- 5 weeks ago
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00:00In the heart of glorious North Yorkshire, just outside the historic market town of Thirsk,
00:07sits Stony Brough Farm, home to Jean and Steve Green.
00:12Hello girls!
00:15Side by side for nearly 50 years, in his mid-90s, Steve's one of the oldest working farmers
00:22in the country.
00:23And while times are changing, always there to help, is their long-time vet, and friend Peter
00:46Wright.
00:50During these golden years, this couple of proud Yorkshire rare-breeds love to embrace
01:01their heritage.
01:02This is a deed from 1706.
01:05Marvellous, isn't it Pete?
01:07While still moving with the times.
01:09Wow.
01:10She's got it into her head that she would like it a two.
01:13I'm thinking on four hand.
01:15As the adventures continue.
01:17What a thrill, eh?
01:19On this family farm like no other.
01:22Welcome to the ghost hunt.
01:24Oh, wow.
01:25Don't panic, I'm here to hold your hand.
01:28At home, with the Greens.
01:43Farming in North Yorkshire has changed immeasurably since the early 1940s.
01:47Steve!
01:48Steve!
01:49Yeah, I'm ready, James.
01:50Right?
01:51Yep.
01:52Which is when Steve Green moved to Stony Brough Farm in Thirsk with his family.
01:56That's it.
01:57Got it.
01:58He's lived here with Jean since they married in 1978.
02:05And with their lifetime of memories.
02:08You know, I didn't know I had that.
02:10I did not know I had that.
02:13Steve and Jean are proud of their Yorkshire heritage.
02:17And that was my grandfather's that.
02:20It's been handy, hasn't it?
02:23It would have been out there, you know.
02:26It would.
02:27It takes me back a long way of that.
02:30When I was just starting school, there's that.
02:34When I was about five or six.
02:36I just like to rummage among them sometimes.
02:39It reminds me of the past.
02:41It does.
02:43Hello, Steve's 21st birthday, James.
02:48Steve!
02:50Steve!
02:51Come and see this.
02:52Oh, right.
02:53Now, what have you got?
02:56Your 21st birthday, Cad.
03:01It's nice to look at the photographs.
03:04I like reminiscing it.
03:07What's that one?
03:09Oh, is it Robin Hood's Bear Agricultural Show?
03:14That's me, I'm not.
03:15No, lad.
03:17My mother, she's walking.
03:20Can I have a lump, please?
03:22You can.
03:23Can I be a nebby?
03:25My mother used to ride behind me.
03:29We'd come now and marry that horse.
03:31Across Thirsk.
03:32Oh, she's in beautiful condition.
03:38The Greens' friend, Peter.
03:40Oh, thank you, dear.
03:41Is also feeling reflective.
03:42As I sit here, looking across those few fields and just about see the house I was born in.
03:50You've never really wanted to leave Yorkshire, have you?
03:53Why would I?
03:54There's everything here.
03:55Everything I could possibly want.
03:59What makes Yorkshire great?
04:00It's the culture.
04:01It's the heritage.
04:03But I think above all else, I think it's the people.
04:07We see it as it is.
04:09We're known for maybe being a little bit blunt at times, but true Yorkshire folk really are the salt of the earth.
04:18It's an oldie bus, this one.
04:21It was early harvest July 22nd, 1949.
04:29There's your dad.
04:30There you are, look.
04:31You're right there.
04:32Oh, yeah, that's it.
04:34I'm setting them up.
04:36Yeah.
04:37It's the community spirit that we have in our villages and our towns what sets us apart.
04:45Because if someone was in trouble, there'd be somebody there close by to help you.
04:50And I think that's what makes my part of the world so great.
04:54What's your new man?
04:56Aye, that's what mum and dad.
04:59Go on, Bunny, you're spitting image.
05:03You weren't the milkman's, were you?
05:05No.
05:06Oh, no.
05:07As long as you're alive, he's here.
05:09As long as you're alive, your dad and mum are still living.
05:15But all those years that have provided so many memories are starting to catch up with Steve and Gene.
05:28Especially when winter bites hard.
05:31How do you like this strong, frosty morning?
05:34It's better than the snow.
05:36This morning, temperatures have plummeted below zero, making life tough, even for these hardened Yorkshire farmers.
05:46Oh, this weather doesn't suit.
05:49It makes all drinking balls frozen.
05:52Down to the frozen calves are frozen.
05:55It's harder than ever.
05:59But what do you do?
06:01Now what you can do, you just got to plod on.
06:04It's just ice that bothers me.
06:08And seeing where to walk.
06:11My foot's playing up, just arthritis in it.
06:15I've got it in.
06:17Foot, knees, hips and joints.
06:19And small at back.
06:21It doesn't make no difference.
06:24Hard work never killed any man.
06:26Come on Steve, we're going through here.
06:31Let's have a look at them.
06:33How are you, Eustace?
06:36We've got Brazil nut and hazelnut.
06:39And we've got a pair of nuts in here.
06:42Well, it takes one to know one, doesn't it?
06:45Peter's coming to see them.
06:50And all being well, we're going to de-arm them.
06:55It's important to get their arms off.
06:58It stops them fighting and damaging each other.
07:03They injure one another and they injure us.
07:08It's hard for me and hard for Stephen,
07:11especially if we've got arthritis.
07:14He doesn't like the car.
07:16He wished he hadn't to get up this morning
07:18at close to seven.
07:20And he moaned at me.
07:21He said, have we got to get up?
07:22I said yes.
07:23This one that I couldn't do was staying in bed.
07:26Get up and get the old body going, man.
07:29These animals just get us out of bed.
07:34Remember the saying?
07:35What, sir?
07:36Winter chill and summer eat,
07:39farmers work so the world can eat.
07:41Ah, that's it.
07:44Hello.
07:45Hello, young man.
07:46How are you?
07:47Good morning.
07:48Good morning, Peter.
07:49It's a bit on Nippy side this morning, isn't it?
07:51Yeah.
07:52It is.
07:53I bet you're having to work ahead just to keep warm.
07:55Well, now then, we have a job to do, haven't we?
07:58We have.
07:59This one, middle one, and then.
08:02Well, we've obviously got some length of horn here,
08:05so we're going to have to cut them off first before we burn them.
08:09We're going to have to be able to restrain them,
08:11because they're bigger than we would normally do.
08:15So that's the problem.
08:16I'm just wondering whether to sedate them,
08:18to sort of make them groggy,
08:20and then we can handle them better.
08:22And they might go down.
08:23I've got arthritis playing up at my foot this morning.
08:26Well, even more reason than, I think, to sedate them, Jean.
08:30I'm oblig.
08:31Yeah, well, that's no good.
08:32That's no good.
08:33I'm walking like a ruptured crab.
08:39It isn't only just doing the job,
08:41it's restraining them as well.
08:43And we're going to be able to manage them between us.
08:45I would hope we can help them.
08:47I don't know. They're pretty big, aren't they?
08:50They are big.
08:52Jean's famous for her indomitable spirit.
08:56But she's really beginning to struggle.
08:59Hey, just give me a minute to get me towel all good night.
09:02I could help you.
09:04No, you're all right.
09:06Don't worry.
09:07Don't worry about it.
09:08I'll be all right.
09:12Oh, bloody hell.
09:13Let's go steady.
09:14I can't do it.
09:20No.
09:23Coming up...
09:24Morning, Stephen.
09:25Down then, Peter. Are you all right?
09:26Peter helps one friend explore the genetics of his show sheep.
09:29For DNA testing, we're going to take a drop of blood,
09:32so we all make,
09:33and that, hopefully, will give Stephen an edge over his competitors.
09:38And climbs the Green's family tree.
09:40Looks very dapper. It looks very important, doesn't it?
09:43I do.
09:44But will he follow Jean when she celebrates her Yorkshire roots?
09:49I can't have a tattoo without another one.
09:52That's fair enough in my book.
09:54Yeah.
10:04Proud Yorkshire farmers.
10:06Never want to admit defeat.
10:09But with temperatures in North Yorkshire below freezing.
10:12We might be better in here, Steve, do you think?
10:15Steve and Jean are both struggling to help Peter,
10:18who's at Stonyborough Farm to dehorn three calves.
10:21Well, I've got arthritis playing up this morning.
10:25Yeah.
10:26I'm sorry I'm not much out.
10:28Once I get mobile, I'll be all right.
10:32This is going to be more tricky than it normally is at Mr and Mrs Green's.
10:36The problem is restraining our patients,
10:38and I think my handlers are certainly not in the first flush of youth.
10:42It will make restraint difficult,
10:44so I'm going to have to sedate the cattle so that we can get the operation done.
10:49It's going to be a long job.
10:52Right.
10:53We'll just let them into the passageway.
10:56I'm cold.
10:58Peter Simms is going to go up a bit, but it turns cold.
11:02Oh, I'll be all right, Steve, won't I get?
11:05Too cold for you.
11:06I'll go a bit of work.
11:08That'll warm you up.
11:09I wonder if we should do it on another day when it's warmer.
11:12My finger ends, I can hardly feel them, to be honest.
11:14I'd rather abandon the job.
11:16It's seven degrees below freezing this morning,
11:19and I'm worried about your youthful assistant.
11:21It's too cold this morning.
11:22Yeah, I'm concerned for it.
11:23No, I'm all right.
11:24No.
11:25Hey.
11:26He's on antibiotics,
11:27and I don't want him getting pneumonia out like that.
11:30Well, I didn't know that, but I do now,
11:33and I think we'll abandon the job this morning.
11:35It's a bit too cold to carry on.
11:38That's it.
11:39So we'll have to go in.
11:42Let's go and get warmed up by fire.
11:45Just give me a minute to...
11:49Go steady, Jean.
11:50Hold on a sec.
11:51Can I take hold of you?
11:52Yeah.
11:54Are you all right?
11:55Yeah.
11:56I've got you, Steve.
12:01So get going, I'll be all right.
12:07Farming can be hard,
12:08so I think it's better if we go back to the barracks at the moment,
12:13regroup,
12:14and then rearm for another day.
12:18I usually carry on, but this morning I couldn't do it.
12:23I couldn't manage it.
12:27Light tears up.
12:28Do you want a piece of fruit cake, young man?
12:31No, I'm fine, Therese.
12:32I just want a drop of something warm.
12:34Right.
12:35As we all do.
12:40It goes right down with that warm tea, doesn't it, on a day like this.
12:43But it was bitterly cold out there.
12:45I think we're right to stop as well.
12:47No, I ain't in shape, lad.
12:49No.
12:50And when we were all younger,
12:52going out and removing those arms,
12:54it wouldn't have been a big job.
12:55We'd have laughed at it, but not now.
12:57No.
12:58Well, when I've got a bit of time,
13:00I'll come and give you a hand on these cold days, if you like.
13:03It'd be more than grateful, young man.
13:05My granny always said,
13:06a little bit of help's worth a lot of pity.
13:09And I think there's something in that, isn't there?
13:11Yeah.
13:12And they always say,
13:13the devil made work for I'd landed, didn't he?
13:16That's very true.
13:17Very true.
13:18Look, I'm going to have to go now anyway and get on,
13:20but I'll thank you for the tea and keep that fire going.
13:24I'm fireman.
13:26See you, Peter.
13:28See you, Jean.
13:29Yeah, bye.
13:34What is very noticeable to me,
13:37over the years that I've been coming to Steve and Jean's,
13:40when I say years, I mean decades,
13:42age and time is catching up with both of them.
13:45So if I have a bit of spare time,
13:49I'm going to pop in to the farm occasionally,
13:52just to help out and do a bit of bedding up
13:54and do a bit of feeding if necessary,
13:56under the jurisdiction of Mr. and Mrs. Green.
14:00from dawn till dusk.
14:12Farmers all across Yorkshire toil in all kinds of weather.
14:17It's a rich heritage, as the skills and stamina that are needed
14:26are passed down from generation to generation.
14:29And as well as pledging to assist Jean and Steve with some of their manual labour.
14:41Elizabeth I will be on the throne, I think then.
14:44That's how far it's going back.
14:46After their recent delve through the family photos.
14:491573?
14:51Yeah.
14:52I remember it well, Peter.
14:55Peter's helping them explore the green family tree.
14:58There he is, Steve. I'll show you him.
15:01Now then.
15:02He looks marvellous, don't he?
15:04Doesn't he?
15:05Yeah.
15:06He looks very dapper.
15:07He looks very important, doesn't he?
15:08He does.
15:09Well, Jean, your great-great-grandad is coming up here
15:14and he sounds as if he could be from aristocracy
15:17because his name was Marmaduke.
15:19Marmaduke?
15:20Marmaduke?
15:21Marmaduke's in your family, do you?
15:23Marmaduke?
15:24Marmaduke?
15:25The Marmaduke cat?
15:26I don't know whether he identifies a cat gene in those days, but who knows?
15:30But he died in Circleby, the village I was born in.
15:34So he hasn't gone far, has he?
15:36Couldn't get any local in here.
15:37You couldn't really, no.
15:39Going back in time for over 500 years,
15:42I can't find anybody on your mother's side
15:46that was born outside Yorkshire.
15:48So I think it's fair to say that you're a purebred, Jean.
15:52You're pure.
15:53I'm a thoroughbred.
15:54A thoroughbred.
15:55Stephen was East Yorkshire, Whitby,
15:57but you both got pure Yorkshire blood in you.
16:01I never doubted it for one moment.
16:03Well, I'm Yorkshire bone and bread,
16:05long in the arm and thick in the head.
16:07Pure Yorkshire woman, you shan't take that away from me.
16:18Across Yorkshire, near Halifax,
16:22another charismatic farming friend of Peter's
16:25is also interested in heritage, but in his sheep.
16:28Come right.
16:29Whee!
16:30Although only in his mid-twenties,
16:32fourth-generation farmer Stephen Short
16:35is a multiple breed champion at the Great Yorkshire Show
16:39with his Hampshire Downs.
16:41Thank you very much.
16:44And now he's asked Peter for some help
16:46finding future winners.
16:48In the veteran world, as well as the farming world,
16:52technology's moving on.
16:54And what we're looking at this morning
16:56is we're taking a blood sample from his sheep,
16:58which we're going to send off.
17:00Yup!
17:02Come on.
17:04And that, hopefully,
17:05will give Stephen an edge over his competitors
17:08by looking at the genetic worth
17:10of the sheep he's looking to breed from in future.
17:14Steady.
17:17Why, Stephen?
17:18Now then, Peter, are you already?
17:19If I wasn't grumble, how was your self-keeping?
17:21Ah, not so bad, muddling on.
17:22I see you've got the girls already in.
17:24Ah, yeah, they're in ready for you now.
17:26Once upon a time,
17:27it would just be a case of,
17:28you'd eye them up, wouldn't you?
17:30You'd look at them and say,
17:31I think that will do all right.
17:32Yeah.
17:33Whereas this can give you information
17:35maybe even before you can spot the potential.
17:38It's surprising, you know,
17:39what a little bit of science might just tell you.
17:42And I'm sure you've looked into the mechanisms
17:44of how this works, Stephen.
17:45Well, a bit of an idea, you know.
17:49I think it's fair to say
17:50that we wouldn't need to test your DNA.
17:52You're pure Yorkshire through and through, aren't you?
17:54Ah, somewhat like.
17:58Fine, let's have a deal.
18:00Right.
18:01For DNA testing,
18:03we're going to take a drop of blood from them
18:05so they'll be all mate.
18:07And all.
18:08And smear it on this card
18:10and then it's going to go off to be tested
18:12to study the whole genetic makeup.
18:15That'll do.
18:16The next contestant.
18:18This particular owl goes back to a tuck called Domino,
18:23which were a hell of a good thing.
18:25You're a bit of bleeding, missus.
18:27Just a minute, we're nearly done.
18:28This isn't particularly painful.
18:30It's just a very sharp pick.
18:32Trying to pick out these old bloodline sheep, Peter.
18:35Yep.
18:36That there is a pedigree.
18:40Her father won at Royal Show,
18:43bred champions all over.
18:45A hell of a ram.
18:47Peter normally sees Stephen sheep during show week.
18:51It's like when you see these ladies
18:53and the press catch a picture of them
18:55when they've got no makeup on.
18:56They look very different.
18:57Just like your sheep, really.
18:59They look very different
19:00when they're not all...
19:01Trimmed up.
19:02All trimmed up.
19:03It's almost like seeing them with the curlers in,
19:05isn't it, really?
19:08No, no, no.
19:09I do.
19:10We're doing quite nicely now.
19:12Just a minute.
19:14Just bear with me.
19:15Yeah, Daniel.
19:17A lot of the public don't understand
19:20the depth of knowledge that you would have.
19:22You can go back through the history,
19:25through the ancestors of these,
19:27talking about them just off the top of your head.
19:30You aren't going on a computer.
19:31It's just there in your head.
19:33And you can go to places like the Great Yorkshire Shore
19:36and come out on top there
19:38because of your enthusiasm,
19:40because of your dedication,
19:41and because of your knowledge that you've built up.
19:44It's a life, isn't it?
19:46It's a life.
19:47But if I can leave the flock
19:50in a better way than what I found it
19:52when my time's up, that'll do for me.
19:54Well, that's something to put on your gravestone, isn't it?
19:57Yes!
20:13After having her own pedigree confirmed as pure Yorkshire,
20:16Jeanne's come up with an impulsive plan
20:18to really mark the discovery.
20:21So she's made the short journey to Rippon, with Peter providing much needed moral support.
20:30A few weeks ago, Peter gave us a hand with family tree, and he had the idea of us anchoring
20:38for a tattoo.
20:40I don't know what one to get.
20:43Maybe Yorkshire Rose?
20:44Right, let's go and have a look, shall we?
20:46Yeah, go on.
20:47Where are we going?
20:48I think down here.
20:50Naturally, an experienced vet and farmer wanted an experienced tattoo artist.
20:57Ah, this is it, we're here.
21:01And one of Peter's friends recommended Martin.
21:05I've been a tattooist for about 25 years, seen everything, nothing shocks me anymore.
21:11But while he's seen all kinds of body art and piercings, Martin's never met Mrs Green.
21:18He's a gentleman at work now, Jane.
21:20Well, I'm going to be noisy.
21:21No, you'll be noisy, darling.
21:23I'm going to stick me neck in.
21:27Nice to meet you.
21:29My name's Peter.
21:30This is Mrs Green.
21:31She's got it into her head that she would like it to do.
21:34Do it.
21:35No, I can't have a tattoo without another one.
21:38That's fair enough in my book.
21:41Does it hurt?
21:42It's a bearable pain.
21:44Some places hurt more than others.
21:46I hate having my back tattooed.
21:49So you've had your back tattooed as well, haven't you?
21:51Yeah, yeah.
21:52I've got my back, my legs, my arms, my chest, my bum.
21:56You had your bum done?
21:58Yeah, I've even had my willy done.
22:00And we don't want to have my bum.
22:04That must be very painful.
22:06It was very, very painful and it was very stupid.
22:10I'm on virginal territory here.
22:17I've never been into a tattoo parlour in all my life.
22:20And I just hope Mrs Green's prepared for what is about to come.
22:24And more importantly than that, that Steve, when she gets home,
22:28accepts Mrs Green.
22:30Right, Dean.
22:31We've finished Lily's tattoo.
22:32We can take you through there and get you sorted out for yours.
22:37Coming up...
22:38I'm thinking up for her.
22:39Go around.
22:40Get on my job.
22:41Will Steve be in shock?
22:42The problem is, I broke your rules.
22:45And the milk of Yorkshire kindness.
22:48We've brought you some fresh milk.
22:50A nice pork pie made at our farm as well.
22:53It's a milk in.
22:54As word of the Greens needing help reaches the Barnsley boys.
22:58Get up for good work!
23:09After Jean learnt that she's Yorkshire through and through, when Peter explored the Greens family tree...
23:16We could maybe do a runner now.
23:18...she's had the wild idea of getting her first tattoo at 73 years young.
23:24What do you reckon, Jean?
23:25You don't think Mr Green would be upset if he went with one at home alone?
23:28Oh, he would.
23:29He'd go ballistic.
23:30Would he?
23:31I'd wanted to be kicked out from home because he doesn't approve.
23:35And I think it could put a major strain on the marriage.
23:38I think it's your turn, Jean.
23:40So what are you thinking then, Jean?
23:42Something like Yorkshire Roast.
23:44I don't know what Peter's having, but he's having one.
23:47I don't know.
23:48Don't be a coward.
23:50I'm into...
23:55Silence.
23:56It's golden...
23:59I don't know what he's coming up with.
24:01It's uncomfortable.
24:03Well, he's concentrating hard, Jean.
24:05The suspense is quite something.
24:08There's quite an atmosphere in here.
24:13So, it's unfair and poor.
24:15Oh, nice. Thank you.
24:16I like it.
24:17It's very artistic.
24:19I think, in my case, in an emergency situation,
24:25if there's an evacuation,
24:27I've always believed in women and children first.
24:30And I think in this instance,
24:32I think I'll see how Mrs Green gets on first
24:34before I even consider taking the plunge.
24:36I'm thinking on forearm.
24:38Right.
24:39If you're sure, I'll get prepped, and we'll get it on.
24:41All right, then.
24:42All right, darling.
24:43You can have a seat.
24:44We'll get you all sorted.
24:45I wouldn't miss this for the world, Mrs Green.
24:48Yeah, but you're next in line.
24:49Maybe so, but let's see how it turns out.
24:52Yeah, well, just remember, you're not moving off that seat.
24:55Right, Jean. Let's get started.
24:57Let's get crashing, then.
24:59Get on with the job.
25:01Always buzzing like another day.
25:04Ah!
25:06Jean, wits!
25:10Dating back to the House of York's foundation in the 14th century,
25:14the Yorkshire Rose, also known as the mystical Rose of Heaven,
25:17traditionally represents purity and innocence.
25:20Let's see if Steve's it out.
25:23He's got a surprise coming, hasn't he?
25:25But will Jean still seem pure and innocent to Steve?
25:28I hope he's happy.
25:32Hello, boss.
25:33Oh, hello, Jane.
25:35How are you?
25:36Oh, pretty good.
25:37Thanks, have you enjoyed it?
25:39We've been out on a bit of an adventure stay, haven't we, Jane?
25:42Yeah.
25:43Hi.
25:44We've been to Ripon.
25:45I've got some news for you.
25:46You have?
25:47Well, you'll never guess what Mrs. Green's been up to.
25:51She's met a very interesting man,
25:53and I think she was quite taken with him.
25:55Is that right, Jane?
25:56Yeah.
25:58But the problem is...
26:00I...
26:01I broke your rule.
26:03Oh, did you?
26:04What did you say to Tara?
26:06She can't have a what?
26:07Oh, yeah, I know, I want to tell.
26:10Well, I broke your rule.
26:12Yeah, yeah, you actually wrote.
26:14What did you tell me?
26:16Yeah, I said if you come here with a tattoo,
26:18I said they don't come back as well.
26:21Yeah.
26:22After you've been married all this time,
26:24are you surprised she's come back with a tattoo on?
26:26With Jane, you can't be surprised at now.
26:31It's someone else.
26:32He's got one.
26:35What do you reckon?
26:36We've got a matching pair.
26:38What do you think Lynn's going to say?
26:40Well, mate, if I get kicked out,
26:41can I have a bed for the night?
26:42Yeah.
26:43Are you going to, bud?
26:44I'll see.
26:46I'll think about it.
26:49I will think about it.
26:51Steve, one more surprise.
26:53Yeah, no, I wonder what it was.
26:58You pull it off.
26:59Yeah, there you are.
27:00You just pull them off.
27:02I...
27:03Don't you think she's a bit of a wind-up merchant, Steve?
27:06She's a wind-up.
27:08Told you!
27:10Steve, I've got to say, we got in there,
27:12we had good intentions,
27:14but then we chickened out, didn't we?
27:16Yeah.
27:17We had artificial ones.
27:18Well, there was a young lady in there
27:20having a proper one done,
27:21and she said it was a bit painful,
27:23but not only that, we thought,
27:24well, once you've got them,
27:25well, you're stuck with them, aren't you?
27:27Yeah.
27:28Well, you are, aren't you?
27:29We said, no.
27:30And Jean said,
27:31I don't know what my husband will think.
27:33And at that point, we said,
27:35no, we're not going to go down that route.
27:38She's pulled the wool over me eyes.
27:40She has.
27:42She's conned me.
27:43Of course, you don't need a tattoo
27:53to display true Yorkshire qualities,
27:56like camaraderie.
27:58And word has reached Rob and Dave
28:00at Cannon Hall Farm.
28:02Have you got one for us, editor?
28:04Oh, good girl.
28:05Thank you very much.
28:07But the Greens' daily workload
28:09is taking its toll.
28:10Caught up with our pal Peter recently,
28:13and apparently Steve and Jean Green
28:15are not in the best of spirits.
28:16They're not firing on all cylinders.
28:18All made parking.
28:20It's got to be the one.
28:21Dave and I have had a think.
28:23We're going to get a picnic together.
28:25We're going to head up to Thirst
28:26and hopefully lift their spirits.
28:29Well, I think what I've got from the garden
28:31and you've got from the shop,
28:32I think we're going to do them proud.
28:38How are you doing?
28:39How are you two youngsters?
28:41Shall we have a sit down, Steve?
28:43Sit down at the picnic table.
28:45Right then, so we've been in the farm shop
28:47and you've been a dairy farmer.
28:50We've brought you some fresh milk.
28:52Yeah, thank you.
28:53We've got you some Yorkshire mixture
28:55and some Pontefrat cake.
28:57I've got you a nice bit of Wensleydale.
29:00It's made with Yorkshire milk, Steve,
29:02just like you used to produce here.
29:03A nice pork pie made at our farm as well.
29:06Steve?
29:07It's a beauty, isn't it?
29:09So hopefully, Steve, that's your tea sorted.
29:12I was just thinking that.
29:13Nice piece of pork pie, nice piece of cake,
29:16lump of cheese and a glass of milk.
29:18How about that?
29:19But don't I get looking.
29:21You've got a bag of crisps, Gene.
29:24Do I owe you?
29:25No.
29:28Look who's come to see us.
29:29He's looking well.
29:30That's Fernando.
29:31Do you think he remembered us?
29:33Hang on, Steve.
29:34Give him a couple of carrots.
29:35Here you go, Steve.
29:36Big donkey, isn't he?
29:38He is.
29:39He's a beauty, isn't he?
29:40He wasn't that big when we dropped him off.
29:42You've been feeding him well.
29:43So is it arthritis, Gene?
29:45Yeah.
29:46Dragging you down a bit.
29:47You know why?
29:48It's because you've worked so hard through all your life
29:50that you've just worn yourself out just a little bit.
29:53I'm coming up seventy-four, lad.
29:55Yeah?
29:56I've been working sixty-odd year,
29:58so your bones are creaking.
30:00Are there any jobs that David and I can do, Gene,
30:02while we're here?
30:03I could reckon there's one or two odd jobs.
30:08You know we were supposed to be having a relaxing afternoon
30:10with Gene and Steve.
30:11We are.
30:12Gene's giving me a list of jobs a mile long.
30:14Come on.
30:15There's not like a good couple of firemen to give us a hand
30:19with something we want doing.
30:23Come on, Dave.
30:24Fire her up.
30:29I want that to you until you've missed a bit.
30:35In Yorkshire, we've got that sense of community.
30:38Come on, lad.
30:39Come on, lad.
30:40If someone's a little bit down, we rally round.
30:42King of the good work.
30:48Job's a good one.
30:50Looking like Wimbledon now that day.
30:52Great job.
30:53It's a bowling green, Rob.
30:54Well, you've done a good job there.
30:56Yeah.
30:57My flow is a little bit disappointing.
30:59But it'll get there in the end.
31:00It always gets there in the end.
31:02It always gets there in the end.
31:03It's like stepping back in time.
31:04Our old farm used to have a dairy like that.
31:07It's just a lovely place, isn't it?
31:09Milking is now done by robots.
31:11Then it was done by real, genuine farmers.
31:14And Steve was that man.
31:16And I think if we can end up half as good as him at that age,
31:20I'd be more than happy.
31:21Yeah, I agree.
31:25You all right?
31:26Yeah, not so bad.
31:27We're about finished.
31:28Does that look all right, Steve?
31:30Yes, thank you very, very much.
31:32Nearly a really good job, is that?
31:34We need a job over summer, like, to know where to come.
31:37Well, bear that in mind, Gene.
31:38I'll get off without.
31:39We'd better go.
31:41See you later.
31:42Bye.
31:43All right, lad.
31:44Bye.
31:45Peter's also pledged to help the Greens a little more.
31:55It's like surgical gloves, these.
31:58In all kinds of ways.
32:00Peter, watch the tape.
32:02Well, don't push her up, Mrs Green.
32:04I'll have to turn her in.
32:06She'll never believe it.
32:08But top of his to-do list is still dehauling three calves.
32:13Hello, girls.
32:14After they had to abandon the job last time.
32:17It was too cold.
32:19And so we decided to go in and have a drink.
32:22We just couldn't stand it.
32:24It was like Arctic weather, wasn't it?
32:27But with the calves getting bigger, it's a job that can't be put off any longer.
32:34These horns have grown longer than we would like, which is going to make life more tricky.
32:41Hopefully things will go smoothly this time, but who can tell?
32:46Right.
32:47Round two.
32:48Round two.
32:49Round two.
32:50Well, let's hope we do better this time.
32:52We're going to put one calf into each pen, and we think that'll be better for handling them and being able to restrain them.
32:58I think Mrs Green said that you've got to keep out at wear there, Steve.
33:01Come on.
33:02Come behind here, love.
33:03Just for now.
33:04Come on.
33:05What I'm going to do, then, is sedate them, which will make our life easier and their life pleasanter, because it has got a painkiller in as well.
33:16And it's going to run like a military operation.
33:19I've noticed a big one first.
33:21Right.
33:23Come on.
33:24Good loss.
33:25Right.
33:26Right.
33:27Got him.
33:28Right.
33:29Get him.
33:30One spotted one.
33:31Coming to you, Mrs Green.
33:32Right.
33:35Shut him in.
33:36Stay.
33:37Got him.
33:38Right.
33:39That means we've got them all separated now.
33:41We're working well now.
33:44Right.
33:45If I can.
33:46Let her go.
33:47Yeah.
33:48I think she's going to get a bit wobbly soon.
33:50You're doing a good job there, Steve.
33:52I'm sorry.
33:53It's not one way to go yet.
33:55And we could have many catastrophes en route, but so far, so good.
34:03Still to come.
34:04Right lambing when snow's hot ground, and tending cattle out year round.
34:09Poetry in motion.
34:10It's hard work and little prey.
34:12There are one tight any other way.
34:14The lows and highs of farming.
34:16Freedom girls.
34:17Come on then.
34:18Hair.
34:19Ha ha.
34:20Peter, Gene, and Steve have often referred to themselves as Yorkshire's A-Team.
34:35What are they having?
34:36But recently they were soldiers of misfortune when they had to abandon a job in freezing weather.
34:42Right.
34:43That's about it.
34:44That's got that one done, Steve.
34:46Although today things are going more smoothly.
34:48Hey.
34:49It's a sleeping bull.
34:50It's a bulldozer.
34:51It's a bulldozer.
34:52It's a bulldozer.
34:53All right, Jake.
34:55In their second attempt to de-horn three calves.
34:59It's all right, Steve.
35:00Can I get you to hold this for me?
35:03What are you charging for?
35:04Haircuts?
35:05Haircuts are free.
35:06If you want me to tidy up while I'm raging, I will do.
35:10And no extra charge.
35:12Oh, good lad.
35:14You might still object a little bit to this.
35:18Just be on the guard, Steve.
35:20Yeah.
35:21I'll just keep him down.
35:24Perfect.
35:25That's all nicely now.
35:28That's one.
35:32Curve out off, Steve.
35:34It's off.
35:35Right, I'm just going to just burn it now.
35:39Don't feel this at all.
35:41This is totally numb.
35:43And it's funny, near a day you get less to bleed.
35:47Yes.
35:48It's very true.
35:49My old boss Halfway taught me that.
35:52Aye.
35:53Get nice and low when you're de-horning, you'll get less bleeding.
35:55And by gosh, it's very true.
35:57I did not know that.
35:59Well, at the age you are now, and if you didn't know that,
36:02well, it must be one of the few things you didn't know about, Steve.
36:06I do without learning to do wasted.
36:10Are you all right, Gene?
36:12Sometimes it's the sound of the saw that they don't like.
36:16So I'm going to try these loppers instead now.
36:19What you do, you put it over the base of the horn, and then you just like that.
36:26That's it.
36:27All right, Steve.
36:28I think I got splattered there, but never mind.
36:34Things might not have gone well last time, but Peter loves it.
36:40Right.
36:41I'll tell you what.
36:42Me and your husband, they dated unfantastically well in here.
36:46When a plan comes together.
36:48We're what you call the A-Team.
36:50You're Hannibal, Peter.
36:51I'm Bea.
36:52And Steve's, um, face.
36:53We don't know where Murdoch went.
36:55That was better.
36:56He's not feeling nothing to say.
36:57He's just awkward.
36:58Right.
36:59That's it, Steve.
37:00Now, they look a bit gruesome now.
37:01But a couple of days, when all that cake blood's done, you'll hardly be able to see anything.
37:17I'm putting food, mate.
37:18She's on her way.
37:19Yeah.
37:20Well, we've got them safely back to bed now, haven't we?
37:25Yeah.
37:26All in all, it's a job well done.
37:30We've got aging farmers and, dare I say, possibly an aging veterinary surgeon as well.
37:36And it makes life a little bit more tricky for all of us.
37:40We're all intact, and I think I'd have struggled without your husband to help, you know.
37:45Oh, what about me?
37:46Don't give him up for us.
37:56While they've kept hundreds of cows,
37:59the greens have never worked with sheep.
38:02Oh, look at that.
38:03Oh, that.
38:04Well, you said you'd never done it before, Gene.
38:05I am.
38:06You're a natural.
38:07Come on, babe.
38:08Yeah.
38:09Apart from the time Gene visited Rob and Dave...
38:11Right, you got it, Gene?
38:12Yeah.
38:13...and helped them with a lambing.
38:15Well done, Gene.
38:16Perfect.
38:17Well done.
38:18Right.
38:19Well done.
38:20Well done.
38:21Well done.
38:22Well done.
38:23Well done.
38:24Well done.
38:25That's Gene.
38:26Meet Gene.
38:27Welcome to the world.
38:28Hey.
38:29Thanks for receiving me.
38:30Glatted.
38:31But the farmer who lives, and breathes sheep all year round...
38:36erosene'
38:49to help him breed his next rosette winners.
38:52So we've had the results back for the DNA testing
38:55from when me and Peter took the blood the other week,
38:58and they were all ARRR, ARRR, which is group one.
39:01There's five or six different groups, and ARRR is the best.
39:06So a little bit of science is just helping us
39:09with a selection of breeding stock going forward
39:12to try and keep breeding these champion rams.
39:15It's all a bit technical for me, all this modern science
39:18and that, but super news, really,
39:21and it'll just help our job going forward.
39:26For Stephen, this farming life isn't just a job.
39:30It's more than a mere passion.
39:33It's a calling, which has inspired him to write a poem.
39:40We're outlamming when the snow's hot ground
39:43and tending cattle all year round.
39:45We plough fields and then we scatter.
39:47And make sure livestock have plenty of water.
39:50I rise at quarter to five and milk in me half past.
39:54Sixty cows later it's time for me breakfast.
39:57I never eat at me leisure cos I'm always under loads of pressure.
40:00Ain't massive Fergie there's no doubt.
40:02Tall lass is on her way out.
40:04As tractors go, it's done its toil.
40:07Carried bales and turned on soil.
40:09It's hard work and little pay.
40:12They're all untied to any other way.
40:14I keep a few pigs and cows in store.
40:18But you can't make job tee up no more.
40:20And young vittany's coming today.
40:22That's something else I shot a pay.
40:24You'll be testing for bovine diseases.
40:26God forbid an effort sneezing.
40:27Those farming toils Stephen has put into poetry
40:41have been taking their toll on Gene and Steve for decades.
40:46But with blue skies over North Yorkshire,
40:49those cruel freezing mornings seem a long time ago.
40:53One such morning forced Gene, Steve and Peter to abandon a job.
41:04I wonder if we should do it on another day when it's warmer.
41:07Just give me a minute too.
41:10Let's go steady, Gene.
41:13It's harder than ever.
41:16But Yorkshire farmers don't give up easily.
41:19I'm through here.
41:20And it was second time lucky, dehorning the three calves.
41:26Hello, girls.
41:28Are you going to say hello?
41:30It was a long winter for me and Stephen.
41:33It was hard.
41:34Hard for the bitch.
41:35The dehorning was quite tough for them.
41:38But remarkably soon got over it.
41:43Now the youngsters want to enjoy the nice weather.
41:47And just need the all clear from a short-sleeved Peter.
41:51Good morning, Mr and Mrs Green.
41:54Hey, young fella, where's he come from?
41:56You're looking very colourful this morning, if you don't mind me saying.
41:59No, as bright as I'm voting.
42:01I'm full of the joys of spring.
42:05I just wondered how these chaps are hailing up.
42:10Do you think these cattle are ready to go out now and eat a bit of green stuff and have a bit of sun on their backs?
42:16I think they're ready to go out.
42:18Are they?
42:19Aye.
42:20Do you want to go jogging this morning and do a lap of honour?
42:24Yes.
42:25We're fed up of being in.
42:26We want to go.
42:28Right below the doors.
42:30Freedom, girls.
42:32Aren't you where you're going?
42:34They're on the sun like muffins.
42:36Go on, then.
42:38Farming is all about hard work.
42:51Mr and Mrs Green know about hard work.
42:54Young goats, girls!
42:56To see this cattle growing out now, it's a wonderful sight and you can see the joy on their faces as well.
43:03They're having a bit of grass and then they're frolicking across the paddock.
43:08They're very happy to be out.
43:10It wouldn't be on a day like this.
43:15Well, we've done very well to get them out between us.
43:19Team effort, Mrs Green.
43:21Team effort.
43:22Team effort.
43:23Hey, team.
43:24Tails are up.
43:25They're kicking their legs.
43:26They're happy.
43:27Aye, they are.
43:28Thanks for helping us, Peter.
43:29Oh, you're welcome.
43:30Thanks a million.
43:31After all those long, hard hours on dark mornings, for Jean and Steve, moments like this are the perfect reward.
43:42No better place than being here, watching animals go out.
43:47It's better than being shot in a factory and that, isn't it?
43:52As farmers, when they get out to grass, life is easier, isn't it?
43:56Aye, it is.
43:57Because you don't have to feed them up morning and night, are you?
44:00No.
44:01And we can have a lie in.
44:09Next time, as the home help ramps up.
44:12Bloody hell.
44:1495, I don't know which hill does it.
44:16The Greens show plenty of grit.
44:18Aye, give up your silly man!
44:20No, no, no, no, no, no.
44:21They keep on keeping on.
44:22I'm just fixing this old window.
44:25But they're hit by the ultimate bombshell.
44:28He's by himself at present while Jean's in hospital.
44:31Jean should be here and she isn't.
44:33Let's just hope she's back soon.
44:35Aye, I hope so.
44:37That would seem empty.
44:39It's a very interesting story to you.
44:41Thank you so much.
44:42And then.
44:43I hope you enjoyed this.
44:44Let's see you then.
44:45You know the name and I hope so.
44:47See you later.
44:51I hope so.
44:54Cheers.
44:56Cheers.
44:57Cheers.
44:58Cheers.
44:59Cheers.
45:00Cheers.
45:02Cheers.
45:04Cheers.
45:05Cheers.
45:07Cheers.
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