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Fletcher's Family Farm - Season 3 Episode 9
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00:00And we've fallen for this way of life, hook, line and sinker.
00:08Can you keep this?
00:11Right, Milo, let's get some jobs done.
00:14Farming's a breeze, compared to having four kids.
00:19We're surrounded by the spectacular peat district.
00:23As far as an office goes, it's pretty good, isn't it?
00:27With ancient woodlands and rolling hills as their playground.
00:36This year, we've big plans to increase our flock and herd.
00:47Can I ride on him?
00:49Oh, you can't ride on him, no.
00:51Whilst continuing to diversify.
00:53What about if we've created some sort of farm musical?
00:57Kevin, we've got enough to do, we're not creating a farm phantom.
01:00And we're excited about what our next chapter might hold.
01:04I can't think of something that would beat this for me.
01:07This is my version of a happy, full life.
01:09Right, let's get some cup of tea then.
01:11This week on our farm.
01:24Let's give a suggestion of what we think the name should be.
01:27It's naming day for our new bull calf.
01:30Milo.
01:31Wolf king.
01:32Wolf king.
01:33Wolf king.
01:34We're teeing up a new grazing system that's well above par.
01:38That's what they call golf ball grazing.
01:40Golf ball grazing.
01:41Wow.
01:42Golf.
01:43So I love this thing.
01:44I couldn't even chip it in, could I?
01:45No!
01:46Could I?
01:47Liz's creative flair reaches new heights.
01:50Am I...
01:51Have I gone delusional?
01:53Or is that amazing?
01:56My excitement over this is just sky high.
01:59And the plan to live back on the farm gets one step closer to becoming a reality.
02:04The twins love it.
02:06I love it.
02:07Marnie and Milo will love it.
02:09We didn't choose a caravan life, the caravan life chose us.
02:12At the start of this year, we made our first foray into arable farming by sowing our first
02:29crop.
02:30And, over a few months, we've watched this nine acre field transform into a sea of golden
02:37oats.
02:38We're hoping for porridge, but could end up with animal feed.
02:42Either way, it's almost time to harvest.
02:44And our trusted agronomist Ben has come down to see if the crop is ready.
02:49Alright mate?
02:50I'm good, how are you?
02:51Is this you Ben that's trampled over my crop?
02:53I think it is to be honest, yeah.
02:55Listen, listen, I'll be having words.
03:00So, er, you're smiling but you're always smiling.
03:03So you're happy?
03:04Yeah, oh yeah, this is perfect.
03:06All I've seen at the minute in the farming community, as I'm sure you've seen it as
03:10well, is how bad of a harvest this is going to be, how yields are going to be down.
03:14Yeah.
03:15But, that's not the case with us.
03:17Yeah.
03:18Are we bucking the trend?
03:19Yeah, well, I think you've got to go off like a field by field or a farm by farm basis.
03:23Like, you know, it's not, it's too broad to say, you know, the yields are down.
03:28I mean, the east side where it's been much, much drier than here.
03:30Right.
03:31You know, it has been uncharacteristically dry for here, but there's still a lot of moisture
03:35in the ground here.
03:36I just drive past every day and think, phew, that looks good.
03:39Yeah.
03:40And I'm going off what farmers are saying to me, saying, oh, your crop's looking well.
03:43Honestly, the amount of people that are mentioning it.
03:46Yeah.
03:47Just with the way our farm is, people will always, you can see into it.
03:50Yeah.
03:51But when they say, yeah, yeah, I say, oh, we've got some spring goats.
03:54Yeah, I've seen it, it's looking well.
03:55And I'm thinking, really?
03:57And I get really excited.
03:58Yeah, oh yeah, everyone's keeping an eye on everyone.
04:00Looking good to the untrained eye, or from afar is one thing.
04:04But Ben has spotted a potential issue with our oats.
04:07Some of it is close to being ready, but then some of it, a lot of it, is still green.
04:16Ah.
04:17You see, and this is sort of the issue.
04:19You've kind of, I think what's happened here is you've got a thing that you call secondary growth.
04:22The stuff that came up first, that has ripened early, is ready,
04:28and you've got a secondary growth problem, and that's why you've got green.
04:31Green stalks coming through.
04:32So your straw, in particular, is going to be really green, which will just go mouldy.
04:36It means coming in with a tractor next week to give it a spray off.
04:39Yes.
04:40Yeah, yeah, just, it'll be, yeah, just a light, not a high dose rate, just a small one,
04:45just to help it get over the line.
04:48Who'd have thought that too much growth could be a problem?
04:51But we need to clear out the new shoots before the crop is ready to harvest.
04:55We're going to have to get the tractor on next week, we're going to have to spray.
04:58Yeah.
04:59To mitigate this secondary growth.
05:01Just get the green out, yeah.
05:02So we're going to harvest a week on Monday.
05:04Yes.
05:05On the Monday.
05:06I'm happy.
05:07You seem happy.
05:08Yeah.
05:09I'm always happy.
05:10Well, you are always happy.
05:12When can we open the beers and crack the beers?
05:14Am I just getting ahead of myself?
05:15Getting ahead of yourself, yeah.
05:16Right, OK.
05:17So, I guess the biggest test will be, once we've got it off, we go to the mill,
05:22they'll grade it.
05:23Yeah.
05:24And at that point, and they say it's good enough for porridge.
05:27Yeah.
05:28I'm opening my beer then.
05:29Yeah, you can do it then.
05:30Yeah.
05:31Yeah.
05:32Yeah, OK, that's what I'm thinking towards.
05:34Yeah.
05:35Are you going to come on harvest day?
05:37Yeah, come on harvest day if you want, yeah.
05:38You don't have to, would you normally come on harvest day?
05:41Normally, but this isn't normal.
05:43This isn't normal, is it?
05:46I love it.
05:47I love it, man.
05:49Good.
05:50I want to see you.
05:51I want to see them just for myself as well.
05:53Yeah.
05:54I want to have that moment.
05:55I want to share it with you.
05:56Yeah.
05:57I want us both to say, we did it.
05:58Yeah.
05:59We did the unthinkable.
06:00Because I wouldn't have done this without you.
06:02I couldn't have done this without you.
06:03Yeah.
06:04Awesome.
06:05Right, well, until then.
06:07Until then.
06:08Brilliant.
06:11We've come a long way, but we're not at the finish line yet.
06:15And there's one more hurdle ahead.
06:17Once it's harvested, the local mill will do a quality check
06:21to see if our oats will end up in our breakfast bowls
06:24or in the animal trough as feed.
06:43Well, you tell Milo what it is.
06:45Looking close.
06:46Yeah.
06:47With the kids all back from school,
06:49Liz and I are keen to introduce them to the farm's new arrival.
06:55Open your eyes.
06:59What do we think, guys?
07:00Oh, is it?
07:01Wait.
07:02Wait, can we guess if it's a boy or a girl?
07:05Yeah.
07:06I'm going to...
07:07I think it's a boy.
07:09Boy.
07:10What do you think, Milo?
07:11I think it's a boy.
07:12Can I call his name?
07:14Well, you have to find out if it's a boy or a girl yet.
07:17It is a boy.
07:19Look.
07:20I'm a white.
07:21I'm a white.
07:22You were right.
07:23It's a boy.
07:24It's a boy.
07:25He's been taken to the farm by mum Cherry's side.
07:28And the kids are desperate to give him a name.
07:31Let's give a suggestion of what we think the name should be.
07:34So, Milo first...
07:35Wolf King.
07:36Oh, good one.
07:37Wolf King.
07:38Wolf King.
07:39Mateus?
07:40Wolf King.
07:41Wolf King.
07:42You want Wolf King as well?
07:44OK, Marnie. OK, Oliver.
07:47Oh, Oliver, that's a nice name. What made you think of that?
07:51I don't know, I was just looking at him and he just gave me...
07:54He gave me a new vibe.
07:56I was, like, thinking, like, before it was Milo's girl,
07:58I was like, what name?
08:00And then I looked at him and then I'm like, oh, it's Oliver.
08:02I think he's in our lunch.
08:04What about you, Maximus? What name have you got?
08:07I've got, um, Spin.
08:10Spin. OK.
08:12Mummy, what would you like to... for him to be called?
08:15Barry.
08:17Barry?
08:18Barry!
08:19Why Barry?
08:20Barry the ball.
08:21Baza.
08:22Baza.
08:23No way!
08:24Daddy's turn!
08:25I like Barry!
08:27Your turn, Daddy!
08:29OK.
08:30Have you done a list?
08:31No, I'm trying to... I was waiting back from the society.
08:34Oh, right, to see if it has to be a letter.
08:36For the letter.
08:37All newborn calves have to be officially registered.
08:40And with this breed, the Lincoln Red Cattle Society suggests a particular letter that all names
08:45should begin with each year.
08:47I'm guessing if Crowther was born in 23, 24 was D, 25 is E.
09:01This year, it's the letter E.
09:03Sorry, Liz, but that rules out Barry.
09:06I won't lock you in.
09:10Let's see what he weighs here.
09:1215!
09:14You're good!
09:16While the kids are distracted, me and Liz have got a plan.
09:20Shall we just name it, Kelvin, instead of asking kids all the time?
09:23I'd like a name that we've picked.
09:25We're not having a young bull called Wolf King.
09:27We just...
09:28We'll be laughter.
09:29Who's going to name it, me?
09:31Oh, no, it's me.
09:32Me.
09:33I've got a name.
09:34You already?
09:35When I met us, I met me!
09:36Beginning with E?
09:37I like Ezra.
09:38Ezra?
09:39Ezra.
09:40Ezra.
09:41That is quite a cool name.
09:43Ezra the Bull.
09:44We've got Sonic, Ray, Ralph, Ezra.
09:48That's a strong crew, that.
09:51What name would you go for?
09:53The only thing that sticks out for E is...
09:59Emmerdale.
10:02I'm not calling the cab Emmerdale.
10:05People will be shouting, get over it!
10:08You left ten years ago!
10:10Ezra is a much better name.
10:12Does he look like an Ezra?
10:13He does.
10:14He does look a bit.
10:15Ezra-ish.
10:16He's very pretty.
10:18He is very good looking.
10:20Ezra.
10:21Let's lecture Ezra.
10:23Alright, we'll go with that.
10:26Well, Ezra it is.
10:29Let's hope the kids agree.
10:31Guys, we thought of a name.
10:33The names that you suggested were all fantastic names.
10:37Spin, Wolf, King and...
10:40Oliver.
10:41Oliver.
10:42Great names.
10:43However, I've just had an email back from the Breed Society,
10:46the Lincoln Red Society.
10:48And because in 2025, the letter is actually E.
10:54So the name has to start with an E.
10:56But...
10:57I know what it is.
10:58Mummy's actually thought of one.
10:59What name begins with E that's really cool?
11:02Ezra!
11:03Yeah!
11:04Ezra!
11:05Yeah!
11:06George Ezra!
11:07Yeah!
11:08Green green grass.
11:09Blue blue sky.
11:10Blue blue sky.
11:11There!
11:12No!
11:13Ring with Isra!
11:14Building a ready on the day.
11:18Yeah!
11:19Yeah!
11:21Ezra is now officially a member of the Fletcher Farming family.
11:26And once he finds his feet, we may even have a future show winner on our hands.
11:43Do you want to do some painting?
11:45Yeah.
11:47Eat it.
11:47Living in the Peak District, we've certainly got used to seeing our fair share of rain.
11:56But this year, it has been scarce.
11:59So today's welcome downpour is giving Liz the excuse to get creative undercover with her kids.
12:08Right, here you go, Marnie.
12:11So, what's my favourite thing to do?
12:13Paint!
12:14Paint.
12:14And what do we like to do on a rainy day?
12:16Paint.
12:17Paint.
12:18Right, how brave are you feeling?
12:19Do you want to go big or little?
12:22Big.
12:23Big.
12:24Let's find you.
12:25See if I've got any bigger ones.
12:27Or, do you want to go super creative, do like two, and then we'll put it on the wall like that.
12:33But it's all one picture.
12:35Or do you want to just do one picture?
12:36I'll just do one picture.
12:39Right, is that okay there?
12:42Bit too low.
12:43Too low?
12:44Yeah.
12:44Well, I'll tell you what, you use that one and I'll use that one because I'm going to, I'm going to go and get a daddy canvas.
12:52Now, I'm not showing off.
12:57Well, mine's a little bit bigger than yours.
12:59A little bit.
13:00Today's activity isn't just about occupying the children, as Liz is using it to create some of her own unique artwork.
13:10So, I've got a spot in the holiday cottage where I was going to put a TV.
13:17But the cottage became such a tranquil vibe.
13:21I thought, I'm not going to put any TVs in the bedroom.
13:24So, I've got this spot, which I've looked at for ages and thought, what can I put there?
13:28And I could put a mirror there.
13:30I've looked at paintings, but they just don't do anything for me.
13:33So, I thought, do you know what, I reckon I could paint something that looks good there.
13:38And this is going to be it.
13:40Being on the farm has kind of woken up some creative side to me.
13:45I think, you know, I've always been into sort of interiors and decorating, but there's something about the farm where I absolutely love it.
13:55And I think I'm inspired by, like, the outsides and the outdoors and seeing everything.
14:01And I get these little ideas in my head.
14:03And I think, as well, my time to myself is very small because we've got a farm for kids and other jobs in the mix of that.
14:11And I think this is often my me time.
14:14Like, I don't go to the gym.
14:15I don't get to socialise and see because there's always a job on.
14:18And I think this is my little moment.
14:20And I find just a little half an hour here and there where I'll be like, oh, yes, I'll do that.
14:25A lot of the time it's in the middle of the night when everyone's asleep.
14:28But I do love it.
14:30I've really found a love for restoring things or creating things.
14:38And it's definitely something that's come with moving to the farm.
14:43I love painting.
14:45Do you think you love painting because of me?
14:47Or have you always loved painting?
14:49I really like painting, especially with you.
14:51Oh.
14:54I actually like mine.
14:56I'm very proud of myself.
14:58That is brilliant.
14:59Lovely blending.
15:02I'm going to paint.
15:04You're doing so good.
15:06So is that good enough to go into the cottage?
15:09That is stunning.
15:10Well, absolutely go in the cottage.
15:14Mine is a TBC.
15:16I'll come back to this alone and finish it off.
15:21But so far, so good.
15:24Got a lot of building to do.
15:25Got a lot more to add.
15:27I'll let that dry.
15:28Come back to it with a bit more inspiration.
15:30And without these snot rags hanging around, eh?
15:33Can you see?
15:34Aww.
15:34Aww.
15:34Aww.
15:34Aww.
15:35Aww.
15:35Aww.
15:35Aww.
15:36Aww.
15:48Each year, we look to learn and gain a better understanding of how best to utilise every acre of our farmland.
15:55and by committing nine acres to growing oats means we have less farmland to
16:00graze our animals we started taking this trenching up last year believe it or not
16:05you get halfway into it and then something else takes your priority
16:10so I've invited a couple of grazing experts Rob and Justin to help me
16:15understand how I can move from the traditional system where livestock graze
16:19one field at a time to something a little more ingenious
16:24so I've been looking forward to having you guys there I can't tell you how much
16:28because there's something about grass isn't there and with us growing some
16:32spring goats this year we're not limited somewhat but you know our our pasture has
16:39decreased so we've got the same amount of sheep but less ground to graze so we
16:44just need to make sure that we're maximizing the productivity of the grass
16:47you want these used to produce as much milk as possible on this set stock system
16:53you know they aren't getting a fresh bite they're all following each other around
16:57and they're just getting a nibble of what's left behind
17:01yeah and I'm looking over my shoulder over there and I'm seeing some really good
17:05sheep bite in that area there that hasn't been grazed
17:10yeah as an example of what it could be what it
17:13could and should be yeah now if they were going into that
17:17I guarantee you your ewes will give more milk and they'll put more lightweight gain
17:21on the lambs yeah and that's what it's about
17:24you know you're you're doing it because you want to see your stock do better
17:28the guys want to help me introduce a rotational grazing system
17:32that divides each field into sections using electric fences
17:37that way the sheep only graze one area at a time
17:40and then every few days you move them onto a new section of delicious fresh grass
17:47it's all about grazing resting recovery and then grazing and doing that whole cycle
17:53should i keep the cows separate for now or bring them together with the sheep
17:56keep them together yeah i can't wait for this
18:00and just when i thought things couldn't get any more exciting
18:03justin has got one more trick up his sleeve to make sure our livestock
18:06only eat the best grass there's your four centimeters
18:11all right oh wow we go all right right so when you throw that golf ball into it
18:16yeah and you can see it easy you take the stock out
18:20if you've lost it you leave them in you leave
18:23i love that there you go is that the test yeah it's golf so all that science all that talk about
18:29different species that's what they call golf ball grazing golf ball grazing there you go
18:33wow golf so i'll lock this in well i couldn't even chip it in couldn't i
18:38oh that one could i i could get i could get my club out do a nice little chip there
18:43and if i can see my golf ball then get them out yeah if i can't see it keep them in
18:48yeah i love that keep it simple so i can i can keep this scope all can i use more than welcome
18:53to keep it i think people would call me the grass man yeah the grass man that's what i'm gonna be
18:57you've got to walk the talk oh yeah i've got the talk i've certainly got that you look after that
19:03golf ball i will do i will yes absolutely i can't wait to get started rob and justin have promised to
19:10come back in a couple of days to help me with the first install so i've got my golf ball golf ball
19:16grazing never heard of that before um so excited yeah this is just amazing i mean i think this is
19:23key for us and uh and ultimately you know the animals are going to benefit the most they're going
19:29to get the best grass and enable them to to produce more milk and produce better lambs and the lambs
19:35will thrive who'd have thought grass could be i wouldn't say sexy but it's interesting i can't wait to
19:41start throwing my golf ball out if i can see it get them out if i can't see it keep them in i mean
19:49it's the simple things that they excite me
20:03potatoes please put your shoes on
20:09back in the barn liz is cajoling kids whilst having a clear out
20:13and in amongst the cow muck hay and random toys we always find our breakfast too eggs
20:20after introducing our new cockerel albie to the flock we were hoping the hens would stop laying
20:25their eggs in random spots around the farm but even though albie has failed to tempt the ladies back
20:31to the hen house there's still a chance that these new eggs could be fertilized liz yeah
20:38what's that on the tractor on the tractor yeah that's where they're laying
20:49so this is my way they're laying
20:52yeah but have you seen her sitting on them yeah you've seen her sitting on the eggs i saw her sat
20:56before yeah so i don't know which eggs she was sat on me because obviously there's quite a few
21:00three six nine twelve there's a cockerel amongst them so some of them might have been fertilized
21:08possibly possibly this could be potential chicks so what's the process now normally i would take them
21:15and have it for my breakfast but what do we do now well don't touch them we just leave them well i need
21:21to i need the tractor oh no put them on the side she can go back to them keep them in this hessian sack
21:32right those are the eggs it looks like my scrambled eggs are on hold while liz finds
21:37out if these fresh new eggs have been fertilized by albie i've bought this little contraption
21:44that can help you know if the egg is fertilized so what you do is this is like a light they call it
21:49candle in and what you do is you put the egg on there and if the egg is fertilized
21:54it would show almost like a spider's web shape inside the egg something like that i'm not an
22:01expert on this hen chicken did the egg come first did the chicken come first situation
22:06yeah but i'm slowly getting there so you just all you have to do is put this light on
22:11you get the egg and you put it on our leg hones are renowned for not being brooding but if any of
22:19these eggs are fertilized we could pop them in an incubator and in just 21 days we'll have chicks on
22:25the farm however after testing them so far it's bad news and with one to go it's not looking good
22:33that's not a fertilized egg so you can almost see like that will be the yolk there and the rest
22:42would technically be the white part of the egg if that was fertilized you would see like a spider's
22:50web in there almost like it's growing but that's not ah so that's unfertilized eggs
23:01so i don't know what to do from here now you've got to have chicks on the farm we just have to
23:07we want more hens to lay more eggs and i could just go out and buy some hens but that's not the
23:11fun of it is it that's not the fun we need to think of plumpy liz and i have always applied the
23:17trial and error approach with farming and i'm hoping with a bit of planning we'll have chicks
23:22on the farm before summer's out while liz continues the egg check marnie and milo are tagging along with
23:31me for some general farm maintenance
23:35dad what are we doing well good question so you know this time of year we always try and clear the
23:42troughs out so we've got a couple of jobs so what is a trough it's that there but what's its purpose
23:48what's what's it like it drinks all the sheep so all the sheep have water exactly but the troughs
23:55need some maintenance getting the kids involved in jobs like this is one of my favorite things
24:02it teaches them practical skills and gives them a real feel for what farm life is all about
24:07come and have a look at this where have you seen this system before i'll give you a clue you go
24:12there to do a toilet in the toilet do you know how it works no yeah so this when you flush the water
24:24goes down to there so if it goes down it automatically opens the tap and more water comes in
24:30so as water's being drunk it's being filled up can i just say this if we push it down
24:36is is like where the flush is is that um going down that button yeah so this is just basically the
24:45on off button so as the water disappears this will open the tap and it'll start to fill up
24:52but if we want to empty this can you come and see the tap here the little hole the plug see here
24:58and as soon as it starts to come through well done look at it it's going everywhere
25:07so how's that sensing it's got my boots are waterproof it is a good job your boots are
25:11waterproof yeah we can now put our hand in and start giving it a scrub who wants a scrubbing brush
25:17me you've got one each so there's yours dad i don't think this is ever going to come off
25:22it will do we'll be scrubbing for the rest of our lives if you want it to actually dad why do you
25:30just get to stand there and we have to do the cleaning because i'm the boss what does miss hannigan say
25:36i want it as clean as the top of the christ building yes so come on get scrubbing it's a hard
25:43knock life kids my workers are doing well i'm going to do what most good foremen's doing now and sit back
25:51and watch milo just likes the mess as usual man is actually quite quite productive milo means well but
26:03he's only six though just getting him involved that's the main thing you got to make it fun
26:11you got to make it fun i try and liz tells me i'm too much of a school teacher at times
26:17and um try and make everything a class and i'm probably not the best at explaining things but
26:23i want them to learn it's looking good though that trough
26:26and the good news is this is looking good but there's still another four left how have you ended
26:34up like that it's farming you said it milo with a trough cleaned that's one more job we can tick off
26:43our ever-growing to-do list i know mummy's not here and the twins are not here but come on let's do it
26:48are we ready are we ready team slatchers
27:11with the summer in full swing everything is thriving on the farm come on
27:18the lambs are looking healthy and strong ezra is starting to find his feet and the kids are out
27:24and about helping in their own way right please and between it all liz has managed to find some time
27:31to complete her artwork for the cottage at home in the middle of the night when i've had these nice
27:38creative moments i've finished my picture it's not perfect but it's just absolutely
27:45like i could cry it's ridiculous but i could cry because i feel like it's a masterpiece
27:52just because you know just to blow my own trumpet but i'm just so proud of it
27:58i'm so proud of it i think this is amazing
28:01am i have i gone delusional or is that amazing oh my god because my excitement over this is just sky
28:19hi i've got to get out of the house more i'm going to get kelvin to put it up here
28:27it's just gonna look immense honestly my bank transactions to hobbycraft now are about to explode
28:35i've been called to the cottage and told to bring my tools and i can't wait to see the finished piece
28:41what do you think it will certainly offer intrigue where people will come here for a lovely weekend
28:48away and they'll think oh that's nice that picture and as they get closer they'll start thinking
28:57who's done this i think as a glancing look you walk in and think yeah oh lovely you know what babe when
29:05you get closer it actually gets better because then you can see the detail yeah exactly anyway
29:11come on get this on the wall i'm excited people are coming soon got like 20 minutes it wouldn't
29:16surprise me if liz started doing more of that and she became a bit of a it became a thing and
29:23she became an artist and she was up in the take modern but change of things have happened
29:28hadn't they did banksy ever think that they would end up where they are now i'll get a stand at the
29:38next uh country fair selling art where's my dog which way is that and that's that way yeah yeah
29:49dare i sign it right you're ready i'm just gonna do it's really tiny
30:07ella well let's have a look at the final touches it's lovely to add to the cottage with a personal
30:14touch from our very own in-house abstract artist see it just makes that area better it does it actually
30:23looks good what are you calling it you got a name for it because every artist don't have a name won't
30:30they for that i might call it everything happens for a reason that happened for a reason i don't know
30:37what i was doing it just happened everything happens wasn't planned
30:41it just works in that little space that little space for so long has just been bugging me and now
30:49it's just complete this room is complete i love it i can't stop looking at it right we need to go
30:57people are checking in
31:11it's been several months since the fire in the farmhouse and we miss being here more each day
31:18so as we await the green light to start the renovations we've decided to find a temporary
31:23home to live in on the farm rather than continue renting down the road with the twins in tow we're
31:29off to Ellesmere to see a man about a caravan a rather posh caravan hello nice to meet you i'm
31:39liz adrian adrian kelvin hi kelvin nice to meet you this is uh maximus and matthias hi maximus hi
31:44matthias let's go and have a look yeah yeah can't wait get my caravan after all fancy one
31:55we could be living in this for several months so the space really has to be right for us as a family
32:00oh wow look at this oh my good oh wow oh kids look there's two little beds here for you two be
32:12small that for my clothes just it's got everything a home has got when we had the fire kelvin was like
32:21babe don't worry i'll just get as a caravan and i had visions of me showering over the toilet for
32:27the next two years and i know how long a renovation will take they never just take a couple of months
32:33they always take forever i really really love it and i think this could absolutely take us back to
32:41the farm so that we're there full time i i say it say it take a deep breath i agree with her and she
32:51was right oh my god it's just it's just music to my ears you're not just a pretty fair i'm not am i
33:00it's been a long time since we've had the fire in a sense of you know it's just been
33:08doom and gloom it's been heartbreaking but this is a real it gives a real spring in a in a step really
33:14where we can start to think actually you know things can come good and there's light at the end
33:20of the tunnel and there's a there's a real bit of excitement now the twins love it i love it
33:26marnie and milo will love it you love it we didn't choose the caravan life the caravan life chose
33:33us well once we finish rebuilding the house for the fire you can actually move back in with the kids
33:41i could say i'm at home Audrey that would be because what they could say shift shift work
33:48shift work you're sure you're on we can't you're on finally we found a solution that will get us back
33:55on home turf and i can't wait
34:17one of the things i'm most looking forward to about being back on the farm is being able to fall out
34:22of bed and onto my quad to do the rounds of the flock at the moment the flock are grazing on the
34:28top field which has the best grass and to ensure they are well fed all summer i'm introducing a new
34:34system called paddock grazing we take a field like this we subdivide it up into various paddocks with
34:41electric fencing and that then keeps the animals grazing in that area and then when they move off
34:47the area then given a chance to recover and regrow and in doing so you get better grass coming through
34:55animals are eating better grass so they're growing better it's a complete mobile system and you then
35:02put it and drop it into another field you'll see that our cows and our sheep and the lambs grazing together
35:09and our animals will be looking best they've ever looked and what a day to do it
35:18the new system is a huge change for the farm and the animals so grazing experts rob and justin
35:25are back again to make sure we get off to a good start
35:27well guys good to see you again yeah and you how is the day has come has it yeah nice yeah that's
35:35good i was i was thinking of getting this excited about grass i was thinking if is there a name name
35:42for that and i it almost slipped out grass geeks would you be offended at that no no no that's good
35:46because i feel like i'm gonna become a grass geek yeah i'm gonna be so obsessed with it grass geeks good
35:51yeah yeah we'll go with that that's the spirit rob and we're lucky to have plenty of acres of grazing
35:56grass to choose from how many areas have you got we've got a few we've got um that's an eight acre
36:03field up there but middle blocks we've got this ten acre so you could get four you'd have four divi
36:09you know four four divisions there in there two here and then potentially could have another another four
36:15yeah so you've got ten and if you say two and a half days in each one you've almost got a
36:20a 25 day rotation yeah is that what you're thinking two two three days in each one yeah probably
36:27we're going to set up electric fences in our front field first and divide it into two paddocks
36:33i'm going to be taking as many notes today as possible no doubt i'll probably ring rob again
36:38at some point next week or maybe this afternoon i don't know but i'll try and learn as much as i can
36:43today and hopefully a lot of it will absorb so that's the anchor post that goes in yeah yeah it just
36:49gives it a bit extra strength in the ground so that as we're tensioning the wire up it's it's in deep
36:56enough just to make sure it's sturdy and stays in place so if you put a post about every eight meters
37:02eight meters eight meters or eight pieces one two three four seven eight first one
37:22it's looking good quite therapeutic actually simple but effective and what's even better
37:31is that the grazing system won't cost much to run either this is a solar energizer
37:37leave them outside let them get exposed to sunlight all year round and you will keep the battery charged
37:43you'll need at least 48 hours if you can in sunlight before you turn the sheep in okay just to get
37:49him powered up the fence is set at a level that will shock and not harm the animals it purely acts
37:55as a deterrent how many volts so we are at the minute eight aye aye aye so i'll get these bales out
38:07yeah and give it another week of growth yeah fine brother by the weekend i would have thought if you
38:16wanted to the grazing paddocks are ready and in a few days time the grass will be too ready for all our
38:23sheep and cattle to move in and start munching right well guys thank you for that um i feel like
38:32my grass knowledge is is improving yeah good more and more i speak to you so we'll get the sheep
38:37on we'll see how it goes i'm going to send you loads of pictures yep how's it looking how's it
38:41looking you'll be getting bored of me and then hopefully i'll i'll get the hang of it you will
38:47that's it and you'll become a grass geek a grass geek fellow grass geek yeah right then well
38:52i'll uh thanks a lot good sending you some pictures yeah yeah yeah looking forward to it
39:10the sun's up the farm is buzzing and today marks an important step in our arable journey
39:17contractors have arrived to treat the crop ensuring only the finest grains will make it into the harvest
39:23there's a slight predicament basically there's new crop within this crop that's not ripe and that's
39:28not ready so it's somewhat contaminated this crop so you can have to get rid of that so that's what
39:33we've got today sprayer on getting rid of that it does mean that the countdown is on in a matter of
39:38days we're going to be harvesting and while all that's going on with our new grazing system in place
39:44liz and i have decided that young ezra should be the first to enjoy the fresh growth with his mum cherry
39:52the grass is looking good they're going to get the first bite together in the sun this is a great day
39:58to be out they're going to be hopping about and that's when our grazing strategy will start
40:04every three days they'll get a fresh bite you love a strategy don't you i love a strategy i love
40:09a bit of order it sounds easy when you say it like that but as we well know moving cows is never easy
40:17come on then ezra come on lad cherry make sure you you get your little calf don't leave him
40:24come on come on come on the trailer come on he's following
40:37yeah they've been in the shed waiting for cherry to deliver the calf and they're they don't they've
40:45not been in the trailer a lot so it's quite they're not used to it oh maybe if the calf comes oh look at
40:51him come on he's confident go on up there come on come on come on lad come on oh look at him come on
41:03she's coming come on come on but just like the others ezra is not playing ball they knew that they
41:11were going to the grass the juiciest grass they would not be bothered they'd be skipping in oh no
41:20kelvin we've got a problem
41:25no no no no no no no go that way that way calf go on go on back in no no no that way go on
41:33this is friday today and it feels like a monday it's definitely time for plan b
41:39we'll walk them down and move the trailer out we're not going to get them in the trailer
41:43we're going to have to walk the cattle through the farm but before we do cherry and ruby can go back
41:48in the barn as there's a quick job we need to do before ezra is free to roam
41:54what we're doing here is just ear tagging the calf this is its individual tag number to identify which
41:59herd it's from and its own unique number for its life it'll have this for its first you know it's uh the
42:05rest of its days so we've got 20 days to get this tag in if it was a dairy animal it's got to be done
42:10within the first i think 36 hours but because this is a beef animal we've got up to 20 days but
42:16it's two days old now so um this is like a little trip to claire's accessories getting your ears pierced
42:21it's a moment of but then it's fine
42:27good boy they're in good boy oh look at the size of them tags on him
42:33tagged and ready to go right did they look keen enough i'll go in front then right go on then
42:39go on ezra keep up go on keep up don't slow everybody up mate go on keep going no no that way
42:51that way go on cherry and ruby are not hanging around leaving me to look after ezra
42:58mum's not bothered is she come on mate i feel like she's picking him up what is he 50 kilo
43:20it's a bit unorthodox but it's easier than pushing him it's what they call a farmer's carry
43:26come on lad nearly there let's dig in oh my god
43:39there you go ezra has he pooed up back in my neck i know but you've weed on you
43:43is he really yeah has he really yeah oh i can't believe you weed on me i thought i could smell something
43:51i'm sure you've had worse it's a fair old carry that i still got it on i don't even train anymore
44:02and it's just that farmer strength in me proper farmer strength just picked it up boom come on
44:09right it's going on stand back look at them oh the livestock can now enjoy three days of grazing the
44:18fresh green grass and we can enjoy watching ezra settle into being outdoors on the farm
44:25what a lovely little thing he is oh look at him what do you reckon guys fancy grass for you eh look at him
44:33what a cracker
44:34now it feels like a friday that was a great outcome after the trailer issue it turned out good and that's it
44:44now the next honestly the change over the next few weeks watching him it just grow and grow he's just
44:51fascinating what do you reckon lad oh look at her i'll tell you what there's not there's not a better
45:03sight look at it that makes me feel proud though we've come a long way babe oh he's gonna love being out
45:11here
45:19next time on our farm harvest day finally arrives if we got two tons per acre you'd be you'd be happy
45:27yeah would you be doing a dance i i'd definitely be doing a dance i'd be getting naked if it does
45:34and as wedding bells chime around the farm what do we say when someone gets married
45:41ah
45:44liz and i take a moment to reflect on what we've achieved this year two little kids from old on
45:50just got together and built a little farm yeah took a massive step never found in our lives never
45:57done anything like this so look at us here
46:11so
46:14so
46:16so
46:20so
46:22so
46:24so
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