Calving and Asparagus Down on the Farm

# Come join us down on the farm today

# Learn about nature along the way

# From seeds to crops and field to barn

# So much to do down on the farm

# Summer, autumn, winter, spring

# Ploughing, planting, harvesting

# With JB and Storm to lead the way

# Come join us down on the farm today! #

Hello, I'm JB.

It's spring down on the farm and it's such a great time of year.

It's when new flowers and vegetables are growing.

While I carry on working in the fields,

let's find out what Storm's up to.

Do you know what this funny-looking vegetable is called?

It's called "asparagus".

And I have the job of helping to pick this crop

somewhere in one of those tunnels over there.

-Hi, guys!

-Hi, Storm!

I've heard you guys are experts at growing asparagus,

but I don't know the first thing about picking it.

-Do you think you could help me?

-We can.

-First thing you'll need is a pair of gloves.

-Gloves, check.

-They keep your hands warm and protected.

-Anything else?

Next is a knife to cut the asparagus.

I'm going to be extra careful with this one.

And you'll also need this.

A spoon? Are we going to be making cakes?

-ALL:

-No!

This helps us measure the asparagus so we cut it at the right length.

I'm so glad you guys are here to keep me right!

-Have we got everything we need?

-Yes!

Asparagus is a spring vegetable.

That means it's planted in early spring and is ready to be

picked from late in April all the way through the summer.

And Adelaide and Florrie have

invited their friends to help us pick today. Better get to work!

Why are we in these tunnels and not out in the fields?

Asparagus likes it really warm and really dry,

so the tunnels help us to keep the heat in and keep the water off.

-It certainly is warm in here, isn't it, Adelaide?

-Yeah.

-So, how do I pick asparagus?

-We've got the spoon against the asparagus.

-Do you think it's tall enough?

-Yep.

-OK.

Pop the spoon down and we cut really low down.

So, we're all the way through.

And why are we hand-picking the asparagus

and not using great big harvesting machines?

Well, these spears of asparagus are all different heights,

so we have two wait until it's the perfect length -

the length of our spoon - before cutting it off.

-And do you like asparagus?

-Yeah.

What do you like to eat it with?

-Erm...butter.

-Butter! I can't wait to try some.

-Will we be trying some later?

-Definitely.

This one in the basket, Flo!

Now that the basket is full,

let's get these off to the packing factory.

So, we're wearing our protective hairnets and coats.

What happens here?

When the asparagus comes in off the field,

we need to sort it and grade it for the supermarkets.

First, it goes along the conveyor belt

and through a washer, then it goes through a clever camera

that takes a picture and sorts it based on size and shape.

Then it comes into these crates

and then we ship it to the supermarket, ready for eating.

We've had a fantastic day learning all about asparagus.

But the day wouldn't be complete

-without trying some for ourselves. Shall we tuck in, guys?

-Uh-huh.

Mmm. Delicious!

What does the asparagus taste like?

Yummy!

While we finish our asparagus, why don't you find out what else happens

down on the farm in springtime?

-BIRDS SING

-Spring is a busy time of year.

The season starts with a singing contest.

BIRDS SING

Many birds spend hours perfecting their most beautiful songs

as they compete to attract a mate

or warn other birds to stay off their patch!

Soon, it's time to search for the perfect place to build a nest.

Once a safe spot has been found,

birds carefully select the right building materials,

such as twigs, soft moss or feathers and sticky spiders' webs.

They use these to construct a cosy nest where they can lay their eggs.

In some places, nesting materials are hard to find

and competition can be fierce.

Pieces of dried seaweed can cause a tug-of-war!

And some birds even resort to stealing from other birds' nests.

Guillemots don't bother with nests.

Like penguins, they just rest their eggs on their feet

and keep them warm under all those fluffy feathers.

Precious eggs need to be kept snug, safe and dry -

whatever the weather.

And when they hatch, many chicks keep their parents just as busy,

demanding lots and lots of food.

Today we're in Scotland, near the Isle of Skye.

We've come to see Stewart and his friends,

who are going to be planting some trees.

Today, we're on an old golf course, which isn't used any more.

There's lots of animals and birds that live here.

We're going to be planting lots of trees

to make it a nicer place for them to live.

Do you want to come and choose a tree?

First, the children choose a tree to plant.

Willow trees, birch trees and rowan trees.

The small trees are called saplings.

Then it's off to plant the trees.

Follow me!

The ground is wet and muddy,

but it's still lots of fun!

The trees Stewart and his friends are planting

like this wet, muddy ground to grow in.

Squelchy!

OK, boys and girls,

we're going to plant our trees now, so I want you all to find a cane.

Can you find one of these stuck in the ground?

And that's where we're going to plant our trees.

Now it's time to get to work!

Good stamp down, Rach.

The children put the trees into the hole,

then fill the hole right up to the top with soil.

Then they press the soil down.

Everyone's working very hard and getting quite muddy!

With the tree-planting done, it's time for a well-deserved rest.

Good work!

Well done, boys and girls.

That was a great job!

Do you know how many trees we planted today? Can anyone guess?

Calvin?

I planted two!

Can anyone guess how many we planted altogether?

107.

No.

400.

400 - that was very close. We've planted 420 trees!

-Have we all had a good time today?

-ALL:

-Yeah!

Who's got muddy hands?

Here's our spring poem...

It's not a toy - this tractor's real

It's made from tough and shiny steel

Climb up the steps and slam the door

Start the engine with a roar

Slowly forwards - clank, beep, thump

Rocking, rolling over bumps

Pull a lever, turn the wheel -

Don't get stuck in a muddy field!

Keep on going while it's light

And sometimes even through the night

Working hard from start to end

A tractor is a farmer's friend.

Hi, guys!

We're here on Jimmy's family farm in Dorset

and today I'm going to be helping with the new arrivals

because Jimmy's farm is a cattle farm with lots of cows.

And in spring, a lot of new calves are born.

-Hi, girls!

-Hi!

-Hi, Jimmy.

Hi, JB, how are you? Welcome to the farm.

Thank you. So, how can I help out with the cows today?

It's a very busy time of year. We're calving at the moment.

So, if we feed the newborn calves and their mothers

and then we'll tag some calves which were born last night

-and put them out in the field.

-Wow. OK.

-Girls, are you ready?

-Yeah!

JB, we're here in the field, we've got the cows' breakfast in the bag,

so if you could give me a hand feeding the cows, that'd be great.

Farmer Jimmy makes sure the cows are well fed

so they can produce lots of milk to help feed their baby calves.

-Girls, do you think the cows are enjoying their breakfast?

-Yeah!

And can you spot any of the baby calves?

There, there and there.

Quite a few, aren't there?

Baby cows are called calves.

But did you know that girl calves are called heifers

and boy calves are called bulls?

Right, they're all very happy with their breakfast.

-Shall we go and see the other calves?

-Yes!

-Come on, guys.

When a cow is about to have a baby calf,

Jimmy puts her into a barn.

This is because it's a bit quieter away from the herd

and he can keep a close eye on her.

Once the calves are born,

they have to be tagged before they can go out into the field.

Basically, that way down - so the longer down.

The tags are a badge so the farmer knows which calf is which.

Now the calf is tagged, it can go out into the field with its mummy

and enjoy the sunshine.

COW MOOS

Thanks, Jimmy, for showing me all your lovely cows today.

-Thank you for all your help.

-And, girls, did you have fun?

-Yeah!

I think we deserve a bit of a rest after all that hard work.

While we go and get cleaned up,

why don't you find out what else happens in spring?

This is Charlie.

On his farm he grows plants that can be made into oil.

Not oil for a car.

The oil that Charlie makes is called rapeseed oil

and it is made from rapeseed plants.

We use it in cooking and on our food.

In the springtime, the plants are still growing and are green.

They aren't quite ready to be picked.

We wait until the summer to pick them.

This is what the plant looks like in summer

when they are ready to be harvested.

What a beautiful yellow colour!

The flowers make little black seeds that are used to make the oil.

Let's go to the factory and see where we make these seeds into oil.

Charlie is pressing the seeds really hard

to show us how the oil comes out.

Look! You can see the oil mark on the paper.

He doesn't usually do this by hand - he uses a machine in the factory.

The seeds go into the machine, the machine presses the seeds

very hard so that the yellow oil is pressed out.

The oil drips out at the bottom of the machine

and the black seeds are squeezed out at the top.

Once the oil has been taken from the seed,

we're left with this pellet that is fed to local cows

so nothing is wasted.

The oil goes into the bottling machine and is poured into bottles.

And now we're ready to go to the shops.

Storm and I had a great time down on the farm

and we hope you've enjoyed it, too.

There's even more from Down On The Farm

on the CBeebies website, just for you.

See you next time. Bye!

# Come join us down on the farm today

# Learn about nature along the way

# From seeds to crops and field to barn

# So much to do down on the farm

# Summer, autumn, winter, spring

# Ploughing, planting, harvesting

# With JB and Storm to lead the way

# Come join us down on the farm today! #