Episode 5 The Mart

Farming is a risky business.

SHEEP BLEATS

And when it's time to make money, the stakes are high.

Thainstone Mart, one of Europe's biggest livestock markets.

You want perfection, there it is. That is some machine.

Sheep, cattle and machinery auctioned to the highest bidder

day in, day out.

Farmers spend months getting ready for their big sales day.

You foul brute.

And buyers need nerves of steel to bag the bargains.

Folk can easily get carried away.

It's a bit of an adrenaline thing, bidding.

Fortunes can be made, and dreams can be dashed.

All in the blink of an eye.

Always expect the unexpected, eh?

Welcome to...

Everyone's up against it at the mart this week.

The Simpsons have to get their sheep to market across one of the

most dangerous stretches of water in the world.

Anybody that hasn't had a silent prayer at sea I think is a liar.

Are you for a go?

Father and son team John and Ewan Gordon face a difficult delivery.

She's just doing nothing to help.

And yard man Robbie has to deal with a tricky tractor.

There's nae enough power in the battery.

Can he get it working before the machinery sale grinds to a halt?

ENGINE SPUTTERS

It's early autumn at Thainstone, and sales manager John Roy is

gearing up for one of the busiest machinery sales of the year.

Fit like, if you just gae doon the other side of the crane,

just park in next tae it.

And there's a lot of stuff to shift.

We've got telescopics, 21-tonne diggers, loading shovels,

we've got tractors, vans, 4x4s and commercials.

You then move over into the builders section.

There'll be nearly 4,000 lots for sale,

and thousands of pounds at stake.

Then across the road we've got the Portakabins,

we've got the containers.

The yard is open for viewing,

and prospective buyers are eyeing up the lots.

No, that's not really my thing - too rusty.

Machinery dealers Steve and Claire Macpherson have come 250 miles

from Castle Douglas for the sale.

-There's a New Holland TX34, and it is...

-32.

32, sorry, it's M reg.

They're looking for bargains,

and Claire won't be taking no for an answer.

And as long as the auctioneer knows that I'm there to bid and not

a bystander, and if he thinks I'm a bystander

I really let myself be known!

-About 4,000.

-OK.

The tractor is added to the list of potential purchases.

Also for sale is this recovery truck.

ENGINE STARTS

This has come from a local authority. Scammell 6x4 wrecker.

Er, 1979, probably been ex-army by the look of it.

And it's attracting a lot of interest.

I may buy it, I may not.

Depends on the price today.

Gary Fraser owns a recovery business,

and he can use the Scammell.

Well, that truck there is very, very capable of doing a job.

They're few and far between, they're very collectable as lorries,

so it's going to either be sold to a recovery man like myself or

someone who wants to collect it and restore it.

Someone like rival bidder Graham Donald.

It's an awesome truck, it's really...

It's a good part of history and, er, that's what I really like about it.

So we'll have a go at bidding for it, and if I don't get it,

I don't get it, but hopefully somebody can get it

and put it back to its original condition.

Graham hopes it's a project that he and his son can take on together.

But only if the price is right.

I might go up to 4,000 or, maybe, I don't know.

But we'll just see how it goes and see what happens.

If he wants to bag this truck at the sale,

Graham will have his work cut out.

And so will John Roy, if he ever gets to the end of his list.

You could turn up here with nothing,

you could buy everything you need to build a house or build a shed.

If you can't get it home,

you could buy a lorry or a trailer or a truck to put it on.

If you cannae get it up, you could buy a crane.

So there's something here for everybody.

John Roy's not the only man with his hands full.

On his farm near Huntly...

Come on, shift, you dashed thing!

They're telling me there's a cow calved!

They...!

..farmer John Gordon is having trouble with his Wi-Fi.

Come on, the dashed...! The thing's nae... Come on!

The internet system he uses to monitor his cow shed was

his son Ewan's idea.

I've been at Dad for a while to try and get one,

but he always thought, "Oh, I've managed for years without it,"

but I finally managed to convince him.

It cost quite a bit of money to install to start with,

but you just have to save one or two calves and it's, er, paid.

But it's not foolproof.

Right, false alarm, boys.

My mistake.

Now, you wait your turn.

John's expecting 120 calves to be born on his farm over the next

few weeks to take the place of his current crop that he's about

to sell at Thainstone.

Morning, John, how are you the day?

Good morning, Mr Angus, you're well?

Head cattle auctioneer John Angus has arrived from the mart to

look over the year-old calves and give John some idea of what

they might achieve at auction.

The summer has a lot to do with that,

but there's really good shapes.

They've great skins on 'em.

Aye, they're just fine kind of thriving cattle.

Got some bullock there.

They look good, but what are they worth?

So what do you expect for 'em this year, John?

Erm, I would like to think they're worth paying 10.50.

I'll be disappointed if they're much less than that.

10.50's achievable.

-Hope so.

-Yeah.

-Them prices kind of...

At least you said 10.50, nae 11.50, that's for sure.

-11.50, no, I'm a realist.

-Yes, that's nae so bad, aye.

With one eye on this year's income,

John and Ewan have still got to take care of next year's.

Gosh, kicking and pulling back at the same time, which...

disnae help.

In the cow shed, the father and son team are dealing with

a difficult delivery.

She's just doing nothing to help.

Are you for a go?

The calf isn't in the correct position,

and the contractions appear to have stopped.

If the cow is not actually getting on with the work herself,

you know, then you've got to intervene.

They make the decision to pull the calf out.

After tying a rope around the calf's feet, they have to use a jack.

Oh, there we go.

Now, that's pretty good.

Good healthy calf.

Now, he's clear...

Quite bright, the boy.

-Sure she'll be fine.

-Yep.

Success.

Pretty satisfied because you've spent all year looking after

this cow, getting her to this day,

and then when she produces a living calf it's all good,

and hopefully she'll get off to the best start possible in life.

A newborn calf is added to the herd

as the year-old ones are about to leave.

They'll need to make a good price at the mart if John and Ewan are

to keep investing in the farm.

It's nearly seven in the morning on machinery auction day,

and yard supervisor Robbie Cruickshank is opening up.

It's usually a busy day, the day of the sale, like.

So you're kept on your toes and it's unpredictable.

Very unpredictable.

It's quiet and peaceful just now but that'll all change

as the day goes on.

Sales manager John Roy is gearing up for a hectic day.

I didnae sleep. Maybe got about three hours, but that's typical.

Just the adrenaline and the nerves, so... But we'll be OK.

Even got my lucky socks on, so, no, very excited.

It's always a great buzz, great atmosphere.

No, I'm looking forward to it, it's going to be a great day.

But not everyone's so keen.

Jeez, there's some amount of stuff in here!

Surely this is nae the front line, is it?

Oh, it is! That means the backings is to come oot first!

What's happening here?

It's going to be a busy day.

We'll see you about suppertime, I would think.

Auctioneer Mark Barrack

is ready to get things rolling with the small plant.

Right, good morning, ladies and gentlemen, just gather round,

making a start to the sale today.

Please bid quickly and have your cards and numbers ready to show.

While Mark sells, John Roy fields phone calls.

Aye, we've just sold that one, Philip...

And Robbie starts moving the heavy machinery and plant.

Robert! Gie it full throttle!

It makes a change from moving livestock.

You're nae liable to get kicked the same the day, like, but...

maybe liable to get run over, that's aboot it.

3,900, thank you! At £66,000, additional...

It goes on the market at 60, £30, thank you...!

With his sales flying thick and fast,

it's time for Mark to take over the drive-through sale.

8,500, 9,000. Come again, 9,000.

The heavy machinery is on the move.

Well, most of it.

There's nae enough power in the battery!

One of the tractors is stuck.

Definitely the power that's gone oot.

If they can't get it started, it will hold the whole auction up.

The sale has ground to a halt, and time is money.

Watch yourself.

Success! But maybe Robbie's done too good a job.

Might be a problem wi' that!

Cannae get the throttle to shut doon!

Now the throttle's bust.

But at least the auction's back on.

That's us ready for the off.

200 miles north of Thainstone in Caithness, farmer

Willie Simpson and his son Jamie are about to round up their sheep.

That's an old fisherman's tradition,

you should always try and turn your boat clockwise with the sun.

It wards off bad juju!

To collect their sheep, they're about to cross one of the

most dangerous stretches of water in the world - the Pentland Firth.

And they have to beat the weather.

We've only got five days now left of market,

so we've got to get them home on time.

Thursday, Friday's not looking good at all.

Weekend is pretty mixed, and the sale's on Monday,

so this is pretty much the day to do the job, so...

The sheep are on Stroma,

which lies two miles off the coast between the mainland and Orkney.

The trip may be short, but it's not easy.

Well, it's a notorious stretch of water, from tidal streams.

I think I'm making a bad job of steering but I'm doing my best.

Anybody that hasnae had a silent prayer at sea I think is...

a liar.

That's us. It is a little bit narrow.

Stroma once had a population of nearly 400,

but today the only residents are Willie's sheep.

Farming on Stroma is time-consuming, and more expensive than farming

on the mainland, so Willie needs a good price for his livestock.

I look forward to the...

sailing with the lambs, it's really what you would call my harvest.

We don't have a yearly income, like an all-round income, so,

as I say, yes, I'm looking forward to getting some money!

Before he can sell the sheep, he's got to get them back to the

mainland, and a crucial piece of equipment is the magic carpet.

This is to stop the sheep from sliding on the deck.

They've got a bit of a job keeping to their feet on, erm,

the sea anyway, so this helps them.

It disnae do your carpet any good, I must admit.

So now that's us ready to load.

The additional work in keeping sheep on Stroma

does have a useful purpose.

They help manage the land by keeping grass levels down,

but the island location can cause problems for Willie.

Today I think may be our last chance to get all the sheep

and lambs off to market.

Which is a problem that you wouldn't have on the mainland,

no matter what the weather was doing.

Wind wouldn't affect you for getting your lambs to market,

but it does have a little bit of an effect on us here.

But mainland or island, sheep are always tricky customers.

Go on!

Doesn't sway like a fishing boat any longer.

Loaded up with 60 sheep,

it's only the first of three trips the Simpsons will have to make

before the weather closes in.

At Thainstone, the machinery auction is in full swing.

And getting ready to bid are Clare and Steve McPherson.

And it's not going to be an easy day.

It's as busy as I've ever seen it,

so nothing is going to be cheap, I don't think...

..which is good for the sale and bad for us.

They're machinery dealers,

and the sale is full of farmers looking to cut out the middleman.

Farmer buyers will pay more than a dealer will.

Obviously, because we are buying the stuff to sell to them.

But bargains are hard to come by.

The McPhersons still haven't picked up anything from the list.

'50, 60, 80, 2,000.'

Steve is hoping his luck will change when he tries to buy this baler.

At 2,800, conditional...

He gets it for £2,800.

That's one more item than wife Clare's managed.

And he can't wait to tell her about it.

I'm winning so far.

-Today is not over.

-No, I know.

Clare's up next at the drive-through auction.

But she's not fazed by the competition.

I'm used to a male...

male environment with my husband being in machinery,

so I'm not intimidated by other men.

I just get on with the job.

Clare's getting ready to bid on the tractor they picked out earlier.

I just want to even the scores.

Steven's ahead of the game at the minute,

and I need to even up here.

4,000?

3? 2,000 bid.

2,000 bid.

2,200. 2,400.

2,600. 2,800.

3,000. 3,200.

3,400.

3,600.

3,800. 4,000.

4,200.

4,200. 4,200. Coming in, 4,200 bid. 4,200. 4,200.

4,300. 4,400.

4,400. 4,400.

4,400. 4,400. 4,400.

Thank you, madam. 4,400...

There was a bit of a pause in the middle of it.

I thought it I was going to get it,

and then somebody started up the bidding again.

They bid it up a little bit more than I wanted,

but I got it in the end.

Clare spent nearly £4,500.

But there's still some change left over.

I'm going to stop for an ice cream now.

That's one-auction-all with husband Steve.

Let's hope that tub's for him.

Right, from the council, there.

We've got the Scammell Recovery.

On the other side of the yard,

Mark Barrack is preparing to auction off this Scammell.

1979.

I bet she could tell a few stories this evening.

Hoping to drive the truck home are rival bidders Graham Donald

and Gary Fraser.

10,000. Who'll start me £5,000?

3,000 bid. £3,000 bid.

3,200. 3,500.

3,800.

Graham reaches his £4,000 limit early.

It's away.

That's us. That's our limit gone.

But Gary's only just started.

4,800. 5,000.

The bidding escalates rapidly and soon Gary is left in a duel

with the man in the black cap.

7,500 bid. 7,800. 8,000.

The bid is with Gary.

But auctioneer Mark won't let it go.

8,000 all done.

8,000 be the last call. 8,200. 8,500.

8,500. 8,500. 8,500.

8,500, last at 8,500.

8,800. Have a little toy here to work on.

-8,800. 8,800.

-I've got enough toys to work on!

8,800 bid. 8,800. £8,800 to be sold, thank you. 8,800.

8,800. Gary and Graham both missed out.

But I didnae get it.

Nae that good for me, like. It's good to see it going to a home.

It's what it deserves.

It was between me to use it or somebody to collect it,

and it went to the guy who's going to collect and refurbish it,

and all the best to him for doing that.

Gary is secretly relieved.

I have one already. I didnae really need two.

HE LAUGHS

There we go.

As the Scammell makes its way to its new home,

and the sale winds down,

John Roy can finally take it easy.

But Robbie's looking forward to something a little stronger.

I could do with a pint, like.

I'm thirsty with this kind of heat, like.

It's been fine, like.

I would say, all in all, it's been nae a bad day.

Caithness farmers Willie and Jamie Simpson

are transporting their livestock

across the dangerous tidal waters of the Pentland Firth.

Aye, they were back in Stroma eating grass,

thinking that everything was all right.

But now they're kind of getting a wee bit of an adventure now.

They're having to make three trips to transport their 170 lambs.

The state of the sea means they can't load the boat

as much as they'd like.

Aye, this is quite a bumpy journey for them.

That's why we've not got such a big load on.

The bigger the load, the more the boat will shift

and the more water will come in.

It scuppers at the back here,

so we've got to try and keep the weight up here.

Willie's fighting against the tide all the way.

You're pointing west and travelling south.

Jamie's looking a little bit wet, but the lambs are OK.

The lambs don't appear to be seasick,

and the magic carpet seems to be doing its job.

Just got to try and keep them all on their feet

till we get to the other side. That's the mission.

Loading the livestock onto the trailer on the quayside

is the last obstacle on the journey from the island.

Hopefully, this will go just as well

as what the loading did.

Hopefully.

That's it. They're looking not too bad.

They had a bit of a splashy trip over,

but it can't be helped.

61 went on. Hopefully, 61 will come off.

Wayyyy!

Quite happy to get them to the mainland.

At least I've got something for market now. Better than nothing.

Piggyback temporary.

With the sheep loaded and ready to be sold,

there's one job left before the weather closes in.

We're off to clean the carpet.

We've got to get it ready to go back in my mum's living room.

So this is like a big washing machine, really.

There we are now. Ready for the living room again.

It's a new day at Thainstone.

And in the pens, father and son John and Ewan Gordon

are getting ready to sell 79 of their year-old calves.

-That's good stots, you see.

-That's like ten...or something, that beast.

It's the culmination of 12 months of hard work.

Today is a massive day in our calendar.

So much riding on the outcome of what happens in the sale ring.

The auction system, it's a great way to sell cattle.

It's the best way to sell cattle.

And we'll just wait and see how we get on.

The Gordons are selling 29 female heifers and 50 male steers.

Realistically, I'd like to see these steers making £1,050.

If the heifers can make £1,000 each, that would be good.

It would cover our costs. You know, we don't make much at that,

at the end of the day.

But, you know, you need to make a wee bit

so you can reinvest back in your business again.

With the sale under way, it's down to the bidders and auctioneer

John Angus to get the Gordons what they need.

You get a draught when you come in here.

20, 40, 60, 80, 11...

The steers are up first, and things start well.

50, 60, 70, at 1,170, 1,170...

Mr Stewart...

John and Ewan's 79 cattle are spread over 24 lots.

1,160.

1,085.

50. £50.

Even during the sale, Ewan can't help checking up on things at home.

We've got a camera at home to keep an eye on the calving cows.

1,085.

85.

You can just look round the shed.

Make sure there's no cows calving.

Keep them coming, then, one, two, three, four, five, six.

You've just got to keep an eye on them,

and make sure they're not going to calve when you're here.

And, obviously, you've got to rush home and see to them.

On we go to the Wellhead heifers now.

Show that ane off, Rory.

The heifers are next in the ring.

And although they won't make as much as the steers,

John's hoping they'll keep the average up.

£1,080 bid. Top drop. 1,080. £1,080.

We'll have more of that.

OK. Thank you very much. Thank you very much, John.

The steers went for nearly £1,100 each.

And the heifers, almost 1,000,

giving them an average of £1,042 a head.

But the Gordons have already got the money spent, or at least Ewan does.

This young man here is determined to spend money

and we're about to put up another cattle court

to try and keep more cows.

This money just disappears like snow off a dyke.

You've always got to try and improve the business

and take the business forward a step.

It's fine that they've all been sold,

and that's it for another year.

A successful sale for the Gordons.

And at Quoybrae in Caithness,

the mart's most northerly outpost,

Willie and Jamie Simpson are hoping for the same

with their island lambs.

They're a little bit dirtier than what I would have liked them to be.

The sheep are thriving after their sea crossing.

Whoever buys them now, hopefully, they'll come on like mushrooms.

Willie is hoping for an average of over £50 per head for his lambs

to cover the added expense of their island upbringing.

Big day today. When we sell our lambs, that's our yearly income.

So it's all in one go, really.

There is a lot riding on today's sale for the Simpsons.

But Willie's son Jamie knows

not to count his chickens before they're hatched.

Prices in the market fluctuate so much.

I mean, one week you'll hit a jackpot,

and then the week after,

the market is just flooded with stock,

and then your prices are way down.

It's all about when you hit the market.

My dad is pretty nervous for now.

He always gets a bit nervous when we go to sell the stock,

like any farmer, because this is what you work for the whole year.

Anything in the mid-50s is good news for Willie.

And things start well.

56.50. 56.50. 56.50.

56.50. But his next lot only go for £52 each.

52, 52, 52, 52.

It's down to his lot of ewe lambs to try and bump up the average.

£60 for them. 60 bid. £60. 61. 62.

63. £63.

64. 64. 64, far away...

£64. Making an average day into a good one for Willie and Jamie.

-That's us.

-They were in the range I was expecting.

I was expecting the mid-50s.

That's where my wether lambs came in.

My ewe lambs was quite good. They made just over 60 so...

I'm happy. Yeah. I'm happy, yeah.

I'm trying not to show that I'm happy

because you don't want to be too pleased with yourself

because then they'll be thinking

that I'm getting too much.

Despite the attempt at a poker face, Willie can't hide his satisfaction.

We're heading for the office now

to see if we can reap the rewards for all our hard work.

This is the good bit.

And he's already got an idea of what to spend the money on.

So, yes, that's what we're here for.

We're just waiting for the ink to dry.

Yeah, that's £9,120...

..and 46 pence.

Maybe we'll be able to afford a new carpet now.

Fitted.

Off we go.

The mart is hitting the road next time.

See what you think they're worth.

Auctioneer Colin Slessor is catching up with an old friend.

If you get that, I'll dance at your silver wedding.

Charlie Morrison does his best to build up the pension pot

for retiring farmers Gordon and Lorna Hector...

What a big crowd today.

As long as there's plenty of money, that's the main thing.

BULL LOWS

..and an obstreperous bull gives his handler a hard time.

Will he behave himself in the ring?

BULL LOWS