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Documentary, This Farming Life S02E02
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
#Farming

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 autumn. Nature is beginning to wind down.
01:15But for Scotland's farmers, the hard work never stops.
01:19It's one of the busiest times of the year.
01:22The days are getting shorter.
01:23We've still got 400 ewes to get off the hill.
01:26The cows are still to come in.
01:30There's just a whole lot of stuff around the farm we just need to get done.
01:34Appin, on the west coast of Scotland.
01:45A rugged landscape of heather clad hills, stretching for miles.
01:50To thrive on this rough upland terrain, you need hardy livestock.
01:55And resilient farmers.
01:57What a nice day. Nice colours.
02:00Sandra and David Colthart run a traditional hill farm.
02:05They keep cattle and sheep, but for much of the year roam freely over 3,000 acres.
02:11Today, they're rounding up a group of ewes.
02:15The mating season, or tupping time, is fast approaching.
02:20So the ewes need to be brought in off the hills for a health check.
02:24Well, we're hoping that we're going to get our little puckle of sheep in.
02:28If the dogs do what they're told, that will be a bonus.
02:31What are you barking at?
02:34Stupid dog.
02:35Silly dog.
02:36Wait. Wait.
02:41In September, it's been terrible because of a lot of rain and mist.
02:45So when the weather does come good, then you've got a blitz of stuff you have to do
02:48and everyone's wanting to get things done.
02:50On a hill farm, livestock are truly free-range.
02:54Farmers spend many hours rounding up their sheep.
02:57It's known as a gather.
02:59With so much ground to cover, the task would be impossible
03:03without the help of a farmer's best friend.
03:06David has Chance, and I have June.
03:09Chance can be extremely stubborn when he wants to,
03:12but he's a very good dog, good stamina.
03:15June, she's a bit of a novice on the hill, but she's been used for trials
03:19and she's done quite well at trials.
03:21They're like our kids, these dogs, though, really, so...
03:24Kind of silly, because we don't have any kids, so...
03:26These are the babies.
03:29Working sheep in a field is one thing, but out on a hill,
03:33the dogs must first find the sheep, a skill that takes years to learn.
03:38Some dogs will really only go out and get sheep if they can see them,
03:42but our dogs have to learn to put their nose to the ground
03:44and keep casting out until it actually comes across the sheep.
03:48Once you have a good hill dog, you never part with them,
03:51because they get to know their job.
03:53You can fix your bike, you can replace your tractor and your car,
03:56but you cannot replace a good hill dog.
03:59Look.
04:00That's our command, to look for sheep. Look.
04:09Chance and June have found the sheep.
04:11Lie down, Chance. Stay there.
04:13Now Sandra and David need to deploy some human teamwork.
04:17Sandra's going down here.
04:19I'm going up to this part up here,
04:22and I'll go down the ridge.
04:24Sandra will walk parallel with me,
04:26and she'll keep an eye that I'm not going too far forward,
04:29because the sheep are quite prone at nipping back to it between us.
04:32Chance. Salut. Come on.
04:34We've got the s'more in the middle and mull in the background.
04:46It's nice to see it when you can't see it,
04:48and it is a beautiful view.
04:53Sandra's pushing the sheep from below.
04:55Just wait there!
04:57If they don't want to lose them,
04:59David will have to put down the camera and focus on his flock.
05:13In the southwest of Scotland,
05:15the Rowan family has been raising and milking cows
05:18on these rolling coastal hills since 1898.
05:23The sixth generation of this dairy dynasty,
05:26brothers Stuart and Stephen Rowan,
05:28run two neighbouring farms with their dad, Derek.
05:36We all work together.
05:37We're all running the dairy business.
05:39We're running on two separate farms.
05:42They're close enough to share machinery,
05:47but yet far enough apart for each family to have their own space,
05:52do their own thing and make most of their own day-to-day decisions.
05:59Stephen and wife Tracey run their share of the family business
06:03from their farm Borland of Colvend.
06:07And their children, Andrew Seven and Lucy Five,
06:10are already showing signs of keeping up the family tradition.
06:13I would disappear for hours,
06:15playing on the farm with my sister and brother,
06:16and it was great upbringing.
06:17It was brilliant.
06:18Absolutely brilliant.
06:19I loved it.
06:20Total freedom.
06:21And so it's nice to know my kids have got the same.
06:25This is Andrew and Lucy's supposedly outdoor farm.
06:28Oh, he's got some beef cows in there.
06:43He's got some dairy cows in this field.
06:46Andrew is, yeah, born and bred farmer.
06:49Better not stand on his hens.
06:51He's got some cock crawls.
06:53I think he gets Lucy's sister to come in and, like, be the gopher and help.
06:56Oh, that's it.
06:57He rents fields out to Lucy because she has horses.
07:00I can see some horses over here.
07:02Aye, there's some horses.
07:06I'm not always that happy with the horses on the farm.
07:10I mainly put them in fields away from the farm.
07:14I like cows more than sheep and horses.
07:18Andrew is about to put his passion into practice
07:21as the whole family gears up for the South West Scotland Dairy Show.
07:26So we'll look out what class Andrew's in.
07:30Tracy is the show secretary.
07:32She helps to organise the event.
07:34But it's also a chance for the family to compete
07:37and show off their best animals.
07:40This year, Andrew will be competing with three-month-old calf, Bliss.
07:46Dad Stephen is getting her ready for the big event.
07:48At the moment, I've left the hair on our top line
07:54and I've also left the belly hair on the calf.
07:58It's just helping to make the calf look as deep as possible.
08:04Stephen's also sprucing up his own prize hopeful.
08:07Three-year-old Pedigree Holstein, peachy.
08:10She's got quite a bit of venation in her udder,
08:15especially up the back of her udder.
08:18And you're looking for that udder to be well attached,
08:21this centre ligament.
08:22You want a good strong ligament for the attachment
08:25and that would point to the cow going to last a long time.
08:28You have to be quite a strong-willed person to do farming
08:36and to work with your husband full-time.
08:38But it's good. It's good. It's a nice way of life.
08:42So we're just shaving her udder with really fine clippers
08:50to make the veins show up as much as possible.
08:57She's got a good frame, she's got a good, deep-open body.
09:02She's looking quite good there.
09:04You never talk so fondly about me when you do about your cows.
09:09It's not just about looks.
09:11It's how you handle your cow in the ring.
09:15Hold on tight.
09:16And with nearly 23 stone of boisterous heifer to handle,
09:20it's nowhere near as easy as it looks.
09:23You need a good strong arm.
09:24You need to put a bit of sort of weight,
09:27a bit of tension on the rope just to keep their head up.
09:31Hold on tight. That's it.
09:33On you go.
09:34You take the arm.
09:35No, you're fine. On you go.
09:36Look, I can't do the big bump.
09:37Right, I'll take her when she goes to the step.
09:40Like a new take arm.
09:41That's it.
09:47No, it's great from my point of view
09:49that Andrew is showing an interest.
09:51I mean, obviously, it's not to say that he's definitely
09:53going to farm when he's older,
09:55but certainly at the moment it definitely looks that way.
09:58It means all the work that my grandfather and father
10:02put in and the work that I'm putting in,
10:04that's all sort of carrying on.
10:08No, that's very important to us as a farming family.
10:11He's come on a lot.
10:17He had a wee, kind of, wobble last night,
10:19but Stephen gave him a pep talk
10:21just about having his confidence,
10:23and I think it's really helped.
10:25Hopefully, it'll be all right in the night, as the saying goes.
10:29We've got a little dirty nose.
10:31Put them back across, Sandra.
10:45In Argyle, some misbehaving sheep
10:48are threatening the smooth running of David and Sandra's gather.
10:52Domino effect.
10:53The ones that are out of sight of us will start moving.
10:56The ones that see them will start moving and go forward.
10:59The sheep are still scattered all over the hillside.
11:03They are not daft.
11:05There's ones down here that are trying to get into the trees.
11:08Hopefully, chance will see them and turn them back round.
11:11The dogs are doing their jobs perfectly.
11:14Chance, that'll do.
11:16And after 27 years together,
11:19David and Canadian-born Sandra are an efficient team.
11:25It's way there at the moment, Sandra.
11:27The couple met at a pub
11:29when Sandra was in Scotland visiting relatives.
11:34I remember the thing that struck me the most about David
11:37when he gave me a ride back down to the Croft that night.
11:41He had this little diary in the console of his car
11:45so I jokingly said,
11:47oh, what's this, a little diary full of women?
11:50And he picked it up and he said,
11:51no, it's all my lambing dates.
11:52And I was like, oh, that's so sweet.
11:55So I was like, oh, I think I kind of like this guy.
11:57He's not like anybody I've ever met before.
12:00Lie down, Chance. Lie down.
12:03Yeah, seem to be mostly here, hopefully.
12:06So we'll just go down and take them into the yard.
12:09Lie down.
12:11Good girl.
12:12Once in the fang, or handling pen,
12:14the job is to separate the older ewes from the younger ones.
12:19You just tell me what you want me to do,
12:20that's what you always do anyway.
12:22Exactly.
12:24The older ewes will be sent off for sale.
12:28The remaining sheep are next year's breeding ewes,
12:31so they're given an extra dose of nutrients
12:33to get them in tip-top shape for tupping.
12:37There's your vitamins for the year.
12:39Have that rammed down your throat.
12:41It's a slow release.
12:42It sits in their stomach.
12:45The sheep are marked in a process called keeling.
12:48It helps identify at a distance which farm the sheep belong to.
12:53This is a messy job on the farm.
12:57Put the stock mark on.
12:58And if you're short of lipstick.
13:00Yeah.
13:02You want me to put a wee of lipstick on you?
13:03Yeah.
13:05People think sheep are stupid, but they're actually really smart.
13:08And they know people's faces as well.
13:10Yeah.
13:12When I'm in a field and I've got sheep that I've been training a bit with my dogs,
13:16I'll go out and the sheep will run up and they'll look straight up into my face
13:20and they recognise me and they feel safe with me
13:21because they know I'll never let anything happen to them
13:23and never allow my dogs to grip them or be rough with them.
13:27Come on, girls.
13:29So, yeah, they're very smart.
13:33The girls are keen to get back to the hills.
13:35Take your time. Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa.
13:51They're meant to take their time.
13:52They're keen.
14:02In the Highlands, in the far north-east of Scotland...
14:06Beautiful day.
14:08Autumn is harvest time for Crofters Robin and Penny Calvert.
14:11Well, we've been married 40 years, just about now.
14:17And so we've been doing this sort of thing off and on,
14:20depending on what else we've been doing, right the way through.
14:24It's one of the things that's always given us a little pleasure is,
14:27you know, getting our own food out of the ground.
14:29Well, we have our ups and downs, but we do argue.
14:33No, we don't.
14:35Yes, we do.
14:36No, we don't.
14:37There you go.
14:38There you go.
14:43Sorry, Mac.
14:45Robin and Penny moved here 25 years ago,
14:48taking on a disused croft,
14:50a type of smallholding unique to the Highlands and Islands of Scotland.
14:55Look out!
14:57Look out, Mac.
14:59Through sheer hard graft, they've turned 110 acres of rough land
15:03into a fully working croft that now supplies them with most of their food
15:08and helps support a small butchery business that sells meat and pies.
15:13Their main source of income is from their 23 Highland cattle.
15:19Job that gate, and when they come through.
15:22The Highlanders thrive outside.
15:24A lot of folk will say with the Highlands, you just put them on rough ground
15:26and they'll do well.
15:27They don't.
15:28They survive.
15:29If you treat Highlanders well and look after them
15:31and give them plenty of grub during the winter and things,
15:34they do very nicely indeed.
15:36Come on, in you go.
15:37Grab that gate, Pen.
15:38You need a lot of hands on a job like this, really.
15:40Ideally.
15:41Whoa!
15:42Bloody.
15:43Get back.
15:44Unfortunately, being single-handed crafting with my wife,
15:47who's not as able as she used to be,
15:49she does what she can.
15:50It can be quite tricky.
15:51Come on.
15:54That's it, Pen.
15:55Right, that's fine.
15:56Right, that's them.
15:57OK, I've got to go down and get the rest now.
16:03Today, Robin's gathering in the herd,
16:05known as a fold, for a routine TB test.
16:12Bovine TB, or tuberculosis,
16:14is a contagious and potentially deadly disease,
16:17though it's rare in Scotland.
16:19The TB tests are basically a public health requirement.
16:26I suppose, basically, it's a government insurance that we pay for.
16:31Whoa!
16:32Free-range Highland cattle like robins usually rub along well together.
16:36Ginger, you're a horrible thing.
16:38Shh, shh, shh, shh, shh, shh.
16:39Come on, get off.
16:40Come on.
16:41But when put together in close quarters,
16:43they'll fight to establish a pecking order,
16:45bullying the weakest, like 15-year-old Misey.
16:49Hey!
16:50Come on.
16:51Come on, Misey.
16:52Misey, Misey, Misey, come on.
16:54Oh.
16:57Problem over.
17:01They don't like her.
17:02And, er, they seem to be bullying her a bit in there,
17:05so it'd be as well to just keep them apart from each other at the moment.
17:08Right, I'd better go and find the vet, and we'll see what's happening.
17:13Local vet Paul Morrison will be taking on the task of TB testing.
17:18Whoa!
17:19Cautiously.
17:21Testing these things with horns is not the easiest.
17:24I think you know what's going on here.
17:26Highlands are nice in the field, but working with them's hard work.
17:30I'm never quite sure when one's going to poke you in the back.
17:33Get up.
17:34Oh, get one.
17:36Yeah, you've got to keep your wits about you all the time
17:37when you're handling cattle like this.
17:40Whoa!
17:41That'll do. We've got one.
17:45I'm a bit wary about coming in here.
17:47First, they need to get them into the race, or cattle restraint.
17:51Go on, you can do it. You can do it. Go on.
17:53Go on, get your head through.
17:55Getting four feet wide horns through a 20-inch restraint requires a bit of skill.
18:01No, it's going to be a rope job.
18:04She'll come.
18:05Let me see if I get one handle through. I think the rest will come.
18:11Come on.
18:12She's through.
18:13She's through, Paul.
18:18Oh, Paul grabbed the lock.
18:19She's done it.
18:20Has she closed it?
18:21Yeah.
18:22Not quite.
18:23It's done.
18:24Is it?
18:25Whoosh.
18:26Whoosh.
18:27I've got a tiny little amount of tuberculin today.
18:29And we come back in three days' time and just see if there's been a reaction to it.
18:34Go on, Mary.
18:35Out you go.
18:36No, not backwards, you deaf cow.
18:37That way.
18:40Come on.
18:42Poor old Misey is the last in.
18:45Come on, Misey.
18:46You can do it.
18:47I know you've had a tough morning, but you can do it.
18:48Get up there.
18:49Come on.
18:50Come on.
18:51Up you go.
18:52Up you go.
18:53There's a girl.
18:54Come on.
18:55There's a girl.
18:56Yep.
18:57There you go.
18:59Perfection.
19:00She's actually got to the stage.
19:01She's a total pain, this cow.
19:03You bring everybody else up from the wood, you've got to spend half an hour going looking
19:06for him.
19:07Why have you still got her?
19:09Sentimental.
19:11I'm not going to answer that.
19:12You know, she was one of the first ones we had and she didn't tell me a penny and
19:16she's been a good old cow, you know.
19:18And what do we do with her?
19:19You know, she's here till she's finished.
19:25Well, out you go.
19:26Good girl.
19:28Go on, you geriatric ruin.
19:33Have you time for a coffee?
19:34Er, no, probably not really.
19:35No, thanks anyway.
19:36Right, we'll leave you to.
19:37If you want to wash your blokes up, there's a bin just by the kitchen window.
19:39All right.
19:40Okey doke.
19:41Thanks Paul.
19:42Bye.
19:43Cheers then.
19:44Cheers now.
19:45Thanks a lot.
19:46Right, we'll just have a tidy up here.
19:47The TB results should come back in three days.
19:50Look back, Meg.
19:51Look back, Meg.
19:53Now if the result, for whatever reason, proves positive, in other words we've got a problem
20:00within the fold, that triggers all sorts of horrible things that we don't want to discuss at this point.
20:07I'm not expecting it, but if by chance we did have a problem within the fold, that would put us into complete shutdown.
20:14On the Isle of Mull, in the Inner Hebrides, new entrances, during the fold.
20:32On the Isle of Mull, in the Inner Hebrides, new entrant farmers Janet and Alistair Taylor
20:45are trying to stay on top of the endless list of autumn tasks.
20:52So in the autumn it can be quite a busy time for us.
20:55We've got lambs to go to sale.
20:57So there's a lot to do, and it's quite a high-pressure time to get ready for the year ahead.
21:03Janet and Alistair rent a 700-acre farm on the south of the island,
21:07where they rear sheep and a handful of cattle.
21:11The couple were hired hands before taking on their own farm five years ago.
21:16They started with nothing.
21:19No farm, no animals, and no cash.
21:23We went to the bank for all of our money.
21:25We managed to agree great deals with local farmers and friends for buying stock,
21:31so that really saved us.
21:34It was really hard, and it nearly broke Janet and I,
21:38not as a couple, but just broke our spirits and our passion for farming.
21:42Hello, Bria!
21:43So many tears, so much heartache, so much trouble, but we got there.
21:51We got there.
21:52Today, they're bringing in their lambs to get them ready to sell.
21:58Heel.
21:58Bad.
21:59Helping them are four of their nine dogs.
22:02Sit down!
22:03We used to have a running joke that every time someone suggested we had kids,
22:08we got another dog.
22:10Lie down, shop.
22:11That'll do, bud.
22:12But now that's getting out of hand, so we'd better stop buying dogs.
22:16And just like kids, not all the dogs are well-behaved.
22:19Come here, Bria!
22:20That'll do!
22:23Come here!
22:24Bria!
22:25Come here!
22:27You!
22:30Janet and Alistair depend on paid contract work and subsidies to make ends meet.
22:36But the annual lamb sale is the only time they can make money from their livestock.
22:42So it's time for a makeover.
22:43We'll pop them into the U-bend.
22:48We'll see if there's any dirty tails.
22:50They run the lambs through a curved handling pen, also known as a race.
22:55Sheep are easier to manage and move when they can't see ahead of them.
23:01These ones are actually all all right, because their tails have all dried up,
23:05so it's all dry shit that's on it.
23:07I'm just going to tidy it up a wee bit, so it doesn't look quite so bad.
23:10The tail trim needs a steady hand.
23:14Yeah.
23:18This one that should be worried about it, don't want to slip and cut it.
23:24Shaping her, making her look pretty.
23:27Oi!
23:30You're disappearing.
23:32You stop jumping.
23:35I don't know if you can make this arse look pretty.
23:40Eating too many curries, boy.
23:44Yeah.
23:46Right.
23:48Done.
23:50And now will be the job of sorting them out into their different lots.
23:54Here you go.
23:55And that.
23:56These six-month-old lambs, known as store lambs,
23:59will be sold on to other farmers to be fattened up for meat.
24:03When they go to auction, they'll be sold in batches,
24:06ideally of equal size.
24:08The idea is that you're putting in the best lambs all in together
24:13and the slightly poorer lambs all in together.
24:17Nice big lambs.
24:19We want the buyers to see the nice big lambs
24:21and not be drawn to the little lambs that don't quite fit in the group.
24:25This pen down here, looking at it, is almost the small pen.
24:28For every lamb that doesn't make the grade,
24:31there's another who's upwardly mobile.
24:34Come on, boy.
24:35Come on, you're getting promoted.
24:36Janet and Alistair's hopes for profit ride on one group.
24:43This is our top draw.
24:44This is the one that hopefully makes the most amount of money per head,
24:47so it's very important to us.
24:49This is the only point that this farm actually produces any money for us
24:54is when we sell the lambs.
24:57It's really frightening, actually,
25:00because a bad sale is really bad.
25:04It affects everything.
25:05It affects everything for the next year.
25:08Over six months of hard work
25:10has gone into getting their lambs to this point,
25:12but they still have to get their sheep off the island.
25:15Now the couple have to hope the weather and the markets are on their side.
25:21Back down in Dumfries and Galloway,
25:31dairy farmers the Rowans are also hoping their hard work will pay off.
25:36I think I'm even over-adventure trying to fit this in the car.
25:39It's the South West Scotland Dairy Show,
25:42and Team Rowan is mobilising.
25:44Yeah, it's quite nerve-wracking and certainly competitive.
25:50It's always a step into the unknown when you take an animal to a show.
26:00The dairy show is held every autumn in Castle Douglas.
26:04It's a local event where farmers come together to show off their best cows.
26:10Three-year-old Peachy and young calf Bliss
26:13are getting their final touches before they take to the stage.
26:18It's something I very much enjoy,
26:20getting your stock ready for a show.
26:23It's not just about producing milk.
26:25We're trying to breed a herd of cows that we're really proud of.
26:29It's a bit of a shop window, if you like.
26:31You can show other farmers the type of stock that you're breeding.
26:36The cattle aren't the only ones to scrub up well.
26:39Grandad Derek is here to make sure dairy show traditions are kept up in style.
26:45Holstein cattle, the handlers dress up in white,
26:49the way Brooke is here,
26:51the way Stephen's got below his boiler suit now.
26:54And Andrew's got his whites on.
26:57White is not the most practical colour,
26:59but it looks really smart.
27:01Let's see what that's like.
27:02It's something that's always nice to see at the shows as youngsters taking calves.
27:12I took some calves to shows when I was young as well.
27:16It's something I always remember
27:18and something that probably started off my interest in that side of things.
27:22Well, you're always a bit apprehensive till you see how things are going,
27:28but it's obviously, you're quite proud to see them doing it.
27:33It's time for Andrew to go into the ring.
27:36This is the junior calf class, heppercal, to be born in 2016.
27:44So we have two classes from junior and senior.
27:47The judge is looking for form, cleanliness and grooming in the calf
27:52and good showmanship from the handler.
27:58But the young calf is playing up.
28:07It's okay, it's okay, we'll get it again.
28:09Are you okay?
28:10We'll get it.
28:10You're okay.
28:11Good boy.
28:12Come on, you're doing really well.
28:13Come on, you're coming with me.
28:14Come with me.
28:15The heart kind of weighed there.
28:18I've got an elbow.
28:19I could hear it.
28:20You're okay.
28:22Good boy.
28:24It'll be good now.
28:25You keep a tight hold.
28:26Good boy.
28:27You better just run away again.
28:29Come on, you just remember.
28:31I just run away again.
28:32No, it won't.
28:33If you're confident, remember, confidence.
28:36A pep talk from Dad and Andrew's back in the game.
28:42Oh, he's doing well.
28:43Yeah, he is.
28:44I know he looks very happy, though.
28:47He's got a wee fright.
28:48But no, he's got to learn.
28:51So, yeah.
28:52Okay.
28:59The calf's just playing up a wee bit.
29:01He'll get there, though, hopefully.
29:04I just told him to make sure the calf knows that he's the boss.
29:08The judge has made his final decision.
29:13Okay, we're going to finish.
29:14We're going to comment.
29:16Brian needs to listen.
29:17And then it's up for the point.
29:20Brian needs to listen.
29:21APPLAUSE
29:21Andrew takes third place.
29:26Well done, Andrew.
29:27Yeah.
29:27All right.
29:29Everybody, we'll see you again.
29:32Give him a card once.
29:34Yeah, I'll help you.
29:36Come on.
29:36You're coming with me.
29:43Cindy got quite a nasty knock.
29:45I think he's done remarkably well.
29:46And it was a big class.
29:48So, do you know, no, I'm pretty proud of him.
29:52You did so well.
29:54You did a wee bump.
29:56You're so crazy.
29:57You're burning.
29:58What did we get?
30:00Oh!
30:02So, what's that?
30:02You've got £20, and what are we going to spend that on?
30:07Tractors!
30:09And to top it all, Stephen seals Team Rowan's success with first place for Peachy.
30:15First place, I just think, shows tremendous ring presence and cleanliness throughout.
30:19We can clean her through her neck, clean her down through her brisket, showing great youthfulness in her udder.
30:23It makes it a bit more worthwhile when you're sort of standing higher up the class.
30:33Yeah, no, it's really good.
30:34I'm just fair chuffed.
30:35Autumn is a time when farmers take advantage of the last good weather to prepare for winter.
30:48And in Argyle, hill farmer David has a rather fragrant task to undertake.
30:54The cattle will soon need to come in, but while they're out enjoying the last of the warm weather, David can access the empty sheds.
31:07And what lies beneath?
31:11Slurry.
31:11Each pen has a set number of cows, and all the dung that's produced from them falls in below the slats, into a ten-foot tank below.
31:23And the agitator just mixes it up into a kind of soup-like substance that is easy to put out in the fields.
31:30The slurry from last year has settled at the bottom of the tank, and needs to be mixed up before being spread on the fields.
31:37Which sounds harmless, but is far from it.
31:41When the agitation is going on, it produces hydrogen sulfide, which is a very dangerous gas.
31:47Especially when we first start mixing it at the start of the season, when it's been settled for a while.
31:52So I have a gas detector, which I wear, and that protects me from getting overcome with the gas.
32:01Very fragrant.
32:04I'm not allowed into the house without actually stripping all the stuff down, because I stink.
32:11Once the slurry has been mixed, it becomes a natural fertilizer to put on fields.
32:18A job that needs good weather, and a thumping soundtrack.
32:22The slurry is like a high-powered nutrition that will just kind of give the grass a shot in the arm, just to get a last wee boost before the frost starts.
32:49it's nice and dry
32:53the ground conditions are good
32:55and hopefully 40 or 50 loads
32:58may well go over the next few days
33:00just having fun, enjoying the radio
33:04and booming along
33:05while David gets spreading
33:10hey buddy
33:13sheepdog trainer Sandra is trying out
33:16five month old puppy, Snip
33:17shut that over
33:19I think they're a bit jealous
33:21Snip is her youngest collie
33:25but Sandra has high hopes
33:27he'll have a stellar career as a sheepdog
33:29his great great grandfather
33:32Snip was one of my first dogs
33:34and one of the best dogs I've ever had
33:35so I decided I would
33:37like to have another one like that
33:38so I'm hoping that he's going to live up to his name
33:41well so far he seems to be
33:43doing okay
33:45some pups will really make a mess
33:49they'll run through the sheep
33:49and take a hold with their teeth
33:51and pull chunks of wool out
33:52and scatter the sheep all over the field
33:54they think it's great fun
33:55good boy
33:58good boy
34:00see I can't put any commands on him
34:03because he doesn't know anything
34:04his instincts are just keep the sheep to the handler
34:08basically
34:10good boy
34:12that's how his grandfather
34:14his great grandfather started out as well
34:16it can take up to four years for a sheepdog to reach its prime
34:20to get to the end of this rope
34:22come here
34:23I've been training sheepdogs for about 25 years now
34:28lots of things can go wrong
34:30when you take them out to sheep for the first time
34:32they won't listen to you at all
34:33it's a job that needs patience
34:35commitment
34:36and a sense of humour
34:38there we go
34:39that was fun
34:40oh shoot
34:41ah
34:42yep
34:44that was my fault
34:45flippery rope
34:49come here
34:49come here buddy
34:50come here
34:51come here
34:51oh
34:53oh no
34:55that's awful
34:56yeah this is where the fun starts right
35:00catch him
35:02stand on his rope
35:04I got you
35:05right
35:06good boy
35:08the rope was slippery
35:09slipped right out of my hand
35:10there he's wanting to go again
35:13he's basically showing that
35:16he wants to go around and keep them together
35:19which is good
35:20and he's balancing them to me
35:22which is also good
35:24oh that good lad
35:26he's so cute
35:30if he's anything like his great great grandfather
35:34well
35:35he's a good trial dog
35:36and I did quite well with him
35:38so
35:38here's hoping that he's going to follow
35:41with his paw prints basically
35:42his paw steps
35:43Maggie
35:51over
35:52over
35:53good girl
35:53right
35:55I want one
35:56150 miles away
35:58in the far north
36:00Highland crofter Robin
36:01is having better luck
36:03with his trusty sidekick
36:04Meg
36:05on you go
36:07on you go
36:07on you go
36:08good girl
36:09hold it there
36:09hold it there
36:10that's immobilised now
36:13and then we'll turn her over
36:14have a look at her feet
36:19there's no two ways about it
36:25half the reason I've got these on here
36:26this year
36:26is just keep the dog happy
36:27because without her sheep
36:29she wouldn't have an awful lot to do
36:30you know
36:31apart from the cattle
36:31leave it
36:35it's been three days
36:40since Robin's cattle
36:41had their TB test
36:42the results have come in
36:44well it's Friday afternoon
36:47we had the vet out again this morning
36:49we had fortunately a clear TB test
36:54no problems there
36:56so we're all quite happy with that
36:58now both he and Penny
37:00can concentrate on gearing up
37:02for the winter ahead
37:03absolutely fabulous day
37:06first real hard frost we've had
37:08getting all the scotch mist
37:11coming up like fleet there
37:12over the years
37:17Robin's worked hard
37:19to clear and improve
37:20his 110 acres
37:21but he's also kept around
37:2440 acres as woodland
37:26which makes the croft
37:27more self-sufficient
37:28right this is just
37:30making use of
37:31fallen birch timber
37:32and this was a big tree
37:34that came down a few weeks ago
37:35and this will be used for
37:37putting on the raven at home
37:39this stuff has kept us going
37:41for 24-25 years now
37:44in bits and pieces
37:46various ravens
37:47keeping them going
37:47and it's an excellent fuel
37:50it's there for the use
37:52it's part of the croft economy
37:53as far as we're concerned
37:54it's saving us having to buy
37:57the stuff in
37:57I mean that's what
37:58half an hour's cutting there
37:59and that will keep us going
38:01for about half and four days
38:02which gives us all
38:04our heating
38:05all our hot water
38:08and the majority of the cooking
38:11it's called crofting
38:25you either take on
38:28crofting the whole hog
38:29or you just don't do it
38:30yes we've created everything
38:35that we've got here
38:36started with just being
38:39a patch of nettles
38:40and rushes
38:42there weren't any fences
38:44all the fences were due
38:45to be replaced
38:46so Robin has actually
38:47put in every single fence
38:49he's built the gates
38:52and he's built the gates
38:54to fit the contours
38:55of the hill
38:56he's done that
38:57with all the gates
38:58they all fit exactly
38:59so he's quite a precision artist
39:03at the point
39:03we moved into the house
39:12in 1992
39:13and we came over here
39:15just before Christmas
39:16and it was snowing
39:19then we got into the house
39:21to find that the water was frozen
39:25there was no electric
39:26there was no telephone
39:28and so we cooked stews
39:30on the feet fire
39:31and sat on the sofa
39:33and it was just delightful
39:35we had plenty of candles
39:36and we didn't care a bit
39:38and it was like that
39:40for three days
39:4125 years of hard work
39:44have gone into turning
39:45disused land
39:46into the productive
39:47craft they have today
39:48right
39:50tea break
39:51but six years ago
39:55Penny began to struggle
39:56with the workload
39:57we're getting there
39:59I actually gave up
40:03my teaching
40:03back in 2011
40:04my work was getting
40:06slower and slower
40:06and I had to
40:08just call a halt
40:09I hadn't worked out
40:10I hadn't even thought
40:11about Parkinson's then
40:12and it was
40:13another three years
40:14before it was diagnosed
40:15but I was getting
40:18really tired then
40:19so I just had to stop
40:21I think if you've got
40:25something wrong with you
40:25you've just got to
40:26grin and bear it
40:27work out what your
40:27limits are
40:28and just get on with it
40:32I've still got my
40:36motivation and
40:37motability
40:38I sleep a lot
40:42I have to take a
40:4440 minute kip
40:46after lunch
40:47but I can usually
40:49recharge
40:50and it's a funny thing
40:52that if you feel like
40:53putting your feet up
40:54the best way around
40:56that is to go for a walk
40:57or unload some timber
40:58because it's the
41:01circulation which is
41:02slowing your body down
41:03so you keep the
41:04circulation going
41:05and you feel a lot
41:07better
41:08while Parkinson's is incurable
41:11for now staying active is
41:13key for Penny
41:14which is just as well
41:16as work on a croft
41:17never stops
41:18I've got the hens to feed
41:21and fill up their water
41:22and the door's set clean
41:25because it's got hens in my hand
41:27never leave a rake upside down
41:32I know to the detriment
41:35in my face
41:35over on the Isle of Mull
41:48it's a big day for new farmers
41:50Janet and Alistair
41:51who are on their way to sell
41:53their lambs
41:53luckily
41:55the weather is on their side
41:57and the ferry
41:58is on time
41:59on board
42:0259 sail lambs
42:04three dogs
42:05and two nervous farmers
42:07at least we're lucky
42:08Janet
42:09because there's no point
42:10in stressing about
42:11whether or not
42:11we're going to get good prices
42:12because by now
42:13it's too late
42:13we're going today
42:14and that's it
42:15because we live on the island here
42:19and it costs so much in time
42:21and money
42:23to go off the island
42:24when we go to the sail
42:25there's no choice
42:26other than sell the lambs
42:28they reached Dalmali auction
42:41in good time
42:42giving Alistair the chance
42:44to suss out
42:45any potential competition
42:46when you look around
42:51ours look less bedrangled
42:53I'm really happy
42:56with the way they're looking
42:57having had them in
42:59over nights
43:00and the last day
43:01they're looking very fluffy
43:02and very dry
43:03so it makes them look fuller
43:04and they stuffed themselves
43:05with silage last night
43:07so they're still looking
43:08reasonably full this morning
43:10a buzz at the ringside
43:15is what every seller hopes for
43:16but lamb prices have been
43:18in a slump
43:19for the last two years
43:20and today
43:21trade is slow
43:23once they factor in
43:25the costs of raising
43:26the lambs
43:27and getting them to market
43:28they'll need an average
43:29of £35 per sheep
43:31to make even a small profit
43:33how much?
43:40£19.50
43:41£19.50
43:42£19.50
43:43£25.50
43:44£25.50
43:45£25.50
43:46£25.50
43:47trade's not great
43:48in the south west
43:59the rosettes
44:00and show whites
44:01are packed away
44:02and it's back to business
44:04for dairy farmers
44:05the Rowan family
44:06come on
44:12come on
44:14their dairy cows
44:16need milking
44:17and today
44:18it's Tracey's turn
44:19to round them up
44:20go on girls
44:25in you go
44:26come on
44:26I always remember
44:29when Stephen trained to me
44:30he was like
44:31if you remember anything
44:32always remember to
44:33put your milk pipe
44:35across into the tank
44:36because you
44:37this is what basically
44:39carries the milk through
44:40into here
44:42if I didn't put this over
44:44the milk would just
44:45run out into the ground
44:46and that would be it going
44:47and yeah
44:49that would be disastrous
44:50major
44:51major
44:52oh and what could you do
44:53sack me
44:53I may get a break
44:58if you did
44:58get a wee holiday
45:00right
45:02let's rock and roll
45:03everything's running on the back
45:13it's like a hoover
45:13it needs suction
45:14so think like a breast pump
45:16basically
45:17it takes on average
45:19three and a half hours
45:20to milk the entire herd
45:21twice a day
45:23every day
45:24cows are just like us women
45:26they're just kind of built the same
45:27we all come in different shapes and sizes
45:29and we produce milk
45:30pedigree holsteins can produce up to eight and a half thousand litres of milk a year
45:36that's 41 pints a day per cow
45:39it's these girls that keep our bread and butter
45:44keep our roof over our heads
45:45so like
45:46if we didn't have these girls
45:47we wouldn't have what we have
45:49tonight there was
45:592165 kilos
46:03that was off of 167 cows
46:07oh it's probably fairly average
46:09once the cows are shot in
46:10during the day
46:11they'll produce more milk
46:14it's intensive work
46:16especially when the most the family will make is two pence per litre
46:20milk prices have hit farmers hard
46:23half of british dairy farmers
46:26have gone out of business in the past 15 years
46:28the milk price is a huge thing for us
46:32it is a worry
46:32it does annoy me
46:35when you see the price of a two litre jug
46:37and you think that's just giving it a wee
46:38you need to be resilient to be a dairy farmer these days
46:43and i suppose you need to be
46:45in a way you need to be quite brave
46:47going forward i think it's basically probably going to be boom or bust
46:52further north at dalmali auction
47:10a decent profit is also on the minds of new farmers janet and alistair
47:14it's their only chance this year to bring in cash for their farm
47:18and their sale lambs are next in the ring
47:22janet yes
47:23take it
47:24trade is down today
47:28so alistair deploys a cunning strategy
47:31i sent janet into the ring because she's smaller so she makes the lambs look bigger
47:35thank you
47:37that's okay
47:38to make any money today
47:41they'll need an average of 35 pounds per lamb
47:44thank you
47:46it's one of the sad states of farming that you know one sale can just make or break you with regards to making money for it
47:59we're just having to hope for the best
48:05the first batch go for just 30 pounds each
48:16the second batch managed 32 pounds each slightly better but everything now rests on their top drawer lambs
48:31the second batch managed 32 pounds each slightly better but everything now rests on their top drawer lambs
48:38four
48:4145
48:4341
48:4741
48:4841
48:4941
48:4944
48:4942
48:5314
48:5548
48:5515
48:5715
48:5815
48:5815
48:5915
49:0015
49:0015
49:0115
49:0215
49:0315
49:0415
49:0415
49:0515
49:05they go for 48 pounds 50 each a good price giving them a total profit of just under 2 000 pounds
49:15I'm quite a pessimist and I like to think if I average 35 pounds then I'm doing all right
49:19but our average there was 38 so that's not too bad we're not going going home and opening the
49:29champagne but we can definitely afford the new trailer we can get the new trailer yeah and a
49:35bit of Tesco's shopping yeah next next wants to get some shopping
49:43what's important to us is having a good happy life and not be rich
49:59in the far north Highland crofter Robbins also busy trying to boost his finances I'll say could get
50:13dirty today to bring in extra money they sell croft reared meat and homemade pies crofts per se
50:22were never ever meant to be a living they were never meant to be a livelihood and you go back
50:27in the history after but um everybody that has a craft as a different source of ink in one way
50:34or another this is beautiful night like Janet and Alistair Robin used to sell lambs at auction
50:43but struggled to make a profit if we put it through the ring as a live animal you're probably looking
50:52at anywhere between 40 and 60 pound at today's prices depending on just how the markets are going
50:58doing this is we had a tremendous amount of value into them it's about added value you know it's it's
51:04getting the maximum return out the animals that we possibly can the croft makes approximately three
51:10times more per lamb by selling their animals as butchered meat to do that Robin built his own
51:16cutting room and taught himself butchery doing what we're doing producing completely birth to plate
51:22is very good for the produce but everything we produce on here has got two purposes it's either
51:31towards self-sufficiency and I hate that expression because it really does scream sort of good life
51:39woolly back stuff which we're absolutely not into there's too much work in here for that but we do
51:45really believe very very strongly and making the cross wash its face as far as it can we're making a
51:53living we're paying the bills but we're never going to get rich from it you know right we need a smoke
52:01and we need a cup of tea I think yes while the butchery helps the croft pay for itself it also allows
52:09Penny to step back from farming duties you're being a souk you're being an absolute souk aren't you
52:15go on I need you
52:17is that a pot full of coffee on there Penny no but it could be sounds like a good idea to me that
52:24are you needing a snooze you dither in I just did too much this morning okay you taking your pills
52:32I will do in half an hour you try taking about 10 at once and see what happens well the problem is
52:39your body gets used to them and then they'll run after their efficacy yeah we could have a lot of fun
52:46on the way possible I know a better sort of hyperactive parkinson's patient yeah taste
52:57probably strongly those at all
53:02back down in the southwest the day's milking is finally over for the Romans but work never stops on
53:20a dairy farm Stephen is in the barn preparing for some new arrivals this is what we would call the
53:31cabin pain or the maternity ward if you like ideally you like to just get up a constant so a stream of
53:40pregnancies and your cows so that you're getting cows cabin all the time as cows don't produce milk
53:49until a calf the Rowan's depend on this constant cycle of pregnancies little heifer calves there's a
53:59lot of lifeblood of the farm they're the future future generation they'll all be milking animals in
54:05two years time yeah you know they're healthy enough if you see them skipping about like that
54:14I just basically love working with cows it's it's my hobby as well as my job
54:25there's no clocking off in farming especially when it comes to pregnant cows it's almost nine in the
54:41evening and Tracy's concerned about first-time mum Daisy so yeah it's imminent she wasn't really
54:57progressing but now there's two feet there so I'm just going to check that the heads definitely there
55:02as well just to make sure it's been presented correctly this is our first calves just a heifer there's
55:18never as much room when they're just a first time the heads they are okay heifers are young cows that
55:27haven't had their first calf they're much more likely to suffer complications than mature cows the skill
55:34is to know when to help intervene too soon and it could harm the cows ability to carve in the future I
55:41would rather just leave her half an hour just there's a fair chance if we leave her in peace that she
55:47might just carve herself Steven goes to check on the other cows while Tracy stays behind to keep an eye on
55:55the labor oh she's laid down look yeah you can see like she's like laid down and she's like pressing
56:05like something you know as we have contractions so she's starting to get there she'll just be a bit unsure
56:12because like this is her first she doesn't really know what's happening there's no antenatal classes no gas in
56:19anything it's a good scene it sounds worse than it is oh I think that'll be the head
56:39come on come on come on every farmer wants a healthy calf
57:08calf but for dairy farmers the added hope is it's a girl that will go on to join the milking herd
57:15it's a heifer yes ideal welcome to the world eh good girl well done lass there you go there's your baby
57:26oh that's a success you just needed a wee hand didn't you
57:36oh that's good oh it is quite a good end to a long day that's a really good end
57:47Next time, Alistair has set his sights on honing new skills for the farm.
58:10You can see deer in everything.
58:12It's man versus very stubborn beast, the buffalo farmer, Stevie.
58:19The more you fight them, the more they go against you.
58:23And our old friends Mel and Martin introduce their new addition.
58:27Oh, she'll definitely be a sheep girl. Definitely.
58:30See?
58:42See you next time.
58:59You
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