shots were low and to the left, so I'll need to put three more better shots in.
36:45He's got two more chances.
36:48Pressure.
36:49Yeah.
36:49Yeah.
37:07Okay.
37:11So, give yourself five minutes, Alistair.
37:20Alistair has missed again.
37:23If he misses a third time, he fails the test.
37:26It's very important to this job.
37:40He needs it so he can put the venison into the food chain, so he really needs to pass it.
37:47Living on the island, it's much more of a challenge.
37:49Anything where you've got to go away and do something, quite often it's an added cost to everything as well, because he's got to have accommodation and, obviously, pay for the ferry and stuff.
38:00If Alistair passes the shooting test, he could bring much-needed extra cash to the farm.
38:08Last year, with the farm and the contract, we made £16,000 between us, and with the deer job, we're hoping that Alistair's going to make another £9,000.
38:19It's time for Alistair's final go at hitting the target.
38:31It's time for Alistair's final go at hitting the target.
38:49Alistair's final go at the fire.
38:52Alistair's final go at the fire.
38:54Alistair's final go at the fire.
38:56BANG!
38:57BANG!
39:04What do you have a look at Alistair?
39:06I'm pretty sure I know where they are.
39:13Oh well, that's that then.
39:14Yep.
39:17Unfortunately...
39:18I'm not sure what you could do today.
39:25The first one, I saw it go out and then that one and I just aimed for the centre of the
39:29last one which I should have just done the whole time.
39:32Yeah, these things happen.
39:34You start overthinking it.
39:36Yeah.
39:37So, as I say, unfortunately I failed it today but I'm quite sure you'll pass it another
39:43day and don't get disheartened about it.
39:45Just go home, have a bit of practice and come back and then we'll see how we got on from
39:51there.
39:52Well, that's us then.
39:53That's it.
39:54As autumn rolls on, daylight hours start to shrink.
40:12Scotland's climate is famously unpredictable, dominated by Atlantic winds sweeping wet and
40:18unstable conditions across the country.
40:22So when good weather comes, busy farmers have to juggle their plans to make the best of it.
40:29in farming you need a lot of skill, experience, knowledge, a good weather forecast, but most
40:35of all luck.
40:37North of Aberdeen, Martin's barley has reached the perfect moisture level.
40:44It's ready to harvest, but he's taken a gamble on the rain holding off.
40:49319.
40:51There we go.
40:52Martin, Mel and Erin have travelled 40 miles to a large sheep's sale.
40:56The weather's changed, there's my rain coming in tonight, so we need to get home and flutting
41:07out of Park and Barley, so we're just a bit of rushed.
41:09Mel could do it herself, but she likes me to be there just to make her second opinion.
41:13Don't you?
41:14Yeah, but I'm not stopping you from staying at home and come by then.
41:18No, no, I've never said, look at us, teeth are coming out.
41:23At least they know exactly what sort of sheep they're looking for, mules.
41:28What a mule adds is a cross between a black-faced yow and a blue-faced leicester tup, and you've
41:36got a black-faced yow which is really a hell sheep, not a lot of meat production out of the
41:41black face.
41:42Sheepies.
41:43And you've got a blue-faced leicester, which is nice and long and not the toughest, but
41:48you cross some and you get pretty much the ultimate female breeder.
41:54These ones are cheaper because they're towards the end of their reproductive lives.
41:57They're sold with broken-mouth and correct underneath, which means that they've lost some of their
42:02teeth, but the udder is good, so no mastitis and they should milk again.
42:07This year we're looking for about 250.
42:09This week me and Mel were in, we managed to pick up 40.
42:1262 pound average for 40 lives.
42:14That's good.
42:15Okay.
42:16All right.
42:17See you now?
42:18Yeah, I think so.
42:23The sale room is quiet today.
42:25I think with just the fine weather and everybody busy with the harvest up in our area, just missing
42:30a lot of buyers.
42:31So it could be a good day for us.
42:34Martin's hoping for a quick bargain and to get home to harvest the barley before it's
42:38too late.
42:39Chop the harlot.
42:40No.
42:41Nope.
42:42Let him go.
42:43But at £80 a head, this lot is too expensive.
42:46Somebody bid them to 80, we have them at 70.
42:47And the clock is ticking.
42:48I'm thinking of sheep and I think mine's thinking of barley.
42:49Are you?
42:50Yeah.
42:51Are you?
42:52Yeah.
42:53The next lot is 100 mules.
42:54Right, these ones.
42:55We bought sheep first, this guy last year.
42:56They did hell for well.
42:57So I'm keen to go back and buy him again.
43:02No.
43:03It's 100.
43:14Dead health I will, so I'm keen to go back and buy them again.
43:19No.
43:20It's 100.
43:24I paid 82 last year.
43:25I don't want to spend any now.
43:29Come on, chop a hammer.
43:35They've bought them.
43:37At £84 each, they've paid more than they wanted to,
43:41but they've got their sheep in the nick of time.
43:44Hello.
43:45Just be leaving the next ten minutes.
43:48I'll phone Dad in ten minutes and get a comment started.
43:50The weather forecast has changed.
43:53Now Martin has only five hours to bring in the barley
43:56before it's due to start raining.
43:59So what we'll do is head back.
44:01We'll pay for them, sort out haulage and head home.
44:04Cut some barley.
44:13In Fife on the east coast,
44:16buffalo farmer Stevie needs to move his old favourite 007 out of the shed.
44:22Go as that.
44:25Put the cows in there.
44:27And we'll bring 007 out the other way.
44:30It's like playing chess.
44:32You've got to juggle everything around.
44:36007 only got three out of 50 cows in calf last summer.
44:40We discovered that there was a problem with 007's testicles,
44:46which meant that one of them was shrunk much smaller than the other,
44:50a sign of some kind of infection set in.
44:52The vet does hope it's the sort of thing it might be able to recover,
44:55so he's very popular with everybody here on the farm.
44:59We're giving them as much time to recover as possible.
45:03We can't afford to have another mistake like last year
45:05where we had a whole pile of cows not in calf,
45:07so hopefully our new bull going in now
45:10will make sure that we have plenty of calves come next summer.
45:14The plan is to put 007 out in the fields
45:17with two heifers for company over the winter.
45:20Come on, boys. Come on, guys.
45:22Neither are in calf,
45:24so it's a chance to see if there's life in the old bull yet.
45:28We're going to give him a wee bit of compassionate grace
45:31and keep him on just now.
45:33We'll have to maybe reassess that next year.
45:37Come on, girls.
45:38Really hope that he recovers
45:39and can keep on breeding for another few years yet.
45:47With 007 safely out of the way,
45:50it's time to bring in the new bull Stevie picked out earlier.
45:54Hello, son.
45:55He was imported from Holland,
45:57providing the inspiration for his name.
46:00Heineken.
46:01Yes, that's your new name.
46:04Good boy.
46:05Off you come.
46:06Come on, then.
46:07Stevie's hoping Heineken
46:09can refresh the parts that 007 couldn't reach.
46:12Come on, boy.
46:18Come on.
46:19Turn around.
46:20Come on.
46:20Come on.
46:22How do it?
46:23Good boy.
46:24Good lad.
46:25The 23-month-old bull
46:27is still only half the weight he'll be
46:29when he's fully grown.
46:31The other cows will probably give him
46:32a bit of a hard time to start with.
46:33Most of these guys are actually heifers
46:38to be put in with.
46:40They're all intimidating him a little bit.
46:44They will settle down.
46:47He's a virgin,
46:48a virgin buffalo.
46:52So,
46:53yeah,
46:53I imagine he's just a little bit nervous
46:55maybe just now.
46:57They're almost embarrassing me.
46:58I'm putting myself back into his mindset.
47:00I certainly didn't get put in a room of 30.
47:06There's still a lot at stake for Stevie.
47:10He needs Heineken to do his job
47:12and quickly.
47:14But poor Heineken's getting pushed around.
47:17Easy now, easy.
47:20We need him to hit the ground running
47:21because all these guys
47:22are theoretically non-productive at the moment
47:24because they're not in calf.
47:26We just need to hope that
47:28he sorts his girls out
47:30and tells them who's boss
47:31and they make lots of happy babies.
47:36Easy now.
47:49On the Isle of Mull,
47:50Alistair's had some good news.
47:52I've got
47:54my certificate here.
48:00Got a
48:00nice letter
48:02saying
48:03well done, you passed.
48:05Got
48:06a wee certificate there.
48:09And
48:10a shiny little badge.
48:12Did you see that?
48:12I re-sat my shooting test
48:17because I messed up my first attempt.
48:21Yeah, so
48:22just looking forward to
48:23getting on with the job.
48:28Now he's got his certificate,
48:30Alistair can take over contracts
48:32worth up to £9,000 a year
48:34to manage deer on three estates.
48:36This is
48:37just a few little bits and pieces
48:39that I take out with me
48:40when I go out stalking.
48:41So I've got
48:42gloves
48:43and then I take
48:44a wee first aid kit with me.
48:47A couple of chocolate bars
48:48just in case.
48:50And that's
48:51pretty much it.
48:54Be careful.
48:56I do worry about him.
48:57I definitely worry about him.
48:59Especially as it's
49:00getting sort of an hour
49:01before darkness
49:02and I haven't heard anything.
49:04He's quite good.
49:04He knows I worry
49:05so the minute he's off the hill
49:07he contacts me
49:08and let me know
49:10everything's fine
49:11and he's just got
49:12to process the deer
49:13before he comes back.
49:15I've got him well trained.
49:17So far, we'll see.
49:21Normally
49:22Dreesh here
49:23would come out with me
49:25but he's got
49:27a little infection
49:28on his leg there
49:29so he's on
49:30vet's rest.
49:31deer have been eating
49:35new saplings
49:36in a managed forest
49:37on one of the estates
49:38so Alistair's job
49:40is to reduce
49:41their numbers.
49:41We're into a forestry section
49:49and it's commercial timber
49:51and looking to be
49:51replanted
49:52so the management
49:53plan here
49:54is to get rid
49:55of all the deer
49:55because they're eating
49:56all the trees
49:57that are being planted.
49:58I think
49:59the deer
50:00are just up here
50:00in the right hand corner
50:01and that's where
50:02they like to live
50:02so we're going to
50:04go up above them
50:05and then come down
50:05onto them.
50:06The plan is good
50:10there's only one hazard
50:13It's a machine
50:15working over there
50:16with people
50:16and things inside it
50:17so there's no way
50:18I can shoot anything
50:19in that direction
50:20it's just far too dangerous
50:22so we have to keep that
50:25in the back of our minds
50:26the whole time
50:27we're going about.
50:30Deer are hard to spot
50:31at the best of times
50:32without Dreesh
50:33and his acute sense of smell
50:35it's even harder.
50:38It's just so hard
50:39in here
50:40identifying
50:41what you're looking at
50:43there's so many
50:44little bits of wood
50:45that have got
50:46the different tones
50:46in them
50:47and the different shapes
50:48in them
50:48that you can see deer
50:51in everything
50:52and it's quite easy
50:57to stroll
50:57just past something
50:58and not see it
50:59until it starts running.
51:05and then
51:06some luck
51:08got two deer
51:13200 yards away from us
51:16they can see us
51:18but they're off
51:24it was quite a long way
51:28for a standing shot
51:30anyway
51:30although
51:32it would have been
51:32clean enough
51:33if she'd stood still
51:35we'll see if we can't
51:38catch her
51:39Alistair follows
51:46this time undercover
51:48I'll see if we can see
51:50this time undercover
51:50I'll see if we can see
51:51this time undercover
51:52Let's go.
52:22Let's go.
52:52It was net shot and it dropped instantly to the shot, so it's just somewhere over here in this general area.
53:02Alistair must find her before it gets too dark.
53:05This is where our German shorthair pointer at home is very good. He's a blood-tracking dog.
53:13But without Drish, he has to rely on his own senses, and time is running out.
53:18North of Aberdeen, Martin is also racing against the elements. The clouds are rolling in over his barley field.
53:31So we've raced back through the marked, and we've started cutting, and there's rain coming in tonight, so combines go in, bailers go in.
53:40With rain on its way, Martin and his brother Darren need to pull out all the stops.
53:46It's coming in at 15.5%, which is exceptional for this part of Scotland at this time of year.
53:52It's like bullets. So I'm not going to have to spend any more money on drying it because it's dry enough.
54:00We'll get into the shed.
54:02Barley is a valuable crop. Martin will use the straw to bed and feed his animals over the winter.
54:09The grain he can sell as animal feed to other farmers.
54:12So the straw is here. The grain then comes out the spook into the tractor and trailer. We'll take it back to the shed.
54:23Darren, he's baling, which is bunching up all this into a bale for bedding for Leah.
54:34This crop today is very important.
54:35There's not going to be a massive profit made off the barley, but we will have some feed for the cattle through the winter.
54:43Good straw for feeding or bedding.
54:46It's cost us 240 pound an acre to get it this far.
54:49It just makes a difference if you get the weather and the conditions to cut it and get it in in good conditions.
55:00Despite working against the clock and the weather,
55:03Martin's big gamble finally pays off.
55:10It's a bumper crop of 50 tonnes of grain, brought in just in time.
55:17I don't know if you can hear it, but it's just started raining.
55:23So we couldn't have timed that any better.
55:25Just as I was baling the last 10 bales, it started to spin, so it wasn't far away, but we're in the shed, we're dry.
55:32This cat that's baled, can't ask for any more on that, lucky.
55:38But it's, again, 15.5%, I won't have to spend no money on drying it, couldn't have got any better.
55:44At this time of year, I think we're punching beyond our weight, really.
55:48Good, happy, happy.
55:49In the west on Mull, Alistair's searching for the deer he's shot.
56:02Too deep.
56:03He has no dog, and it's nearly dark.
56:07But he's in luck.
56:10There she is.
56:12Straight there.
56:13There she is.
56:13I mean, it's a job.
56:21It's a job like any other.
56:23It's hard shooting them unless you've got in your mind the clear reasons that you're doing it.
56:28So in this case, it's for a management situation with the trees, where they're planting trees.
56:33And we can see right next to her, there are trees that have been planted and eaten off by, probably by her.
56:40And that's the problem with her being here.
56:44So that's why we're removing them.
56:46Open her up like a zipper.
56:47Alistair is paid a flat fee to control deer in the forest, but the venison is valuable to the estate.
56:54Come on, my girl.
56:56He must now process the carcass so that the meat can go into the food chain.
57:02At the larder...
57:04Help clean her off.
57:06Alistair can check on the all-important weight.
57:09Forty-two and a half.
57:13Well, they'll hang in the larder here till they go away, and then they'll go to another larder and hang, and then they'll be re-weighed again.
57:19And in that time, just through dehydration and things, they'll lose a bit of weight.
57:24So she'll be lighter by the time they weigh her to pay for her.
57:29It's taken Alistair eight hours to deliver just 40 kilos of venison into the food chain,
57:35and reduce the number of deer on the forestry land by one.
57:39He'll make £2,000 a year from this contract.
57:43A much-needed boost to the farm's economy.
57:46All a day's work for someone who does too many things.
57:50Hopefully Janet's got dinner on for me, and that's it.
58:00Next time...
58:02..stevie's buffalo show their wild side.
58:06Hey! Get back!
58:08The joys of working with an animal that's got such a weapon.
58:12It's the dating season at Janet and Alistair's.
58:16Very much matchmaking.
58:18Choosing the right yo for the right tups.
58:22And David is searching for his sheep, but takes a moment to reflect.
58:27There's not many views like that.
58:29It's absolutely stunning.
58:30There's not many views like that.
58:31There's not many views like that.
58:31There's not many views like that.
58:32There's not many views like that.
58:33There's not many views like that.
58:34There's not many views like that.
58:35There's not many views like that.
58:36There's not many views like that.
58:37There's not many views like that.
58:38There's not many views like that.
58:39There's not many views like that.
58:40There's not many views like that.
58:41There's not many views like that.
58:42There's not many views like that.
58:43There's not many views like that.
58:44There's not many views like that.
58:45There's not many views like that.
58:46There's not many views like that.
58:47There's not many views like that.
58:48There's not many views like that.
58:49There's not many views like that.
58:50There's not many views like that.
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