Turf and Campfire 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. #

Hi, I'm JB

and welcome to Down On The Farm.

Now it's autumn,

it's time for farmers to harvest all

the things they've worked hard to

grow in spring and summer.

So while I get things tidied up here,

let's see what Storm is doing.

In the summer,

JB came to meet Farmer Stephen

to find out about his quinoa plants

and check they were growing healthily.

I've come back to see what happens to the crop once it's harvested.

Hi, Alexander,

hi, Farmer Stephen.

Hi, Storm.

Hi, Storm.

The quinoa field looks amazing

but how do you know

when it's ready to be harvested?

Once the plants are fully grown,

they dry out in the summer sunshine

and we can test to see if they're ready

by rubbing some seed out of the heads.

It needs to be dry and golden brown.

And the seed should fall out really easily.

So the seed is the part of the plant that we eat.

And once it's harvested, what happens next?

We dry the seed back at the farm.

Shall I show you how?

Absolutely.

Come on.

A big combine harvester

cuts the tops off the quinoa plants.

The seeds from the plants are

taken back to the farm to be dried.

So why does the quinoa have to be dried?

This keeps all the goodness in and stops it from spoiling

while it's being stored.

How do you dry all this quinoa?

A big machine blows hot air into it.

So it's a bit like a big hairdryer.

Yes, you're right.

At the front of the trailer,

a burner heats up lots of air.

The hot air passes through the tubes

and blows out into the quinoa.

The tubes move back

and forth for four hours

to dry all the quinoa evenly.

The quinoa bounces about

as the hot air rushes up through it.

Here's some quinoa from the drying trailer.

Here you go.

Do you think it's ready to be stored?

It's really warm.

And it's dry.

I think it's ready.

The dried quinoa is stored here

until it's ready to be cleaned

and packaged for the shops.

That's it, guys.

We've got to sweep it into one big pile.

Now our crop is tidied up...

..we're going to make some tasty quinoa salads.

The quinoa is cooked

until it soaks up all the water.

Here you go, guys.

Here's some quinoa.

Thank you.

Time to tuck in.

Trixie, is that really yummy?

Yes.

While we finish off our quinoa salads,

why don't you find out

what cool creatures get up to in autumn?

When the leaves fall from the trees in autumn,

they create a wonderful place

for lots of tiny creatures to shelter and feed.

Minute springtails

feast on the autumn leaves,

turning them into nothing but skeletons.

Snails eat leaves too.

This one is called a glass snail

because it has a see-through shell.

As they slither around, glass snails

give off a stinky garlic smell

to try to stop predators,

like this long nosed beetle,

from eating them.

Clutches of slug eggs

can be found in the undergrowth.

Autumn is a great time

for slug eggs to hatch.

The thick leaf litter is a good place to

hide from predators

like birds and badgers

and the steady supply of leaves

gives the growing slugs plenty to eat.

Woodlice are closely related to

sea creatures like prawns and crabs.

So they need dampness to survive.

Autumn's wet, rotting leaves

are the perfect place for them to live.

At this nursery in Perthshire,

the children have been learning

how to safely build a campfire

and cook outdoors.

One, two, three.

Woo!

So, are we going to have

dry wood or wet wood for our fire?

What do we think?

Dry.

Dry wood. OK.

The children are collecting sticks and branches

that have fallen onto the forest floor.

We need big ones and small ones.

This one.

Once they have collected enough wood,

they take it to the firehouse.

In the fire pit, cotton wool is put in first

to help the fire start.

Next, small sticks called tinder are added.

Pop some more sticks on the fire?

Yes.

Then, bigger sticks are put on top.

They make sure that they are a safe distance from the fire.

Sit safely.

It's time for some marshmallows!

It's time for marshmallows!

Jessica, pop one on the top.

It's a white one.

Lean it over into the fire.

We use long sticks

because the fire is very hot.

Can you hold it a little bit higher?

Well done.

Keep an eye on your marshmallow.

My marshmallow is ready.

Once the marshmallows are cool,

they are safe to eat.

BLOW!

They're yummy.

What must we do with the fire

when we're finished cooking?

Put the fire out.

This sand puts the fire out safely.

Why don't you ask an adult to help you

build a campfire this autumn?

Run to the window,

look outside.

No need to run away or hide.

The sky is lit up

with firework light.

It truly is

an autumn night.

Our gloves are on,

we cannot wait.

We swish our sparklers,

we hold them straight.

Watch me as I write my name

but be very careful, all the same.

I love the patterns in the air

The colours, crackles,

smells and flare,

all above me,

shooting by.

It's just like magic

in the sky.

Today, I'm at a farm in Norfolk

where they grow turf.

They've asked me to mow the grass for them

but I think I might need some help.

Guys!

I could do with a hand here...?

Hi, Stuart. I'm glad to see you.

Hello, JB. Welcome to the turf fields.

Thank you.

Now, what exactly is turf

because it looks like normal grass to me.

Well, it is grass but also the soil

and the roots underneath.

And why do you grow so much of it?

Parks, football pitches, roundabouts

all require lots of grass and it can

be quite difficult to grow

so people buy turf like this to put it down.

And how do you help the grass to grow?

We mow it and that's our first job today.

Great, well, I've already got started

but I think it's going to take a while.

BEEP! BEEP!

Thankfully, we've got a big machine that can help.

We use this big mower to mow the grass up to three times a week.

We keep the grass short

so it makes it stronger and thicker.

So cutting the grass is actually good for the turf?

Exactly.

The mower is pulled along by a big tractor.

The driver has a computer screen

to keep him in a straight line.

OK, so now the grass has been mowed, what's the next job?

Harvesting.

This is the harvester.

It cuts the turf out off the ground.

The harvester makes two big cuts in the ground

and scoops up the turf.

As it moves through the machine,

it's rolled up

and put onto a pallet,

just like scooping up ice cream.

We wrap the turf up so it doesn't fall off. Can you help?

Of course.

Yes.

So, there we have it, our harvested turf.

Yes, this is ready to be loaded onto lorries and off to our customers.

Next time I'm at the park,

I'll know where they get their lovely green grass from.

While we finish up here,

why don't you find out how to help hedgehogs in autumn?

MOO!

At night, while you sleep,

a lot of animals are awake and busy.

Hedgehogs come out when it's dark.

They may come into the garden to look for food.

Hedgehogs like water and a healthy snack for them is minced meat.

Place the food and water in your garden

and if you're lucky,

a hedgehog might visit.

Enjoy being out and about!

In spring,

we saw seed potatoes being planted.

In summer, Farmer Kerr showed us

how they sprayed the potato crops to keep them healthy.

Now it's autumn,

we are back to see if the potatoes

are ready to be harvested.

The green tops of the potato plants have died back but lots

of potatoes have grown underneath the soil, amongst the roots.

These potatoes are looking really good.

It's now time to get the harvest done

and dig up the rest of the field.

The harvester scoops up the soil and potatoes...

..and shakes off all the dirt.

The potatoes are carried to the back of the machine where people

pick out any stones.

A tractor and trailer drive alongside the harvester...

..and the potatoes are moved from the back of the harvester...

..up a conveyor belt...

..and dropped into big crates in the trailer.

We harvest late into the evening.

When it gets dark, we turn on big lights on the tractor

and the harvester.

When the trailer is full of potatoes,

the tractor takes it to the farm.

At the farm, a forklift unloads

the crates of potatoes from the trailer...

..and stacks them in a big shed.

This is called a cold store.

It's as cold as a fridge in here to stop the potatoes from spoiling.

These potatoes will be delivered to the shops throughout the winter

and next spring, so that we can eat fresh potatoes all year round.

CLUCK! CLUCK!

Storm and I have had a fantastic time on the farm today.

I hope you did too.

There are 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 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. #