- 21 hours ago
Springtime on the Farm S09E03
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00:03Spring has finally arrived and with it comes the busiest period in the farming
00:07calendar. Do you realize that that lamb has actually pooed on your jacket? I do now.
00:11It's a good job you are cute my friend. Farmers right across the country are
00:14getting ready to welcome new additions to their flocks and their herds. It's no
00:18different here at Cannonell Farm in South Yorkshire where Rob and Dave
00:22Nicholson alongside their team are in the peak of lambing season. Now the
00:27Roundhouse here may be the busiest place in Barnsley right now but
00:29rest assured we are going to bring you all the action from right across the
00:33farm making sure you don't miss out on a thing so here is what's coming up. Rob
00:39and Dave are on the trail of a champion bred mover and shaker that could boost
00:43their beloved heritage clan. Coming to Scotland it's a long way but it's a
00:48beautiful place. It is. I'm just hoping as the heifer of our dreams as well. JB Gill
00:53tries not to get in a spin. Start it off gently. I'm gonna say I'm from the side of
00:58it's fine. As he learns the art of making Italian gelato with fresh Yorkshire
01:03milk. Press that and then there's a button on the top.
01:07And kind of helping hand from science. It's the first time we've done artificial
01:12insemination. Help Rob and Dave expand their precious herd of gentle giants. There's
01:18every chance but shires are rare for a reason. Today is the moment of truth. It's
01:23still pooing. Welcome to springtime on the farm.
01:48I'm gonna say it now. The shires are some of my favourite animals. He doesn't mean it.
01:53Don't listen to him. They're so majestic and noble aren't they? Go on poo in his other pockets.
01:59Well maybe not quite as cute as these. Now this year the boys are planning to welcome
02:03some 500 new lambs to the farm but right across the site there are many other new arrivals coming
02:09to as I found out earlier. This is Big Red. She's one of Rob and Dave's best cows. A prize
02:20-winning
02:20shorthorn who stands out a mile. Wow. That colour. Amazing isn't it? Big Red is heavily pregnant and due
02:31to give birth at any moment but there's a problem with her udder. So what's the issue then? Because it
02:37all looks from this side quite full. I think it's just hard dead tissue. Yeah. I think she got an
02:43infection when she dried off unbeknown to us and that quarter of her udder no longer functions. We've
02:49had a feel there's no heat there. Yeah. So I think it's just a waiting game now. We just have
02:54to see
02:54what happens when when she calves. We're watching her like a hawk. Throughout the night I'm checking the
02:58camera and and I'm hoping that there might be someone staying locally who might give his hand. Well
03:06my guess is we could be back here at midnight. Yeah.
03:16And sure enough Big Red went into labour in the small hours meaning another sleepless night for the
03:23boys but Rob was alert enough to make sure he caught the moment on his phone.
03:29Right I've been watching her and not much progress really so I've rung Philip, I've rung David. There are
03:35membranes and possibly placenta appearing now which is which is definitely a red flag so we're going to
03:41have a look and see what's going on and hopefully get this calf delivered.
03:49The calf is too big to be born naturally and it takes all of Dave and Philip's strength to deliver
03:55her.
04:02She's a big calf. She's big but she's beautiful. It's a very very productive night and we are now
04:09three happy farmers.
04:16Morning lads. Morning Jules or is it afternoon? Well it could well be for you two. I've heard the news.
04:22Oh look. Wow. She's a smasher. I was expecting a phone call. The phone was by my bed ready to
04:28go. What time
04:29in the morning did this all happen? Well Rob phoned me. I didn't answer. 20 times. So he had to
04:35knock on
04:35me window. Had you been out? Yeah I'd been out. But hey what a lovely thing to wake up to
04:42this morning
04:42though. No wonder you two are smiling. Well we weren't smiling last night because it wasn't straightforward.
04:49It looked like the afterbirth was coming out before the calf. It could have been the placenta.
04:54That's a real red flag because that means the calf's not traveling properly.
04:58So that's the point. You get stuck in and get that calf delivered.
05:05Mum and calf are getting along fine but there's still the issue of the damaged udder.
05:11So the calf looks like it wants to feed. Yeah but the worry is Jules that she might be sucking
05:18a dummy.
05:18Yeah. That that teat might not be functioning and if it is there might be no milk there at the
05:22moment.
05:23Mum needs to be separated from her newborn and secured before we can get a look at the udder.
05:28So if she starts to push Jules it's our job to hold her steady.
05:32There's a lot of cow here to keep on. Yeah well there's probably 800 kilos.
05:38Right we've got it. Right hopefully Jules will be able to draw milk from that front
05:43teat on this side. It's quite a big moment.
05:48Yeah that's that's working lovely that you see. Yeah yeah yeah.
05:51Yeah we're not going to waste it because that calf needs it.
05:53That's the other front one. Yeah that's working.
05:57Yeah perfect. So three out of four all good.
05:59Three functioning teats. We know we've lost one which means she's no longer a show cow which is a
06:03real sadness but she's given us a great calf that could become our show calf.
06:08Now here's a fella who's seen plenty of show calves. Rob and Dave's dad Roger.
06:15He's been the godfather, the Don, the number one here at Cannon Hall since taking on the farm as a
06:2116 year old
06:21almost 70 years ago. So he knows a prize winner when he sees one.
06:29What do you think just a job? Yeah just a job. She's going to have a real length about it
06:34I think.
06:35Yeah she's got a good future. And it's your favourite colour dad as well.
06:38It is my favourite colour. There you go. I like the Roan one's best.
06:42It's only just been your birthday hasn't it so that's the best present you could have.
06:45Yeah yeah. Well should we uh should we let little Roan and mum back together?
06:49I think so. Get used to the world. Yep.
07:00Congratulations Big Red. A beautiful springtime addition to the farm and well done to Rob and Dave
07:06for getting there in the nick of time in the early hours of the morning. Proof if ever we needed
07:10it
07:10that farming is a 24-7 profession. Now that kind of commitment doesn't stop there. Over the last few
07:16years Rob and Dave have championed a great British species. One that is sadly still on the endangered
07:22list. But the boys have been doing everything they can to make sure that they not only survive but thrive.
07:31Rob and Dave have had Grayshire horses on the farm for many years now.
07:36She's a tall horse isn't she? And they're always keen to try new ways to expand the herd.
07:41This is Grace. She's the kind of horse that deserves to leave a legacy. If we could get a
07:47colt foe off Grace by Hercules, our dearly departed stallion, that would be a head turner. That would be something
07:54to aim for.
07:57Hercules was Rob and Dave's much-loved rare Grayshire stallion who impregnated
08:02Mare's Ruby and Brooke before he sadly passed away last year.
08:08But Rob and Dave are hoping that's not the end of the champion in the making story.
08:15They want to try artificial insemination for the first time, with the help of a couple of seasoned
08:20vets to see if there's even a slim chance of extending Hercules' bloodline yet again.
08:27Marco and Shona are coming down to scan Grace. Hopefully she's in season. If she is, we've got some of
08:32Hercules' frozen semen ready and waiting. Hopefully it's viable. Hopefully Grace is compliant. Hopefully
08:39the whole thing works. A lot of hopefulies there. Hello. How you doing? This is Grace. What do you think?
08:47She looks
08:47very well. Have you got somewhere where we can scan her? We'll walk up to the top. We've got some
08:52stocks. And she just about fits in, Marco, but only just. I bet.
08:58Shire horses are known for their huge strength, feathered legs and gentle nature.
09:04She's actually only average size, Sean. It's just David, who's really small.
09:09Yeah, yeah, yeah. But a scan could spook Grace, so Rob and Dave are taking all the precautions
09:16they can. These stocks are designed to keep Marco the vet safe and the horse safe. They're a necessity
09:22in a job like this. This is a ultrasound scanner. We will check what stage of the season she is,
09:29and if she's ready or when she will be ready eventually for us to inseminate her.
09:39Okay. Let's see how good she is. They can actually see the reproductive tract,
09:45which is below the rectum, so you can scan the uterus. She is in a kind of a transitional phase,
09:54but nothing that is jumping out at the moment. Okay.
09:58It's positive. So not disappointing? No, not there yet.
10:00Just not quite ready yet? Not there yet. Right.
10:03It's not the news that Rob and Dave were hoping for.
10:06So a few days later, Marco returns to see another of the boy's mares,
10:11Silva, on the off chance she might be ready instead.
10:17Even though Silva's got a fall, a horse will naturally breed every year.
10:21So we're hoping that we can get her pregnant again.
10:24With Hercules semen reserved for grace, the plan would be to source sperm from another pedigree
10:30shire, giving Rob and Dave their first experience of AI and strengthening the herd's gene pool at the same time.
10:40She is quite promising. All right. She's coming along into season quite nicely.
10:45Right. So we're in a position now to get some semen lined up there.
10:48Yeah, absolutely. You just need to pick your stallion now.
10:51Just show her two pictures. Yeah.
10:55She's swiping at me at the moment, so I'm not sure. I'm not sure that's right. Give up.
11:00Silva being on the brink of her season is an unexpected bonus. So it's time to spring into action,
11:06which means an hour and a half's drive for Dave to a stud farm in Nottinghamshire.
11:12Right, Dave. I'll send you the address. The lady's called Sarah. She's really lovely.
11:16So you'll be in safe hands. No problem. I'll get strayed off. Right.
11:21Coming up, the lads go to a farm in the beautiful Scottish countryside.
11:26Right. Come on. Let's have a look at it.
11:27On a quest to find their perfect cow. What a beauty. Yeah.
11:32You must like a bit of an ample, actually. Yeah.
11:34JB Gill takes fresh milk from a Yorkshire dairy.
11:36So we're just going to do it to four kg. Okay.
11:41And whips it into fine frozen fare. Yes.
11:45French, banana, toffee. Beautiful.
11:48And a compact Casanova is asked to prove his baby-making credentials.
11:53Right, magic man. You need to look your best. You've got a hot date lined up.
11:57But will he actually pony up the goods?
12:00I think they're ready to see magic man and magic man ready to see them.
12:20Welcome back to springtime on the farm, where earlier we saw shire horses Grace and Silva
12:26scanned to see if they were in season to be artificially inseminated.
12:30Well, sadly, Grace wasn't. But Silva was. And that meant that Farmer Dave had to move fast.
12:40With the arrival of spring, Silva the mare's hormones are peaking,
12:44which gives a narrow window for her to conceive again.
12:48So Dave's come to Hockerwood Farm in Nottinghamshire to see if he can collect a sample of fresh semen from
12:55Ben the stallion.
12:58There he is. He's lovely. He's got a lot of hair. Look at him.
13:03I love his mane. He's beautiful. He's got such a pretty face.
13:06Well, we'll leave you to it. We'll give him a little bit of privacy. I think he needs it.
13:10He definitely needs it.
13:13With shire horses weighing in at around a thousand kilos, artificial insemination is said to be safer
13:19than a stud trying to cover a mare naturally. But it does rely on a stallion being able to perform
13:25on cue. We've literally given him two hours notice to get him get him ready for the job. And he's
13:33not
13:33quite ready yet. After all the preparations, it's a tense wait for Dave. But finally, good news.
13:41You're talking to him. Obviously did the trick. Is he? Yes. Really? Yeah. It's taken 20 minutes,
13:48but Ben's come up trumps and produced a sample. Oh, it's alive. And Dave now has some precious
13:55cargo to courier up north. We're sending you with 60 mil. If we were posting it,
14:01maybe we'd send 40. We could send a smaller box. Right. Well, we appreciate the extra.
14:05Let's hope it goes a long way. Thank you ever so much for being patient with us.
14:09See you later then. Thank you. Bye. Bye.
14:12A few hours later and Dave is back in Barnsley. Special delivery. Where Marco, Rob and Silver,
14:20of course, have been eagerly awaiting his arrival. Hopefully, this is the final piece of the plan,
14:27which will see silver artificially inseminated. That's it. So that went as well as we could have
14:35done, Marco? Pretty smoothly. Everything was perfect so far. We scanned it in two weeks to check if we
14:41have got a little embryo there.
14:49And we'll find out later if Marco's magic touch means that the boys will soon be adding to their
14:54already impressive number of shires here on the farm. But it's not just the shire numbers
14:59they're looking to grow. When it comes to cattle, they have around 150 here. But ensuring they have
15:04premium stock is vital to the future of the farm. So the boys went on a road trip, hoping to
15:10increase
15:10their number, but only by one. The spring sunshine is out in Barnsley. And that means it's playtime
15:20for Rob and Dave's hundreds of lambs, goats and donkeys. And the sun is also shining in Scotland,
15:28where these highland cows, or hairy coos as they're sometimes called here, are making the most of it.
15:35These beauties are one of the most ancient cattle breeds in the world. And this high quality herd
15:41belongs to championship stockman Graham Easton, who lives near Brechin on Scotland's east coast.
15:48Come on. And today, Rob and Dave are making the 330 mile journey north to see it in all its
15:56glory.
15:57Coming to Scotland, it's a long way, but it's a beautiful place. It is. I love the scenery.
16:03I'm just hoping it has the heifer of our dreams as well. Yeah, I mean, we want to breed quality.
16:09So if we have to travel a few miles to get it, I think it's well worthwhile.
16:13Graham and Rebecca, to find out they've got a heifer that they might let go, is a real coup for
16:20us.
16:20It's not the sort of thing you come across every day. And I think we could be onto something here,
16:24that'll turn a few heads back in Yorkshire.
16:28Graham, how are we doing?
16:29Not bad news.
16:30It's really good, thanks.
16:31Good, good.
16:31Nice to see you.
16:32Yep.
16:33Those cows are an absolute credit to you.
16:36And if I were an island cow, I'd want to live in this field, looked after by you.
16:40Yeah, ideal scenery as well, just ideal job.
16:43So which is she and where can we find her?
16:45She's not here, she's hidden at home in the shed.
16:48Right, under lock and key.
16:50Under lock and key.
16:51Right, come on, let's have a look at her.
16:53Rob and Dave already have a small herd of pedigree Highland cows, including Fern,
16:59who won reserve champion at the Great Yorkshire Show.
17:03But they're hoping the new heifer will bring them even greater success in the show ring.
17:09Here she is, round the corner here.
17:11Well, I'm excited to see you.
17:12Yeah, I hope you are.
17:14What a beauty.
17:15This two-year-old heifer is one of Graham and his wife Rebecca's favourite youngsters.
17:21What's her lineage? How long have you had the families?
17:24The mother's one of the older cows in the fold. I think is she 16?
17:2816 or something.
17:2816 or 17.
17:30We have sisters of hers and other relations as well. They've all been very showy animals.
17:37She's got like a bit of presence, an attitude about her, hasn't she, that you want in the show ring.
17:43Yeah, you need a bit of spark by a show animal.
17:45She looks like a bit of a handful, actually.
17:47Yeah. The thing that strikes me is that length of body, a great coat of hair,
17:53her feet standing in the right place without trying.
17:55Yeah.
17:55You know, I think that's something you can't always get.
17:57Great horns and look how she stood.
18:00Yeah.
18:00You know, she's showing herself off, we aren't even trying.
18:03What's her name?
18:04Fran Gag Big.
18:06Her what?
18:09Fran Gag Big.
18:10Can we call her Franny for sure?
18:12Probably.
18:13Well, my granny was a Franny.
18:16Mine was too.
18:18I can see how much you love her, so we've got a job here, Dave, haven't we?
18:22To keep her looking like that and to make sure she has some great calves in the future
18:26and a great life with us.
18:27Yeah.
18:28Right, straighten up.
18:30With Franny's father having already bred a few champions,
18:33this purchase could be a game changer for Rob and Dave,
18:36who should be able to use her for breeding pedigree calves for 15 to 20 years.
18:42When you're buying an animal, you try and keep your cards close to your chest.
18:46You say, yeah, it looks all right, but it's got a bit of a fault there or there.
18:49But with this one, we absolutely blurted out we love her straight away.
18:53I think the price is the price.
18:54Yeah.
18:55And if you want it, you're going to have to pay it.
18:58That's a girl.
18:59But as she's the most expensive animal they've ever bought...
19:02She's worth that money.
19:03We're happy to pay it.
19:05We're happy to take her home.
19:07Let's hope all goes well when she joins her new clan in South Yorkshire.
19:18What a beautiful heaven and a gorgeous part of the world.
19:21I can see why Rob and Dave were so keen to bring such a premium animal back to the farm.
19:26And I am sure they're hoping that she has lots of calves of her own over the years to come.
19:30Now, for most animals, mating is an instinctive process, but every now and again, they need a little bit of
19:36encouragement.
19:37Just a little warning.
19:38If you have any small children in the room, you might want to cover their eyes for a few minutes.
19:46Even though spring is blossoming nicely here, it seems that love hasn't for some of the farm's American miniature horses.
19:54Because months after being introduced naturally to some pedigree sperm,
19:59some of the mini mares remain suspiciously bump-free.
20:05We fear as though we might have a problem.
20:08Magic Man, our little spotted stallion, is supposed to have covered all these mares.
20:13We were expecting falls this year.
20:15Now, two of them have come into season.
20:17They're going to need mating again this afternoon.
20:19So we could have a real problem.
20:22OK, are you going to be good?
20:24We're covering all bases by asking Marco to blood test these mares,
20:27to let us know if they're pregnant.
20:29If they're not, then we've got real issues with Magic Man.
20:33He could be a dud.
20:34We fetched him in from Germany at great expense, and he could not be fertile.
20:38With Magic Man failing to cast his spell over all the girls...
20:42Come on, lad.
20:43We're a bit worried about you.
20:45..Rob's getting the pint-sized pony ready for a repeat rendezvous with the two on heat.
20:51We generally serve the mares in hand.
20:54And that means on a halter with a lead rein so that we can be sure that the mare's kept
21:00safe,
21:01that he doesn't bite her.
21:02I'm hoping that we don't put him off.
21:04I'm hoping he can perform.
21:06This is quite a big moment.
21:08Farm animals have different reproductive cycles depending on their species.
21:13For American miniature horses, the breeding season usually runs from spring to late summer.
21:19I've got Kiki here.
21:21And I've got Pearl.
21:23They've both just had a bath.
21:24First one this year.
21:26I think they're ready to see Magic Man and Magic Man ready to see them.
21:30With the girls hot to trot...
21:33Right, Magic Man, you need to look your best.
21:35You've got a hot date lined up with two very lovely little ladies.
21:41The smallest stallion on the farm is about to have what you might call a 50 shades of hay kind
21:47of day.
21:49Right, can you bring Kiki?
21:53You're going to like this one, Magic Man.
21:55As soon as his penis is all the way out, we know that he's ready.
21:59We can then let him mount her.
22:00But at the moment, he's nuzzling, he's sniffing.
22:03He's, he's, he's, look at that, that shows his, yeah, I think that's the seal of approval.
22:09If he decides to go, yeah, we're there.
22:15Magic Man's very much in favour of the relationship being consummated.
22:18So hopefully, in 11 and a half months time, we should have a fall.
22:22Good boy.
22:23What we need to do now, he needs to just have half an hour, have a cup of tea,
22:27and hopefully summon all his strength to go again.
22:32Pearl's been waiting patiently.
22:34Everybody wants a nice, cute looking pole up there.
22:37And it is important for us and the breed as well.
22:40So Rob can only hope Magic Man has recovered his mojo.
22:53Steady, lad, steady, steady.
22:55He's certainly eager.
22:58But it's important that if he jumps on too soon and he's not ready,
23:02then nothing good will happen.
23:03It'll just annoy Pearl.
23:04I need to make sure he don't kick me as well.
23:06Steady on, lad.
23:07Look at me, I'm your friend.
23:08Without me, you'd have none of this.
23:10There's nothing happening yet, but it's quite a big ask.
23:13You know, normally you'd try and leave it a few hours between matings.
23:15But when you've got two mares in season at the same time,
23:18you're asking him to go the extra mile to roll up his sleeves and do it for the herd.
23:31He's done it again. He's a good lad.
23:33It just shows, when spring is in the air, nature often has no trouble taking its course.
23:42That's gone incredibly well.
23:45He's proved himself to be quite the sire.
23:48Pearl and Kiki are definitely in season.
23:51And all we can do is make sure that they've got every chance of having a fall next year,
23:55if they're not going to have one this year.
23:58It's been a busy day of hands-on farming.
24:01Right, let Pearl have a chat to her pals.
24:04The old-fashioned way.
24:06They're going to compare notes now.
24:10Here you are, lad. A fair day's pay for a fair day's work.
24:19Coming up, a mum in labour faces a lamb-napping threat to her first twin.
24:24We've got another ewe now coming to try and take that lamb from her.
24:29He's got a lot to contend with.
24:31And a South Yorkshire dairy farmer's innovative approach...
24:34So these are our milking robots.
24:38...proof smart tech and happy cows go hand in hoof.
24:42The cow chews us when she comes in.
24:45Yeah, they're quite clever.
25:03Welcome back to springtime on the farm, where it is wall-to-wall births here.
25:07So far we've seen lambs, calves, even a gorgeous foal.
25:10But are any of them quite as cute as this little fella?
25:15I doubt it.
25:17Well, from new birds to new technology, we're heading down the road now to another farm here
25:21in South Yorkshire, who are embracing the very latest agricultural innovation to try and
25:26help their farm run as smoothly as possible.
25:28And they are milking every drop of efficiency along the way.
25:35It's the early hours in the Pennine foothills.
25:41And the dawn chorus at Kidfield Farm is being accompanied by another sound this place knows well.
25:49This is the tanker from the local dairy.
25:52So it comes every other day, puts its pipe on and takes all the raw milk away.
25:56The process is essentially a lot of nice dairy products,
26:00the butter and cheese and cottage cheese mainly.
26:04James Hill and his family have been dairy farming the hills around
26:08Hoyland Swain near Barnsley for four generations.
26:11It's a process they've got down to a fine art.
26:16So when the cows are milked, all the milk gets pumped into this tank here, the raw milk,
26:21and then we take it off there for processing.
26:23They then take whatever we don't use away to the dairy then.
26:27As well as supplying a large-scale external dairy,
26:31the family's 100 Holstein and 10 Jersey cows keep local shops and cafes stocked.
26:38And helping make it all possible is an utterly game-changing bit of tech.
26:45So these are our milking robots.
26:49The robots are available for the cows to come in 24 hours a day and the cow chooses when she
26:54comes in.
26:54We're not stood like a normal parlour, stood waiting for them or pushing them through.
26:58They're doing it all themselves.
27:02Each cow wears a collar which sends a signal to open the gate so the system can milk her.
27:09After which her teats are sprayed with iodine to protect her from infection.
27:16This is the robot, just telling us what's going on.
27:19It's cow number 58, so we actually weigh the cow.
27:21That's very important.
27:23So she's actually coming in at 830 kilograms, so she's a fairly big cow.
27:27And this is how much milk she's given.
27:29So at the minute, we're getting up there at 12.6 litres currently.
27:33And then the robot's actually then telling me the butterfly condition,
27:36the protein and basically how good the milk is.
27:45And James's cows aren't just adept at mooing.
27:50They've also mastered the art of queuing.
27:53So these cows here are all stood quite happily waiting for this cow to finish.
27:58So then they can go in and be milked. They're quite clever.
28:02For James and his team, cow welfare is of the utmost importance.
28:07The whole aim, I suppose, on a dairy farm is to keep the cow as happy as they can be.
28:12They can feed when they want, lay down when they want, go to milk when they want,
28:15go and drink when they want and just be themselves.
28:17And the actual beds there are actually a 50mm memory foam that the cow's laying on,
28:22so trying to keep them as comfy as we possibly can.
28:29I found that fascinating, especially as I grew up on a dairy farm.
28:32Now, earlier, we saw Rob and Dave delivering Big Red's calf.
28:36Sadly, Jules missed the actual birth,
28:38but he more than made up for it during a very special moment in the roundhouse.
28:44Rob and Dave might not have a robot to care for their cows,
28:48but their CCTV keeps watch on the livestock around the clock.
28:54It's transformed animal care too, flagging early signs of discomfort
28:59so farmers can step in quickly.
29:01And today, it's picked up something that could be a concern in the lambing shed.
29:07Right, Jules, we've got a ewe there that's circling round,
29:10and I'm pretty sure that's a water that's hanging down.
29:13The cameras are great, aren't they, allowing you to keep a close eye,
29:16because wherever you turn, something exciting is about to come into the world.
29:19We'd be lost without them, and it means that can get me beauty sleep
29:23and still look after the animals.
29:25There are around 150 ewe's in the roundhouse at the moment
29:29that are either new mums or pregnant.
29:33And the one we're going to see is carrying twins,
29:36and Rob's noticed that her waters are about to break.
29:41Just having a little spin around there,
29:43that would suggest to me that we're almost at the point.
29:47Yeah, when she drops down and starts pushing,
29:49we know we're at a point where we could see legs or a head appearing,
29:53and then she'll have it herself.
29:55The only thing that sort of concerns me a little bit is the fluid is slightly dark.
30:00There's a sign it could have passed fetal dung in there,
30:04and that is a sign the lamb could be in distress.
30:07Having twins can carry higher risks for both the mum and babies
30:11than the birth of a single lamb.
30:14Which one is it?
30:15She's just pawing the ground there.
30:17So Dave's arrived to offer some backup.
30:21She's down again now.
30:22Yeah, now she's properly pushing now.
30:24Yeah, she's got her head back, hasn't she?
30:26Just what you don't want is that just the head come out,
30:29and then she's got problems.
30:32There's nothing appeared, right?
30:34We've given her plenty of time.
30:35The fluid's dark.
30:36I think we should intervene.
30:38Right.
30:38As much as they can, Rob and Dave prefer to let nature take its course.
30:43This is where she wanted to give birth, so let's let her do it here.
30:46But this ewe has been struggling for over half an hour,
30:49so she needs some support.
30:51Do you want to assist Jules?
30:55That's it.
30:56Just take your time.
30:58Really, really gentle.
31:00There we go.
31:01Great.
31:02Good girl, Mother.
31:03Do you want to take the lamb round to see your mum?
31:05Yeah, sure.
31:06There we are.
31:08Straight on.
31:10It's like a switch has clicked in her brain, isn't it?
31:12And she knows that she needs to clean that lamb.
31:15She needs to get it standing and get it feeding.
31:18We've got another ewe now coming to try and take that lamb from her,
31:22and that's what can happen.
31:24When the ewe is so immersed in delivering the second one,
31:28that one wanders off.
31:29Another one takes in.
31:30She's got a lot to contend with.
31:31I think what we'll do is go and deliver that second lamb,
31:34given the fact we know that she's struggling to look after the first lamb.
31:37We can simplify things.
31:38And then you can get it penned up.
31:39Exactly.
31:40Get that bonding process done.
31:43Time really is of the essence now to get the second lamb out.
31:47All right, Jules.
31:47Yep.
31:48It's all yours.
31:49Just kind of break the sack.
31:51That's it.
31:52OK.
31:53Two legs.
31:55That's it.
31:56OK.
31:56There we are.
31:59That's it.
32:05It's the dilemma that we face, when to assist, when to leave well alone.
32:10I think on this occasion that lamb needed help.
32:12If she'd had them by herself, you've seen some of the other ewes come over,
32:16they can steal a lamb quite easily, and then they lose that bond.
32:20Thanks to the boys' intervention today,
32:22the Roundhouse can now welcome a pair of healthy new additions to the fold.
32:26It really is amazing.
32:28That's what springtime's all about.
32:30You're right.
32:34Coming up, JB Gill discovers what happens when Italian tradition meets Yorkshire milk.
32:41Oh, that smells nice.
32:42I really don't know.
32:42It's very strong.
32:43And...
32:44Come on, guys.
32:45This is the moment of truth.
32:47Will Rob and Dave's first go at artificial insemination
32:51help build the next generation of shire horses?
32:55There's a lot at stake.
32:55This would be a real bonus.
32:57If she was pregnant, it would be great.
33:13Welcome back to springtime on the farm.
33:15Now, earlier, we saw the Hills high-tech dairy farm producing milk
33:19that some of which ends up here at Rob and Dave's farm.
33:22But what happens to it next, I hear you ask?
33:25Well, funny you should ask.
33:27JB Gill has got the scoop.
33:30So much of life here is devoted to protecting the animal's lineage.
33:35And it's a passion that extends beyond the fields, too.
33:39Tucked away on the farm is a nod to the Nicholson family's Italian side.
33:44And it's run by Rob's son, Tom, and fellow chef, Joss.
33:51Hey, Tom.
33:52Hey, Joss.
33:53Hello.
33:54I'm so excited.
33:56When I heard I was making ice cream, I was like, sign me up straight away.
33:59Well, I'm glad you're excited, but I do just need to correct you on one thing.
34:02We're not making ice cream here.
34:04Oh.
34:04We're making gelato.
34:05Okay.
34:06Wonderful.
34:07Well, that's me in my place.
34:08Yeah, yeah.
34:08Can I get stuck in, though?
34:09Yeah, absolutely.
34:10We just need to get you a chef suit and a hat on.
34:12So, let's go and do it.
34:14All right.
34:15Gelato is different to ice cream in that it typically uses more milk and less cream.
34:21And using the locally produced milk, the parlour creates all kinds of flavours,
34:27including springtime favourites like hot cross bun.
34:31How do I look?
34:32Beautiful.
34:33Like a true gelatieri.
34:34There you go.
34:35You heard it here first.
34:37All right.
34:37I'm ready for my lesson.
34:38What are we making today?
34:40So, I thought we'd have a go at banoffee pie.
34:42Oh, I like banoffee pie.
34:44Yeah.
34:44And then we're going to try a good old classic chocolate as well.
34:47Perfect.
34:47My kid's favourite.
34:49All right.
34:49You ready to get cracking?
34:50Yeah.
34:50Let's go.
34:51So, literally, all we're going to do is pull the milk out of here, into here.
34:57And then we're going to take it and measure it.
34:59So, we're just going to do it to four kg.
35:02Okay.
35:04Oh, I was touching it.
35:05Two, three, four.
35:08Just a bit over.
35:08Just over.
35:09But it'll be okay.
35:10Okay.
35:10To the milk, Joss adds a banoffee flavoured paste.
35:15Oh, that smells nice already, doesn't it?
35:16It's very strong.
35:18Before an industrial-sized blender enters the mix.
35:22All right, half gently.
35:23I've got to say, um...
35:24We'll set it up at five, press that, and then there's a button on the top.
35:29Oh, that's good.
35:33How long do I have to blend it for it to be fully mixed in?
35:36It depends on the flavour.
35:37Yeah, yeah, yeah.
35:38It won't take that long.
35:39So, this is probably done now, right?
35:41Yeah.
35:41Yeah.
35:41Okay.
35:42All right.
35:43We're just going to take it into the machine and pour it into there.
35:46The gelato machine churns and freezes the liquid at the same time to create a fine texture.
35:54Perfect.
35:55So, just close the lid.
35:56Okay, yeah.
35:57And then we're going to press this button.
35:59So, it's foolproof?
36:00Yeah.
36:00To someone like me?
36:01Yes.
36:01Perfect.
36:02Let's hope so, because for the chocolate batch...
36:05Just pull this, right?
36:06Yeah.
36:07Yorkshire's newest gelatiera is taking charge.
36:11There we go.
36:12Perfect.
36:13So, Tom, how much of a benefit is it getting this milk fresh for the gelataria?
36:19In gelato, it's even more important that the milk's right.
36:22You taste the milk more than you do in traditional ice cream, but I think it all comes back to
36:27that freshness.
36:29JB seems to be finding his chefing sweet spot.
36:33All right, let's go.
36:34But he can't chill just yet, because the banoffee is done and ready for a toffee and biscuit topping.
36:42So, Tom, this is kind of your baby, wasn't it?
36:45Tell me about how this all came about.
36:48What really kind of sparked it for me was my Nana was from Naples, and we wanted to pay tribute
36:53to her,
36:54because she moved from Italy to North Yorkshire and spent most of her life there.
36:58She was distinctly Italian, and you know, you couldn't...
37:01You could never forget it.
37:01Absolutely. So, I'm hoping what we serve here is a mix of, you know, Italian and Yorkshire just like she
37:07was.
37:07With the banoffee complete, all that's left is to put it through quality control.
37:14Smells good.
37:17Yes.
37:18Crunch, banana, toffee, beautiful.
37:23And with the chocolate ready to go, JB starts his shift in the shop.
37:28Mint chocolate chip.
37:30Coming right up.
37:32To earn his full set of gelatieri stripes.
37:36It's doing a good job.
37:38So, mint chocolate chip, that's yours.
37:42And then what would you like?
37:43Yeah, I'll do the bunny, please.
37:44I can't believe he's taking joy so well, to be honest.
37:46And there you go, that's yours.
37:48Sweet, thank you.
37:49You're very welcome.
37:51Don't know how much it costs, but enjoy.
38:00That is absolutely delicious.
38:04But will things turn out as sweet?
38:06For Silva the Shire Horse, you may recall earlier we saw her being
38:09artificially inseminated following Dave's mercy dash, but was it all in vain?
38:14Well, the moment of truth arrived and Helen was on hand to find out.
38:19It's been a busy week for Rob and Dave.
38:22As well as all of the lambing to deal with,
38:26they've dedicated a lot of time to furthering their beloved Shire Horse breed
38:30by trying artificial insemination, which has meant numerous scans
38:34and Dave making a cross-country dash to pick up a semen sample.
38:39And for Silva, this is what it's all been leading up to.
38:46Come on, guys.
38:47This is the moment of truth.
38:50Do you feel nervous at this time?
38:52I do feel nervous.
38:53I always feel nervous, but...
38:54Hello.
38:55She's absolutely majestic, isn't she?
38:58She's in great nick to say she's had the fall as well.
39:01She's stunning.
39:02What are the chances of Silva being pregnant?
39:05Er, the chances are pretty good.
39:07It's the first time we've done artificial insemination.
39:09There's every chance, but Shires are rare for a reason.
39:12Sometimes they miss a year.
39:14Sometimes it takes two or three girls to get them pregnant.
39:17They're an expensive hobby, right?
39:20They're an emotionally expensive hobby.
39:23But we feel as though it's worth the effort
39:25because both our grandfathers were in love with Shire Horses.
39:28So I think there's something in our lineage that attracts us to them.
39:32And five falls this year, if we can get them all born successfully,
39:35would be something to be proud of.
39:36They are dying out. There's only probably 130 fillies
39:39and stallions registered each year.
39:42If people don't do more, they're going to be lost.
39:44I think if we can stem the decline, keep a healthy number,
39:49you know, keep some of the bloodlines that exist now
39:51and hopefully expand them a little bit,
39:52then we've got a horse here who can be a great riding horse,
39:56a great pleasure horse, or even just someone's really big pet.
39:59No pressure then, Silva.
40:01After all the prep and a fortnight of nervous waiting
40:04following the insemination, it's now down to Marco, the vet,
40:08to scan Silva to see if she's in foal.
40:12Hello. Nice to meet you.
40:14Nice to meet you too.
40:14So, you've AI'd her.
40:16Yes, we have AI'd her two weeks ago, and today is the moment of truth.
40:22But is that enough time to tell if she was pregnant, could you see it?
40:25Yes, we should be able to see it. Ideally, at this stage,
40:29they are around a couple of centimetres. We should be able to.
40:32OK. Let's put these gentlemen out of their misery.
40:35We know that you want her to be pregnant. You want to support the breed.
40:39Yeah. Are you nervous?
40:40I'm always nervous in these moments because there's a lot at stake,
40:44so this would be a real bonus. If she was pregnant, it would be great.
40:47I'm always more nervous in the late pregnancy. Right.
40:51You know, when you're waiting for the foal, you want that healthy foal.
40:53At the moment, this is, you know, it's part of the journey.
40:58OK. There is a chance we have something small...
41:04..is smaller than what I would have expected at this stage.
41:08Right.
41:10But there is a possibility, OK?
41:13Not 100%, but not...absolutely no.
41:15..50%?
41:17Uh, 70%.
41:19Oh, wow. Oh, silver.
41:21That's pretty good there.
41:22Keep that salt leak there. She needs all the minerals she can get.
41:26Seeing only a small structure two weeks after insemination is normal.
41:30It's probably the sac around the embryo,
41:33and a clearer confirmation, such as a heartbeat,
41:36is likely to be visible a couple of weeks later.
41:41Hello. That's really good.
41:43You manage your expectations, and my expectations were low,
41:46so I wasn't going to be disappointed.
41:48Now, 70% sounds like a really great result.
41:52So, anyway, we'll see.
41:53So, what's the plan for her now?
41:55We don't need to change anything.
41:56We just literally keep feeding as normal, keep relaxed and happy as normal,
42:03and re-monitoring two days.
42:05There is nothing that we can do more.
42:08We just need to sit tight and wait.
42:11It's difficult to imagine a horse of that size having a baby that's, what, this big?
42:14Yeah, like, I'll just try to work it out about that, yeah.
42:17Yeah.
42:17Yeah.
42:17Okay.
42:18Yeah.
42:18A teeny tiny horse.
42:19Yeah, yeah, yeah.
42:20My little pony.
42:22That is absolutely brilliant news.
42:24Congratulations, Silver.
42:26Congratulations, gents.
42:27Marco, good aim.
42:29Thanks, Marco.
42:34Next time on Springtime on the Farm.
42:36Oh, wow, it's all going on.
42:38How old are these piglets?
42:40Only a few minutes.
42:40We're just waiting on the next one coming.
42:42How are we doing?
42:44How are you doing?
42:45Yeah, good to see you.
42:46Nice to see you.
42:46Every time we come here, the weather's like this.
42:48I'm worried you're going to turn our wolves off.
42:50I've not seen any feet yet.
42:52She's been down, she's had a push, but nothing's appeared.
42:54So that gives us concern.
42:56It could be breach.
42:56It could be back legs first.
42:58It could be anything at the moment.
43:02And that's New Springtime on the Farm tomorrow at seven.
43:0624-year-old Hendrik had never pulled a pint in his life,
43:08so what made him think he could run his own pub?
43:11Alex Polizzi's all year is new at nine.
43:13Next, a man has had a lucky escape after a bad car crash.
43:16But is he as well as he seems?
43:19Brand new Casualty 24-7.
43:20Every second counts after the break.
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