- 2 months ago
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00:00Come on Fletchers! We've reached our fourth year in farming and we've fallen
00:09for this way of life hook line and sinker. Can you keep this? Right Milo let's get
00:17some jobs done. Farming's a breeze compared to having four kids. We're
00:24surrounded by the spectacular peat district. As far as an office goals it's
00:29it's pretty good isn't it? With ancient woodlands and rolling hills as their
00:38playground this year we've big plans to increase our flock and herd oh you can't
00:54ride on him. Whilst continuing to diversify. What about if we created some sort of
01:00farm musical? Kevin we've got enough to do without creating a farm phantom. And we're
01:06excited about what our next chapter might hold. I can't think of something that
01:10would beat this for me. This is my version of a happy full life. Right let's get some
01:15cup of tea then.
01:26This week on our farm. Let's give a suggestion of what we think the name
01:31should be. It's naming day for our new bull calf. Milo. Wolf King. Wolf King. We're teeing up a new grazing system
01:41that's well above par. That's what they call golf ball grazing. Golf ball grazing. Wow.
01:46Golf. So I love this inn. I could even chip it in. Could I get my club out? Could I? Liz's creative flair reaches new heights.
01:54Am I, have I gone delusional or is that amazing? My excitement over this is just sky high.
02:03Hi. Hi. And the plan to live back on the farm gets one step closer to becoming a reality.
02:09The twins love it. I love it. Marnie and Milo will love it. We didn't choose a caravan life. The caravan life chose us.
02:17At the start of this year, we made our first foray into arable farming by sowing our first crop. And, over a few months, we've watched this nine acre field transform into a sea of golden oats.
02:42We're hoping for porridge, but could end up with animal feed. Either way, it's almost time to harvest.
02:49And our trusted agronomist Ben has come down to see if the crop is ready.
02:54It's alright, mate? I'm good. How are you? Is this you, Ben, that's trampled over my crop?
02:58I think it is, to be honest, yeah. Listen, listen, I'll be having words.
03:05So, er, you're smiling, but you're always smiling. So you're happy?
03:09Yeah, oh yeah, this is perfect. All I've seen at the minute in the farming community, as I'm sure you've seen it as well,
03:15is how bad of a harvest this is going to be, how yields are going to be down.
03:19Yeah. But that's not the case with us.
03:21Yeah. Are we booking the trend?
03:23Yeah, well, you've got to go off, like, field by field or a farm by farm basis.
03:28Like, you know, it's not, it's too broad to say, you know, the yields are down.
03:33I mean, the east side where it's been much, much drier than here.
03:35Right.
03:36You know, it has been uncharacteristically dry for here, but there's still a lot of moisture in the ground here.
03:40I just drive past every day and think, phew, that looks good.
03:44Yeah.
03:45And I'm going off what farmers are saying to me, saying, oh, your crop's looking well.
03:47And it's surprising, honestly, the amount of people that are mentioning it.
03:51Yeah.
03:52Just with the way our farm is, people will always, you can't see into it.
03:55Yeah.
03:56But when they say, yeah, yeah, I say, oh, we've got some spring goats.
03:59Yeah, I've seen it, it's looking well.
04:00And I'm thinking, really?
04:01And I get really excited.
04:02Yeah, oh, yeah, everyone's keeping an eye on everyone.
04:05Looking good to the untrained eye or from afar is one thing,
04:09but Ben has spotted a potential issue with our oats.
04:12Some of it is close to being ready, but then some of it, a lot of it, is still green.
04:21Ah.
04:22You see, and this is sort of the issue.
04:24I think what's happened here is you've got a thing that you call secondary growth.
04:27The stuff that came up first, that has ripened early, is ready,
04:33and you've got a secondary growth problem, and that's why you've got green.
04:36Green stalks coming through.
04:37So your straw, in particular, is going to be really green, which will just go mouldy.
04:41It means coming in with a tractor next week to give it a spray off.
04:44Yes.
04:45Yeah, yeah, just, it'll be, yeah, just a light, not a high dose rate,
04:49just a small one, just to help it get over the line.
04:53Who'd have thought that too much growth could be a problem?
04:56But we need to clear out the new shoots before the crop is ready to harvest.
05:00We're going to have to get the tractor on next week,
05:02we're going to have to spray.
05:03Yeah.
05:04To mitigate this secondary growth.
05:05Just get the green out, yeah.
05:06So we're going to harvest a week on Monday.
05:09Yes.
05:10On the Monday.
05:11I'm happy.
05:12You seem happy.
05:13Yeah.
05:14I'm always happy.
05:15You are always happy.
05:16When can we open the beers and crack the beers?
05:19Am I just getting ahead of myself?
05:20Getting ahead of yourself, yeah.
05:21Right, OK.
05:22So, I guess the biggest test will be, once we've got it off,
05:26we go to the mill, they'll grade it.
05:28Yeah.
05:29And at that point, and they say it's good enough for porridge,
05:32I'm opening my, I'm opening my beer then.
05:34Yeah, you can do it then.
05:35Yeah, yeah.
05:36Cool.
05:37Yeah, OK, that's what I'm thinking towards.
05:39Yeah.
05:40Are you going to come on harvest day?
05:41Yeah, come on harvest day if you want, yeah.
05:43You don't have to.
05:44Would you normally come on harvest day?
05:46Normally, but this isn't normal.
05:47This isn't normal.
05:48This isn't normal, is it?
05:51I love it.
05:52I love it, man.
05:54Good.
05:55I want to see you.
05:56I want to see them just for myself as well.
05:58Yeah.
05:59I want to have that moment.
06:00I want to share it with you.
06:01Yeah.
06:02I want us both to say, we did it.
06:03Yeah.
06:04We did the unthinkable.
06:05Because I would have done this without you.
06:07I couldn't have done this without you.
06:08Yeah.
06:09Awesome.
06:10Right.
06:11Well, until then.
06:12Until then.
06:13Brilliant.
06:14We've come a long way, but we're not at the finish line yet.
06:19And there's one more hurdle ahead.
06:22Once it's harvested, the local mill will do a quality check
06:25to see if our oats will end up in our breakfast bowls
06:28or in the animal trough as feed.
06:44Well, you tell Milo what it is.
06:49Keeping them close.
06:51Yeah.
06:52With the kids all back from school, Liz and I are keen to introduce them
06:56to the farm's new arrival.
06:59Open your eyes.
07:03What do we think, guys?
07:05Is it...
07:06Wait.
07:07Wait.
07:08Can we guess if it's a boy or a girl?
07:10Yeah.
07:11I'm going to...
07:12I think it's a boy.
07:14Boy.
07:15What do you think, Milo?
07:16I think it's a boy.
07:17Can I call his name?
07:19Well, you have to find out if it's a boy or a girl yet.
07:22It is a boy.
07:24Look.
07:25I'm a boy.
07:26I'm a boy.
07:27You were right.
07:28Our new bull calf is settling into life on the farm
07:31by Mum Cherry's side.
07:33And the kids are desperate to give him a name.
07:36Let's give a suggestion of what we think the name should be.
07:39Milo first.
07:40Wolf King.
07:41Ooh.
07:42Wolf King.
07:43Wolf King.
07:44Mateus.
07:45Wolf King.
07:46Wolf King.
07:47You want Wolf King as well?
07:49OK.
07:50Marnie.
07:51OK.
07:52Oliver.
07:53Oh.
07:54Oliver.
07:55That's a nice name.
07:56What made you think of that?
07:57I don't know.
07:58I was just looking at him and he just gave me...
08:00It gave me a new vibe.
08:01I was, like, thinking, like, before it was Milo's guy,
08:03I was like, what name?
08:05And I looked at him and then I'm like, oh, it's Oliver.
08:07I think he's in our lunch.
08:09What about you, Maximus?
08:11What name have you got?
08:12I've got, um, Spin.
08:15Spin?
08:16Spin.
08:17OK.
08:18Mummy, what would you like to...
08:19for him to be called?
08:20Barry.
08:22Barry?
08:23Barry!
08:24Why Barry?
08:25Barry the ball?
08:26Baza?
08:27Baza?
08:28No way!
08:29Daddy's turn!
08:30I like Barry!
08:31Your turn, Daddy!
08:33OK.
08:34You googled names?
08:35Have you done a list?
08:36No, I'm trying to...
08:37I was waiting back from the society...
08:38Daddy...
08:39Oh, right.
08:40To see if it has to be a letter.
08:41For the letter.
08:42All newborn calves have to be officially registered.
08:45And with this breed, the Lincoln Red Cattle Society
08:48suggests a particular letter that all names should begin with each year.
08:53I'm guessing if Crowther was born in 23, 24 was D, 25 is E.
09:05This year, it's the letter E.
09:08Sorry, Liz, but that rules out Barry.
09:11I won't lock you in.
09:14Let's see what he weighs here.
09:1715.
09:19You're good.
09:21While the kids are distracted, me and Liz have got a plan.
09:25Shall we just name it, Kelvin, instead of asking kids all the time?
09:28I'd like a name that we've picked.
09:30We're not having a young bull called Wolf King.
09:32We just...
09:33We'll be laughter.
09:34We're just going to name him, me, aren't we?
09:36Oh, no.
09:37I was going to name him.
09:38Me.
09:39I've got a name.
09:40You already?
09:41When I met us, I met me.
09:42Beginning with E?
09:43I like Ezra.
09:44Ezra?
09:45Ezra.
09:46That is quite a cool name.
09:48Ezra the bull.
09:49We've got Sonic, Ray, Ralph, Ezra.
09:53That's a strong crew, that.
09:55What name would you go for?
09:58The only thing that sticks out for E is...
10:04Emmerdale.
10:05I'm not calling the cab Emmerdale.
10:10People will be shouting, get over it.
10:12You left ten years ago.
10:15Ezra is a much better name.
10:17Does he look like an Ezra?
10:18He does.
10:19He does look a bit...
10:20Ezra-ish.
10:21He's very pretty.
10:23Are you very good looking?
10:25Ezra.
10:26Let's lecture Ezra.
10:28Alright, we'll go with that.
10:31Well, Ezra it is.
10:34Let's hope the kids agree.
10:36Guys, we thought of a name.
10:38The names that you suggested were all fantastic names.
10:42Spin, Wolf King and...
10:45Oliver.
10:46Oliver.
10:47Great names.
10:48However, I've just had an email back from the Breed Society,
10:51the Lincoln Red Society,
10:53and because in 2025,
10:55the letter is actually E.
10:58So the name has to start with an E.
11:00But...
11:01I know what it is.
11:02Mummy's actually thought of one.
11:04What name begins with E?
11:06That's really cool.
11:07Ezra!
11:08Yeah!
11:09Ezra!
11:10George Ezra!
11:11George Ezra!
11:12Yeah!
11:13Green, green grass.
11:14Blue, blue sky!
11:36our hands do you want to do some painting me take living in the Peak
11:57District we've certainly got used to seeing our fair share of rain but this
12:01year it has been scarce so today is welcome downpour is giving Liz the
12:07excuse to get creative undercover with the kids
12:12right here you go Marnie so what's my favorite thing to do paint and what do we
12:20like to do on a rainy day paint paint right how brave are you feeling do you
12:24want to go big or little big big find you see if I've got any bigger ones or do
12:33you want to go super creative do you like two and then we'll put it on the wall
12:36like that but it's all one picture or do you want to just do one picture right is
12:45that okay there too low yeah I'll tell you what you use that one and I'll use that
12:53one because I'm gonna I'm gonna get a daddy canvas now I'm not showing up well
13:02that is a little bit bigger than yours today's activity isn't just about
13:09occupying the children as Liz is using it to create some of her own unique artwork
13:15so I've got a spot in the holiday cottage where I was going to put a TV but the
13:22cottage became such a tranquil vibe I thought I'm not gonna put any TVs in the
13:28bedroom so I've got this spot which I've looked at for ages thought what can I
13:32put there and I could put a mirror there I've looked at paintings but they just
13:36don't do anything for me so I thought you know what I reckon I could paint
13:41something that looks good there and this is gonna be it being in the farm as kind
13:47of woken up some creative side to me I think you know I've always been into sort
13:55of interiors and decorating but there's something about how I absolutely love it
14:00and I think I'm inspired by like the outsides and the outdoors and seeing
14:05everything and it and I get these little ideas in my head and I think as well my
14:09time to myself is very small because we've got a farm for kids and other jobs
14:15in the mix of that and I think this is often my me time like I don't go to gym
14:20I don't get to socialize and see because there's always a job on and I think this
14:24is my little moment and I find just a little half an hours here and there where
14:28I'll be like oh yes I'll do that a lot of the time it's in the middle of the
14:31night when everyone's asleep but I do love it I've really found a love for restoring
14:39things or creating things and then it's definitely something that's come with moving
14:46to the farm I love painting do you think you love painting because of me or do have you always
14:53love painting I really like painting especially with you oh I actually like mine I'm very proud
15:01of myself that is brilliant lovely blending you doing so good is that good enough to go into the
15:13cottage that is stunning it will absolutely go in the cottage mine is a TBC I'll come back to this
15:22alone and finish it off but so far so good got a lot of building to do got a lot more to add I'll let
15:32that dry come back to it with a bit more inspiration and without these snot rags hanging around eh
15:52each year we look to learn and gain a better understanding of how best to utilize every acre
15:59of our farm and by committing nine acres to growing oats means we have less farmland to graze our
16:06animals we started taking this fencing up last year believe it or not you get halfway into it and then
16:12something else takes your priority yeah so I've invited a couple of grazing experts Rob and Justin to
16:20help me understand how I can move from the traditional system where livestock graze one
16:24field at a time to something a little more ingenious so I've been looking forward to having you guys there
16:32I can't tell you how much because there's something about grass isn't there and with us growing some
16:37spring goats this year we're not limited somewhat but you know our our pasture has decreased so we've got
16:45the same amount of sheep but less ground to graze so we just need to make sure that we're maximizing the
16:51productivity of the grass you want these used to produce as much milk as possible on this set stock
16:57system you know they aren't getting a fresh bite they're all following each other around and they're
17:03just getting a nibble of what's left behind here and I'm looking over my shoulder over there and I'm seeing
17:09some really good sheep bite in that area there that hasn't been grazed yeah as an example of what
17:17it could be what it could and should be yeah now if they were going into that I guarantee you your use
17:23will give more milk and they'll put more lightweight gain on the lambs yeah and that's what it's about
17:28you know you're you're doing it because you want to see your stock do better the guys want to help me
17:34introduce a rotational grazing system that divides each field into sections using electric fences that
17:42way the sheep only graze one area at a time and then every few days you move them onto a new section
17:49of delicious fresh grass it's all about grazing resting recovery and then grazing and doing that
17:57whole cycle should I keep the cows separate for now or bring them together with the sheep keep them
18:02together yeah I can't wait for this and just when I thought things couldn't get any more exciting
18:07Justin has got one more trick up his sleeve to make sure our livestock only eat the best grass there's
18:14your four centimeters all right oh wow we got all right right so when you throw that golf ball into it
18:20yeah and you can see it easy you take the stock out if you've lost it you leave them in you leave I love
18:29that there you go is that the test yeah so all that science all that talk about different species
18:34that's what they call golf ball grazing golf ball grazing there you go wow golf so I'll lob this in
18:41well I could even chip it in couldn't I could get my club out do a nice little chip there and if I can
18:48see my golf ball then get them out yeah if I can't see it keep them in yeah I love that keep it simple so I
18:55can I can keep this scope all can I use more than welcome to keep it I think people will be calling
18:59me the grass man yeah the grass man that's what I'm gonna be you gotta walk the talk oh yeah I've got
19:05the talk I've certainly got that you look after that golf ball I will do I will yes absolutely I can't
19:11wait to get started Rob and Justin have promised to come back in a couple of days to help me with
19:17the first install so I got my golf ball golf ball grazing never heard of that before so excited
19:26yeah this is just amazing I mean I think this is key for us and and ultimately you know the animals
19:32are going to benefit the most they're going to get the best grass and enable them to to produce more
19:37milk and produce better lambs and the lambs will thrive who'd have thought grass could be
19:42almost a sexy but it's interesting I can't wait to start throwing my golf ball out if I can see it
19:51get them out if I can't see it keep them in I mean it's a simple things that they excite me
19:59potatoes please put your shoes on back in the barn Liz is cajoling kids whilst having a clear out
20:18and in amongst the cow muck hay and random toys we always find our breakfast too X after introducing
20:26our new cockerel Albie to the flock we were hoping the hens would stop laying their eggs in random
20:31spots around the farm but even though Albie has failed to tempt the ladies back to the hen house
20:37there's still a chance that these new eggs could be fertilized Liz yeah what's that on the tractor yeah
20:48that's where they're laying so this is no way to lay in loads yeah but have you seen a sit on them
20:59yeah you've seen a sit on me I saw a sat before yeah so I don't wish eggs she was sat on me because
21:04obviously there's quite a few three six nine twelve there's a cockerel amongst them it's just some of
21:11they might have been fertilized possibly possibly this could be potential chicks so what's the
21:18process now normally I would take them and have it for my breakfast but what do we do now well don't
21:24touch them just leave them well I need to I need the tractor oh no put them on the side she can go back
21:31to them keep them in this Hessian sack right those are the eggs it looks like my scrambled eggs are
21:40on hold while Liz finds out if these fresh new eggs have been fertilized by Albie I've bought this
21:48little contraption that can help you know if the egg is fertilized so what you do is this is like a light
21:53they call it candling and what you do is you put the egg on there and if the egg is fertilized it would
22:00show almost like a spider's web shape inside the egg something like that I'm not an expert on this
22:07hen chicken did the egg come first if the chicken come first situation yeah but I'm slowly getting there
22:13so you just all you have to do is put this light on you get the egg and you put it on our leghorns are
22:22renowned for not being brooding but if any of these eggs are fertilized we could pop them in an incubator
22:27and in just 21 days we'll have chicks on the farm however after testing them so far it's bad news and
22:35with one to go it's not looking good that's not a fertilized egg so you can almost see like that'll be
22:43the yolk there and the rest would technically be the white part of the egg if that was fertilized you
22:52would see like a spider's web in there almost like it's growing but that's not ah that's unfertilized eggs
23:05so I don't know what to do from here now we've got to have chicks on the farm we just have to we want
23:12more hens to lay more eggs and I could just go out and buy some hens but that's not the fun of it is it
23:17that's not the fun we need to think of plan B Liz and I have always applied the trial and error
23:23approach with farming and I'm hoping with a bit of planning we'll have chicks on the farm before summer's out
23:29while Liz continues the egg check Marnie and Milo are tagging along with me for some general farm
23:37maintenance well good question so you know this time of year we always try and clear the troughs out
23:47so we've got a couple of jobs so what is a trough it's that there but what's its purpose what's what's
23:53it like it drinks all the sheep so all the sheep have water exactly but the troughs need some
24:01maintenance getting the kids involved in jobs like this is one of my favorite things it teaches them
24:07practical skills and gives them a real feel for what farm life is all about could have a look at this
24:13where have you seen this system before I'll give you a clue you go there to do well toilet in the
24:21toilet do you know it works no yeah so this when you flush the water goes down to there so if it
24:30goes down it automatically opens the tap and more water comes in so as water's being drunk it's being
24:37filled up can I just say this if we push it down it is like where the flush is is that going down that
24:47button yeah so this is just basically the on off button so as the water disappears this will open
24:55the tap and it'll start to fill up but if we want to empty this can you come and see the tap here the
25:00little hole the plug you see here and as soon as it starts to come through well done look at it it's
25:10going over here so how's that sense in it's good my boots are waterproof it is a good job your boots are
25:16waterproof yeah we can now put our hand in and start giving it a scrub who wants a scrubbing brush
25:21me you've got one each so there's yours dad i don't think this is ever going to come off it will do
25:30we'll be scrubbing for the rest of our lives if you want it to actually dad why do you just get
25:35to stand there and we have to do the cleaning because i'm the boss what does miss hannigan say
25:41i want it as clean as the top of the christ building yeah so come on get scrubbing
25:47it's a hard knock life kids my workers are doing well i'm going to do what most
25:54good foreman's doing now and sit back and watch
25:59milo just likes to mess as usual mine is actually quite quite productive
26:06milo means well but
26:10he's only six though just getting him involved that's the main thing you've got to make it fun
26:16you've got to make it fun i try and liz tells me i'm too much of a school teacher at times
26:22and um try and make everything a class and i'm probably not the best at explaining things but
26:28i want them to learn it's looking good though that trough
26:33and the good news is this is looking good but there's still another four left how have you ended up
26:39like that it's farming you said it milo with a trough cleaned that's one more job we can tick off our
26:48ever-growing to-do list i know mummy's not here and the twins are not here but come on let's do it
26:53are we ready are we ready team splatchers
27:16with the summer in full swing everything is thriving on the farm
27:19the lambs are looking healthy and strong ezra is starting to find his feet and the kids are out
27:29and about helping in their own way right please oops and between it all liz has managed to find some
27:36time to complete her artwork for the cottage at home in the middle of the night when i've had these nice
27:42creative moments i've finished my picture it's not perfect but it's just absolutely
27:51like i could cry it's ridiculous but i could cry because i feel like it's a masterpiece
27:57just you know just to blow my own trumpet but i'm just so proud of it i'm so proud of it i think this is
28:06amazing am i have i gone delusional or is that amazing oh my god because my excitement over this
28:23is just sky high i've got to get out of the house more i'm going to get kelvin to put it up here
28:29oh it's just gonna look immense honestly my bank transactions to hobbycraft now are about to
28:39explode i've been called to the cottage and told to bring my tools and i can't wait to see the finished
28:45piece what do you think it will certainly offer intrigue where people will come here for a lovely
28:53weekend away and they'll think oh that's a nice that picture and as they get closer they'll start
29:00thinking who's done this i think as a glance in look you walk in and think yeah oh lovely you know
29:09what babe when you get closer it actually gets better because then you can see the detail yeah exactly
29:15anyway come on get this on the wall i'm excited people are coming soon
29:19i've got like 20 minutes it wouldn't surprise me if liz started doing more of that and she became
29:25a bit of a it became a thing and she became an artist and she was up in the tape modern
29:32but stranger things have happened haven't they did banksy ever think that they would end up
29:40where they are now i'll get a stand at the next uh country fair selling art
29:49where's my dog which way is that and that's goes that way yeah yeah
30:01dare i sign it right you ready i'm just gonna go it's really tiny
30:06well let's have a look at the final touches it's lovely to add to the cottage with a personal touch
30:19from our very own in-house abstract artist see it just makes that area better it does
30:26it actually looks good what you calling it you got a name for it because every artist don't have a name
30:35won't they for that i might call it everything happens for a reason that happened for a reason
30:41i don't know what i was doing it just happened everything happens wasn't planned
30:47it just works in that little space that little space for so long has just been bugging me
30:52and now it's just complete this room is complete i love it i can't stop looking at it
31:01right we need to go people are checking in
31:05it's been several months since the fire in the farmhouse and we miss being here more each day
31:23so as we await the green light to start the renovations we've decided to find a temporary
31:27home to live in on the farm rather than continue renting down the road
31:32with the twins in tow we're off to elsmere to see a man about a caravan a rather posh caravan
31:42hello nice to meet you i'm liz adrian adrian kelvin hi kevin nice to meet you this is uh
31:47maximus and matthias hi maximus hi matthias let's go and have a look yeah yeah can't wait get my caravan
31:54after all fancy one we could be living in this for several months so the space really has to be
32:04right for us as a family oh wow look at this oh my god oh wow oh kids look there's two little beds
32:15easier for you too they smell that for my clothes just it's got everything a home has got when we
32:24have the fire kelvin was like babe don't worry i'll just get as a caravan and i had visions of me
32:30showering over the toilet for the next two years and i know how long a renovation will take they never
32:37just take a couple of months they always take forever i really really love it and i think this
32:43could absolutely take us back to the farm so that we're there full time i i say it take a deep
32:53breath i agree with her and she was right oh my god he's just it's just music to my ears
33:03you're not just a pretty fair i'm not am i
33:08it's been a long time since we've had the fire in a sense of you know it's just been
33:13doom and gloom it's been heartbreaking but this is a real it gives a real spring in a
33:18in a step really where we can start to think actually you know things can come good and there's
33:24light at the end of the tunnel and there's a there's a real bit of excitement now the twins love it
33:30i love it marnie and milo will love it you love it
33:33we didn't choose the caravan life the caravan life chose us well once we've finished rebuilding
33:41the house for the fire you can actually move back in with the kids i could say i'm at home
33:47oh three that would be that's what the good thing shift shift work shift work your shorts here you're on
33:57finally we found a solution that will get us back on 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
34:27out of bed and onto my quad to do the rounds of the flock at the moment the flock are grazing on the top
34:33field which has the best grass and to ensure they are well fed all summer i'm introducing a new system
34:40called paddock grazing we take a field like this we subdivide it up into various paddocks with electric
34:47fencing and that then keeps the animals grazing in that area and then when they move off
34:53the area then given a chance to recover and regrow and in doing so you get better grass coming through
35:00animals are eating better grass so they're growing better it's a complete mobile system and you then
35:07put it and drop it into another field you'll see that our cows and our sheep and the lambs grazing
35:13together and our animals will be looking best they've ever looked and what a day to do it
35:23the new system is a huge change for the farm and the animals so grazing experts rob and justin
35:30are back again to make sure we get off to a good start well guys good to see you again yeah and you
35:37how are you the day has come has it yeah nice yeah that's good i was i was thinking of getting this
35:43excited about grass i was thinking if there's is there a name name for that and i it almost slipped
35:48out grass geeks would you be offended at that no no no that's good because i feel like i'm gonna become
35:52a grass geek yeah i'm gonna be so obsessed with it grass geeks good yeah yeah we'll go with that that's
35:58the spirit rock and we're lucky to have plenty of acres of grazing grass to choose from how many
36:03areas have you got we've got a few we've got um that's an eight acre field up there but middle
36:09blocks we've got this 10 acre so you could get four you'd have four divi you know four divisions there
36:15in there two here and then potentially could have another another four yeah so you've got 10 and if you
36:22say two and a half days in each one you've almost got a a 25 day rotation yeah is that what you're
36:28thinking two two three days in each one yeah probably we're going to set up electric fences
36:34in our front field first and divide it into two paddocks i'm going to be taking as many notes today
36:40as possible no doubt i'll probably ring rob again at some point next week or maybe this afternoon i
36:45don't know but i'll try and learn as much as i can today and hopefully a lot of it will absorb so
36:51that's the anchor post that goes in yeah yeah it just gives it a bit extra strength in the ground so
36:57that as we're tensioning the wire up it's it's in deep enough just to make sure it's sturdy and stays
37:04in place so if you put a post about every eight meters eight meters or eight paces one two three
37:16seven eight first one
37:27it's looking good quite therapeutic actually
37:30simple but effective and what's even better is that the grazing system won't cost much to run either
37:40this is a solar energizer leave them outside let them get exposed to sunlight
37:45all year round and you will keep the battery charged you'll need at least 48 hours if you can
37:51in sunlight before you turn sheep in okay just to get him powered up the fence is set at a level that
37:56will shock and not harm the animals it purely acts as a deterrent how many volts are we at the minute eight
38:06aye aye aye
38:10so i'll get these bells out yeah and give it another week of growth yeah fine brother
38:20by the weekend i would have thought if you wanted to the grazing paddocks are ready
38:24and in a few days time the grass will be too ready for all our sheep and cattle to move in and start munching
38:33right well guys thank you for that um i feel like my grass knowledge is is improving yeah good
38:40more and more i speak to you so we'll get the sheep on we'll see how it goes i'm going to send you loads
38:44of pictures yep how's it looking how's it looking you'll be getting bored of me and then hopefully i'll
38:50i'll get the hang of it you will yeah that's it and you'll become a grass geek a grass geek fellow
38:55grass geek yeah right then well i'll uh thanks a lot good sending us a little pictures yeah yeah
39:00looking forward to it
39:15the sun's up the farm is buzzing and today marks an important step in our arable journey contractors
39:22have arrived to treat the crop ensuring only the finest grains will make it into the harvest
39:28there's a slight predicament basically there's new crop within this crop that's not ripe and that's
39:33not ready so it's somewhat contaminated this crop so you can't have to get rid of that so that's what
39:38we've got today sprayer on getting rid of that it does mean that the countdown is on in a matter of
39:42days we're going to be harvesting and while all that's going on with our new grazing system in place
39:48liz and i have decided that young ezra should be the first to enjoy the fresh growth with his mum cherry
39:57the grass is looking good they're going to get the first bite together in the sun this is a great day
40:03to be out they're going to be hopping about and that's when our grazing strategy will start
40:09every three days they'll get a fresh bite you love a strategy don't you i love a strategy i love a bit
40:15of order it sounds easy when you say it like that but as we well know moving cows is never easy
40:22come on then ezra come on lad cherry make sure you you get your little calf don't leave him
40:31come on come on come on on the trailer come on he's following
40:40yeah they've been in the shed waiting for cherry to deliver the calf and they're they don't they've
40:50not been in the trailer a lot so it's quite they're not used to it oh maybe if the calf
40:55calf comes oh look at him come on he's confident come on come on lad come on oh look at him come on
41:07she's coming
41:11but just like the others ezra is not playing ball they knew that they were going to the grass
41:18the juiciest grass they would not be bothered they'd be skipping in oh no kelvin we've got a problem
41:30no no no no no no go that way that way calf go on go on back in no no no that way go on
41:38this is friday today and it feels like a monday it's definitely time for plan b
41:43we'll walk them down and move the trailer out we're not going to get them in the trailer
41:48we're going to have to walk the cattle through the farm but before we do cherry and ruby can
41:53go back in the barn as there's a quick job we need to do before ezra is free to roam
41:59what we're doing here is just ear tagging the calf this is its individual tag number
42:03to identify which herd it's from and its own unique number for its life it'll have this for its first
42:09you know it's uh the rest of its days so we've got 20 days to get this tag in if it was a dairy
42:14animal it's got to be done within the first i think 36 hours but because this is a beef animal
42:19we've got up to 20 days but it's two days old now so um this is like a little trip to claire's
42:24accessories getting your ears pierced it's a moment of but then it's fine
42:28good boy they're in good boy oh look at the size of them thanks on him tagged and ready to go
42:40right did they look keen enough i'll go in front then right go on then
42:46go on ezra keep up go on keep up don't slow everybody up mate go on keep going no no that way
42:54that way that way go on cherry and ruby are not hanging around leaving me to look after ezra
43:05mum's not bothered is she
43:09come on mate i feel like she's picking him up what is he 50 kilo
43:24it's a bit unorthodox but it's easier than pushing him it's what they call a farmer's carry
43:31come on lad nearly there let's dig in oh my god
43:44there you go ezra has he pooed up back in my neck i know but you've weed on you
43:48is it really yeah is it really yeah oh i can't believe your weed on me i thought i could smell
43:56something i'm sure you've had a worse it's a fair old carry that 50 i still got it anna
44:05i don't even train anymore and it's just that farmer strength in me
44:09proper farmer strength just picked it up boom come on right it's going on stand back look at them
44:18oh the livestock can now enjoy three days of grazing the fresh green grass
44:25and we can enjoy watching ezra settle into being outdoors on the farm
44:29what a lovely little thing he is oh look at him what do you reckon guys plenty of grass for you eh
44:36look at him what a cracker now it feels like a friday that was a great outcome after the trailer issue
44:47it turned out good and that's it now the next honestly the change over the next few weeks
44:52watching him just grow and grow is just fascinating what do you reckon lad oh look at her i'll tell you
45:06what there's not there's not a better sight look at it that makes me feel proud that we've come a long
45:12way babe oh he's gonna love being out here next time on our farm harvest day finally arrives
45:29if we got two tons per acre you'd be you'd be happy yeah yeah would you be doing a dance i i'd
45:34definitely be doing a dance i'll be getting naked if it does three and as wedding bells chime around the
45:41farm what do we say when someone gets married liz and i take a moment to reflect on what we've achieved
45:52this year two little kids from old on just got together and built a little farm yeah took a massive
46:00step never found in our lives never done anything like this so look at us here
46:11so
46:22so
46:24so
46:28you
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