Carrots and Alpacas 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 a 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, and welcome to Down On The Farm.

Spring has arrived, and there's lots to do,

so while I get on with tidying up, let's find out what Storm is up to.

QUACK QUACK

Now, I've been told that this farm in Nottinghamshire grows

lots of lovely orange-coloured vegetables.

But I haven't seen any.

All I've seen is lots of fields and tractors, and lots and lots of hay.

I think the vegetables must be hiding.

There they are.

And this is Joe. He's the carrot farmer.

Over the winter months, Joe and his team hide all the carrots

under a layer of plastic and lovely warm hay -

just like a sleeping bag -

so that the carrots are kept cosy and warm,

and they're ready to be picked in spring.

So, today, I'm going for a ride in this big tractor

called a harvester to pick the carrots.

It scoops up all the carrots and shakes off the dirt.

And then they're put in this trailer,

ready to be sent for packing.

Joe, that was amazing.

I can't believe how fast we've picked all those carrots.

These machines do make it much easier for us,

but we still need to know what the quality's like,

which means you have to pick some by hand.

Don't worry, I've got some helpers over there,

but you may get your hands dirty.

All right. Let's go help.

-Hi, guys. So, this is where the carrots are all hiding.

-ALL:

-Yeah.

-What are you doing?

-Picking them up.

You're picking them up. Can you show me how it's done?

So, we dig in our trowel and lift up the carrots...

like that.

-Storm, look what I found.

-That's huge!

What's the biggest carrot you've ever picked?

Probably this one.

These carrots are called Chantenay carrots,

and they're usually very small.

But, as you can see,

carrots can grow into lots of different shapes and sizes.

OK, I think we've got enough carrots now.

Who's going to help me carry the crates?

-ALL:

-Me! Yeah!

Now it's time to head back to the farm to see what we have found.

So, we've collected all our carrots, and we've washed them,

and now it's time to sort them by size.

-So, do you want to help me?

-ALL:

-Yeah!

So, we need to find out which carrot fits in which of these holes.

Shall we have a go?

It's our job to post the small carrots in the small holes,

and the big ones in the big holes,

so that they're separated ready for the supermarket.

After all that work, I think we deserve a treat.

Anyone fancy some carrot cake?

-ALL:

-Yeah!

And while we tuck in,

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

The warming sun and lengthening days of spring offer plants

and creatures a chance to grow and make new life.

But they need to get their timing right.

Most frogs lay frogspawn in late winter,

so that their wriggly tadpoles are ready to feed on green algae

when it blooms in ponds at the start of spring.

This bee has laid her eggs early in spring.

She has an orchard full of pear blossom,

and a great chance to collect lots of nectar and pollen

for her young to feed on when they hatch.

Baby birds need lots of food.

These blue tit chicks hatch at the same time

as millions of caterpillars emerge from the buds of oak leaves.

Fat juicy caterpillars are exactly what blue tit chicks need

to help them grow bigger and stronger.

It can be hard to get your timing right

when you're relying on the changeable weather.

That's why lots of farmers plant new crops under polytunnels at this

time of year - to protect them from late frosts and too much rain.

Spring is a time of hope, in nature and for many of us,

and we certainly hope for good weather when the time comes

to celebrate the season and enjoy the spring bank holidays.

BUZZING

Today, I'm very excited. I'm visiting a local farmers' market.

It's a bit like going to the supermarket, except that it's

outside and everything's made by the local farmers.

I've got my list. I've got my bag. Now let's see what we can find.

This is the Spring Farmers' Market in Wye, in Kent.

Kent has lots of farms which grow fruit and vegetables.

And, today, some local children have come down to the market to

help me find what I need.

-Hi, guys. How you doing?

-Good.

Do you guys like vegetables?

-Yes.

-Kind of.

-"Yes" and "kind of".

OK, well, what are your favourite vegetables?

-Carrots.

-Cabbages.

You think you'd be able to find me some?

-Yeah.

-Yeah.

Oh, we've got some cabbage. There we go. And some carrots.

Well, thanks, guys. I've got my vegetables.

-And hopefully I'll see you soon.

-Bye.

There are lots of things to taste before you buy.

There are pies,

and crabs,

and strawberry jam.

And look - home-made sausages.

-Do you mind if we try some?

-Yeah, sure, guys. Go ahead.

Come on, then, boys, let's try these tomato and basil ones.

That's nice, isn't it, boys? Mmm.

But I'm saving my money for my favourite - the cheese stall.

-Hi, guys.

-BOTH:

-Hi.

Who here likes cheese?

And what kind of cheese do you like?

-Cheddar cheese.

-Cheddar?

-Cheddar.

OK, well, I love all kinds of cheese.

So, do you think you could find me some cheese for my shopping list?

-Yeah.

-This one?

Well, I'll take a piece of your chilli cheese, then, please.

Of course, sir. That one there would be...£3.60.

Thank you very much.

All right, guys, well...I'll see you soon. Bye.

-BOTH:

-Bye!

Well, I've had a lovely day here at the farmers' market.

I've got my sausages, I've got my cheese.

I even got some vegetables, and LOTS of other things.

So, while I go and make some lunch, why don't you enjoy our spring poem?

CLUCK CLUCK

Wake up, sleepy bunnies

The day is bright and new

The spring sunshine is in the sky

There's lots of things to do

Eat up, hungry bunnies

It's time for tasty lunch

Springtime brings new grass and food

for you to munch and crunch...

Stay warm, fluffy bunnies,

It's still chilly outside

Your coat will keep you nice and warm

So you don't have to hide

Jumping playful bunnies

You bounce and hop and run

Out in the fields and round the farm

It looks like such great fun.

OINK OINK

SPLAT

Mi encantan tus animalitos.

Did you get that?

I'm trying to learn Spanish for today's special guests,

and I've heard that they're friendly,

fleecy, and from a country

in South America called Peru, where they speak Spanish.

Donde estan los animales?

That means, "Where are the animals?"

Oh, look. There they are!

These are alpacas.

Boy alpacas are called macho, which means male in Spanish.

And girl alpacas are called hembra, which means female in Spanish.

And today I'm visiting this very special farm that has

lots of alpacas.

I wonder how I can help out.

-Hi, Vicki.

-Hi, JB.

Well, this is a big herd of alpacas.

-Yes, we've got about 96 alpacas and four llamas on the farm.

-Wow.

And is it true that they speak Spanish?

Because I've been trying to learn.

Oh, I'm afraid I've only taught them English.

Oh, no.

So, who have we got here, then?

Well, this is our babies' group from last year.

We have another 30 babies due this year.

And have they had breakfast already?

No, we're about to feed them Would you like to give me a hand?

-I'd love to.

-Great.

Vicki breeds alpacas on her farm,

and uses their soft fleece coats to make hats and scarves

later in the season,

just like these cool hats and scarves.

Alpacas are herbivores. That means they eat grass and hay.

Today, we're feeding them special alpaca food.

Well, Vicki, these are super-cute.

How come some of them have really fluffy fleeces?

Well, the fluffy-fleeced alpacas -

they've got more of a teddy bear appearance.

-They're called Huacaya alpacas.

-OK.

And the ones with the ringleted fleeces are called Suri alpacas.

Cool.

And is there anything else that I can do on the farm today?

Well, all of these babies are weaned now,

so they're all ready to be halter-trained. So, if you want

-to give me a hand halter-training, that'd be fantastic.

-Definitely.

-They're very hungry, aren't they?

-They're very greedy.

Vicki trains all her alpacas to use a halter like this one.

This gets them used to humans so they won't be scared.

Baby alpacas are called crias, which is Spanish for baby animal.

And today we're going to take them for a walk around the farm.

My new friend is called Faro.

Good boy, Faro.

Well done, Faro.

Thank you, Vicki, so much for showing me your alpaca farm.

Thanks for coming along. It's been great having you here today.

And while I grab a few more cuddles with Faro,

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

CLUCK CLUCK

BEEP BEEP

Have you ever seen a building like this before?

Do you know what it is?

It's a flour mill, where we take wheat

and turn it into flour which people can use for baking.

This is Michael, and he works in this flour mill.

It's a special kind of flour mill,

because it gets its power from this stream.

Michael's going to show us how.

Every month, local farmers bring trailers

full of their harvested wheat grain.

The wheat grain needs to be kept dry

so that it stays fresh for being milled,

so Michael keeps it in these big concrete bins called silos.

So, this is the grain we've just had delivered.

It's come straight off the field,

so it still has a few bits of husk and straw in it.

This goes through the grain-cleaning machine to

remove those unwanted pieces.

All the grain that we had delivered earlier

by tractor and trailer is coming from the grain silo

and it goes into the grain-cleaning machine, which has a sucker on it

to suck all the dust out,

and a shaker that shakes a sieve that removes all the straw.

The wheat then goes to the mill for grinding into flour.

So, inside these big plastic tubs are the millstones.

These are very big and very heavy.

The top one is going round, and the wheat goes in the middle

and gets ground into the flour.

The millstream is feeding the waterwheel which is going round.

This is making the belts in the mill go round,

which makes the millstones go round,

which grinds the wheat into the flour.

So, this is the freshly ground, healthy wholemeal flour.

Michael then delivers his flour to shops

and businesses, like this bakery, where they use the flour to

make dough to bake tasty food like bread,

cakes,

and pastries.

Yummy.

QUACK QUACK

Storm and I have had a brilliant time,

and we hope you've enjoyed it too.

You can check out even more great things from Down On The Farm

on the CBeebies website.

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 a farm

# Summer, autumn, winter, spring

# Ploughing, planting, harvesting

# With JB and Storm to lead the way

# Come join us down on the farm today. #