0:00:03 > 0:00:07For thousands of years, farming has shaped the landscape of Wales.
0:00:07 > 0:00:09Hey, come on!
0:00:11 > 0:00:14Generations of farmers have worked the land
0:00:14 > 0:00:18and in Snowdonia, one family has been farming
0:00:18 > 0:00:21the slopes of the Carneddau Mountains for centuries.
0:00:22 > 0:00:24Meet the Joneses.
0:00:24 > 0:00:31For 350 years, my family can say that we have farmed this valley.
0:00:31 > 0:00:35Gareth Wyn Jones is the latest in a long line of hill farmers
0:00:35 > 0:00:37to rear sheep on the mountains near Llanfairfechan
0:00:37 > 0:00:40on the north Wales coast.
0:00:40 > 0:00:43But the way we buy our food has changed.
0:00:43 > 0:00:47Lots of people have lost contact with the land,
0:00:47 > 0:00:49with agriculture, with farmers.
0:00:50 > 0:00:53Gareth's wife, Rhian, takes care of the family,
0:00:53 > 0:00:55their home and the garden.
0:00:55 > 0:00:57Picking peas.
0:00:57 > 0:01:02There is nothing better than eating peas fresh from the pod.
0:01:02 > 0:01:06Their sons, Rolant, and his elder brother, Sior,
0:01:06 > 0:01:10are following in their father's footsteps.
0:01:10 > 0:01:14Steady. Steady. Hey, stand! These sheep get on my nerves.
0:01:14 > 0:01:17And their daughter, Mari, isn't far behind.
0:01:17 > 0:01:19Sit. Elin, sit.
0:01:19 > 0:01:21Elin! By!
0:01:21 > 0:01:24Their grandparents also live on the farm.
0:01:24 > 0:01:27Gareth's mother, Eryl, and his father, Rolant Senior.
0:01:35 > 0:01:38We will follow Gareth and his family through the course of a year,
0:01:38 > 0:01:42as they take their animals from the mountainside
0:01:42 > 0:01:44to the market place.
0:01:44 > 0:01:46That's it. That's the end product.
0:01:46 > 0:01:49After all that hard work, this is what we sell.
0:01:50 > 0:01:54But with bad weather and rising costs, what does the future hold
0:01:54 > 0:01:56for the traditional Welsh hill farm?
0:01:58 > 0:02:01Physically, mentally, emotionally, it's tough.
0:02:01 > 0:02:05But if you are born and bred into it, you know nothing better.
0:02:05 > 0:02:08That's the way it is. That's the way the mountain is.
0:02:19 > 0:02:22It's spring in the Carneddau Mountains.
0:02:22 > 0:02:24Food!
0:02:24 > 0:02:28At Ty'n Llywfan, the Jones family farm, the sun is up.
0:02:33 > 0:02:36It's the weekend, but there is a lot of work to be done.
0:02:37 > 0:02:40The coming weeks are vital for the farm.
0:02:40 > 0:02:43It's one of the busiest times of year and the sheep need to be
0:02:43 > 0:02:46taken on to the mountain pastures for the first time.
0:02:47 > 0:02:52There is a full day's work ahead, but today Gareth won't be working alone.
0:02:52 > 0:02:54I've got ten dogs at the moment.
0:02:54 > 0:02:57These are the three main working ones,
0:02:57 > 0:03:00which is Cap and Tess, my old bitch.
0:03:00 > 0:03:04And Lad, a very, very good youngish dog.
0:03:04 > 0:03:06And these are the younger dogs.
0:03:06 > 0:03:09This is Bill, this is Sior's first dog.
0:03:09 > 0:03:10And he is doing well.
0:03:10 > 0:03:14Both don't listen sometimes, which can be a bit difficult!
0:03:16 > 0:03:19At the end of the day, we can't do without these.
0:03:19 > 0:03:22These are an integral part of our life.
0:03:22 > 0:03:26I spend more time with these dogs than I do with my wife!
0:03:26 > 0:03:29It's an awful thing to say, but it's true!
0:03:29 > 0:03:32I do absolutely love them.
0:03:33 > 0:03:37Rolant and Sior will also be joining their father
0:03:37 > 0:03:39as he ventures up the mountain.
0:03:45 > 0:03:49Having spent the winter on lower pastures, the farm's sheep now
0:03:49 > 0:03:53need to be turned out on to communal grazing land of the Carneddau.
0:03:58 > 0:04:00We'll get the dogs out now.
0:04:05 > 0:04:08We'll get up and get these new lambs on to the top.
0:04:08 > 0:04:11Come on, Sior!
0:04:11 > 0:04:15As they reach the flock, the weather begins to close in.
0:04:15 > 0:04:18Conditions on these slopes can change in an instant.
0:04:19 > 0:04:22But as they're already nearly a month behind,
0:04:22 > 0:04:26Gareth needs to push on, despite the wind and the rain.
0:04:26 > 0:04:30This is what it's like. You can never depend on the weather.
0:04:33 > 0:04:35What's important is they are going up strong.
0:04:37 > 0:04:39We can just about keep up with them.
0:04:39 > 0:04:42And that really makes me feel good.
0:04:42 > 0:04:46This is the whole idea of proper hefting. Old-fashioned hefting.
0:04:48 > 0:04:51Gareth and the boys are guiding the sheep up to their heft.
0:04:52 > 0:04:55The heft, or 'cynefin' in Welsh, is a patch of grazing land
0:04:55 > 0:04:59that the family's flock has returned to year after year.
0:04:59 > 0:05:03It's the foundation of the hill farm and so far, they are going up well.
0:05:04 > 0:05:07These sheep are a hardy Welsh mountain breed,
0:05:07 > 0:05:11born and bred for these slopes and these harsh conditions.
0:05:11 > 0:05:14Tess! Here. Good boy. Good boy. Hey, hey, good boy.
0:05:22 > 0:05:24Good boys!
0:05:26 > 0:05:28It's tough going, really.
0:05:28 > 0:05:32The majority of people are sitting in front of the telly watching Andrew Marr.
0:05:32 > 0:05:36Or kids are playing on their PlayStations.
0:05:37 > 0:05:39I'll be coming up every day doing this
0:05:39 > 0:05:42until they're up there and stay there.
0:05:43 > 0:05:46This is what it takes to produce food up here.
0:05:48 > 0:05:52I'm getting too old for this, mate. I'm really getting too old for it.
0:05:52 > 0:05:55With thousands of sheep to bring on to the mountain,
0:05:55 > 0:05:59this will be the first of many trips for Gareth.
0:05:59 > 0:06:02He has to teach the sheep to stay on their heft
0:06:02 > 0:06:04by walking them there each day.
0:06:06 > 0:06:10This was a way of farming that he was taught by his father
0:06:10 > 0:06:12and something he must pass on to his sons.
0:06:15 > 0:06:18Once here, this is where the sheep will graze
0:06:18 > 0:06:20and fatten up for the rest of the year.
0:06:22 > 0:06:25Whoo! It's nice to see them up here, I'll tell you that much.
0:06:25 > 0:06:27Really nice to see them up here.
0:06:27 > 0:06:3321 days late, but hey, they're here. That's what is important really.
0:06:34 > 0:06:36Right, are we ready, boys?
0:06:36 > 0:06:39Come on then, let's home, James, and see your mother.
0:06:41 > 0:06:43HE WHISTLES
0:07:05 > 0:07:08Are you wet? That's a silly question, really!
0:07:08 > 0:07:11- What do you think?! - The food has been roasted.
0:07:11 > 0:07:14Right, then. I'll heat up the gravy.
0:07:20 > 0:07:22The beef is probably cold.
0:07:23 > 0:07:26It looks absolutely lovely.
0:07:32 > 0:07:36Sorry, the potatoes, I tried to keep them warm as long as possible.
0:08:01 > 0:08:05It's May, and now this year's lambs need to be turned out
0:08:05 > 0:08:07on to the mountain pastures.
0:08:10 > 0:08:12But first they need to be rounded up
0:08:12 > 0:08:16and given a special mark to identify them as Gareth's property.
0:08:17 > 0:08:19We are bringing these in now.
0:08:19 > 0:08:22We are going to ear mark the lambs and get them ready for the mountain.
0:08:22 > 0:08:24That's the job today.
0:08:24 > 0:08:28Gareth needs to separate the lambs from their mothers.
0:08:28 > 0:08:31It's a chance to get a closer look at this year's stock.
0:08:31 > 0:08:34You know, it's a labour of 12 months to have that lamb.
0:08:34 > 0:08:36This is the important piece.
0:08:36 > 0:08:40At the end of the day, the little boys are the ones that will be sold
0:08:40 > 0:08:43for eating and slaughter and the girls are being kept for breeding.
0:08:43 > 0:08:46So it's really important to look after them this year.
0:08:58 > 0:09:00Best lambs I've seen for years.
0:09:00 > 0:09:03I'm not for boasting, but they are very, very good.
0:09:04 > 0:09:07My brothers here can vouch for that.
0:09:07 > 0:09:10The females now are having this ear mark
0:09:10 > 0:09:12and the males have a different ear mark.
0:09:12 > 0:09:15And a 'fanw' is a female and a 'gwryw' is a male.
0:09:15 > 0:09:18So if you hear them shouting 'gwryw' and 'fanw',
0:09:18 > 0:09:20it's male and female in Welsh.
0:09:21 > 0:09:24There are over 500 lambs to mark today,
0:09:24 > 0:09:28so members of the extended family have come along to lend a hand.
0:09:28 > 0:09:30This is my Uncle Will.
0:09:30 > 0:09:32That's Owen John.
0:09:32 > 0:09:34This is my Uncle Teg.
0:09:36 > 0:09:37That's Robert Jones.
0:09:38 > 0:09:42And that's Ieuan.
0:09:42 > 0:09:45All related, cousins and uncles together.
0:09:45 > 0:09:48This is how we do our jobs up here.
0:09:48 > 0:09:52Gareth works as part of a successful family business,
0:09:52 > 0:09:55founded by his grandfather, Owen Jones.
0:09:55 > 0:09:59Tradition is important to the Joneses and the rights to graze on the mountain
0:09:59 > 0:10:01have been passed down through the generations
0:10:01 > 0:10:04and still form the basis of the business today.
0:10:04 > 0:10:07Every farm has its own notch.
0:10:08 > 0:10:10So if these sheep stray to wherever,
0:10:10 > 0:10:14they have people that they call a 'setiwr',
0:10:14 > 0:10:17which is a policeman to the mountain.
0:10:17 > 0:10:20My father's the 'setiwr' for this area, for Llanfairfechan,
0:10:20 > 0:10:25so if there are any disputes, it's over there you go, to sort it out.
0:10:30 > 0:10:34With their ears marked, the lambs are reunited with their mothers
0:10:34 > 0:10:36and sent back out into the fields.
0:10:44 > 0:10:46I've done nothing else. I know nothing else.
0:10:46 > 0:10:49Spending time with my father as a little boy up here
0:10:49 > 0:10:51and Sior does the same with me now.
0:10:51 > 0:10:52There's heritage.
0:10:52 > 0:10:58For 350 years, my family can say that we have farmed this valley.
0:10:58 > 0:10:59Not many people can say that.
0:11:01 > 0:11:05You know hefting is a job that we do every single day,
0:11:05 > 0:11:08but I believe that my father's hefted me as well.
0:11:08 > 0:11:11He's taught me, he's brought me up
0:11:11 > 0:11:14and I hope I can do that to my son as well.
0:11:14 > 0:11:16And to my children.
0:11:16 > 0:11:18You are always looking ahead and trying to plan ahead.
0:11:18 > 0:11:24I think that's what we do as farmers for the next generation.
0:11:24 > 0:11:29What can I do to make it easier for our children to farm?
0:11:34 > 0:11:39Back at the farm, the heir to the family business is hard at work.
0:11:40 > 0:11:43Sior's first exams are only a few weeks away.
0:11:43 > 0:11:46Soon, he will have decide what to do next.
0:11:46 > 0:11:48To continue his work on the farm
0:11:48 > 0:11:51or to go in search of a different career.
0:11:51 > 0:11:54You do feel a bit of pressure. It's always there.
0:11:56 > 0:12:02You know there is a lot of heritage and a lot of history to what we do.
0:12:04 > 0:12:11350 years could be lost because I couldn't be bothered to go farming.
0:12:13 > 0:12:17Schoolwork is very draining and very boring.
0:12:17 > 0:12:21You are there by yourself for an hour, two hours,
0:12:21 > 0:12:23without seeing anybody.
0:12:23 > 0:12:28You are just there writing and trying to learn quotes.
0:12:28 > 0:12:31And maybe if you're doing physics and stuff,
0:12:31 > 0:12:35the key words you have to learn and stuff.
0:12:41 > 0:12:44I don't know. I have no idea.
0:12:44 > 0:12:47I don't know what the future holds for me.
0:12:49 > 0:12:51We'll have to see how it goes.
0:12:53 > 0:12:57A nice, peaceful life maybe. Not too much stress.
0:12:59 > 0:13:01Not too much pressure.
0:13:01 > 0:13:03I don't like this GCSE.
0:13:05 > 0:13:06Terrible.
0:13:36 > 0:13:38Down! Stay down!
0:13:43 > 0:13:45It's Saturday morning.
0:13:45 > 0:13:47Drive on now. Come on.
0:13:47 > 0:13:50Weekends on the farm are a chance for the children to learn more
0:13:50 > 0:13:53about the skills needed to rear sheep on the mountains,
0:13:53 > 0:13:56like how to work with their sheepdogs.
0:13:56 > 0:13:58He is quite good, really.
0:13:58 > 0:14:00His father has taught him quite a bit,
0:14:00 > 0:14:03but he doesn't walk enough with it.
0:14:03 > 0:14:07That's my opinion. They are here now, you see.
0:14:07 > 0:14:10Stay. Stay. Stay! Stand!
0:14:13 > 0:14:15He has good control on the dog, really.
0:14:24 > 0:14:27- Stop him!- Stand!- Stop him.
0:14:27 > 0:14:31If you want the sheep to go that way, you come by or whatever.
0:14:31 > 0:14:35You go 'away' and then 'stand' and then 'come on'.
0:14:35 > 0:14:37- Stand!- Bring him on.
0:14:37 > 0:14:39- Bring him on.- Stand.
0:14:39 > 0:14:41We try to teach them English,
0:14:41 > 0:14:44because the English people will pay for a good dog.
0:14:44 > 0:14:46Not like the Welsh!
0:14:47 > 0:14:49A good working dog can cost anything
0:14:49 > 0:14:52from several hundred to several thousand pounds.
0:14:56 > 0:14:59They are an essential part of farming on the hills,
0:14:59 > 0:15:02but training them can be a long and difficult process.
0:15:02 > 0:15:07These sheep get on my nerves. All they want to do is jump fences.
0:15:09 > 0:15:12Sior has been training Bill for a few months,
0:15:12 > 0:15:16but both shepherd and sheepdog still have a lot to learn.
0:15:16 > 0:15:20Give him a little bit more oomph. He is a bit laid back, easy going.
0:15:20 > 0:15:22Not like me.
0:15:22 > 0:15:26I'm very wild really, but I have cooled down a bit now.
0:15:26 > 0:15:30But he's coming all right. We don't have to worry too much about it.
0:15:32 > 0:15:35Sheepdogs are not only a useful tool,
0:15:35 > 0:15:38but trialling them is also a popular pastime.
0:15:38 > 0:15:41Soon, Sior and Bill will be ready for competitions.
0:15:43 > 0:15:47But he is not the only one practising his sheepdog skills.
0:15:47 > 0:15:49Elin, stand. Down. Down.
0:15:49 > 0:15:51Down, Elin.
0:15:53 > 0:15:56Elin. Stand, Elin. Stand!
0:15:56 > 0:15:58Come at me. Come at me.
0:16:00 > 0:16:02Elin.
0:16:02 > 0:16:05Elin, sit. Sit!
0:16:13 > 0:16:16There is always work to do on the farm.
0:16:18 > 0:16:20Things to fix.
0:16:22 > 0:16:24Animals to feed.
0:16:25 > 0:16:27And dirty jobs to be done.
0:16:31 > 0:16:35It can sometimes be difficult for Gareth to get away from the farm
0:16:35 > 0:16:37and spend time with the kids.
0:16:37 > 0:16:41But today, he has arranged an outing to his brother's fishing lake.
0:16:46 > 0:16:48We're in. We're in. Caught one.
0:16:55 > 0:16:57I lost it. Oh!
0:16:59 > 0:17:01A bit of a change.
0:17:02 > 0:17:07We don't get a lot of this time, so it's nice to see my brother
0:17:07 > 0:17:09and the kids are loving it.
0:17:09 > 0:17:12It's just that we haven't caught anything.
0:17:12 > 0:17:15I've lost about six fish tonight. I can't believe it.
0:17:24 > 0:17:26She's caught one!
0:17:26 > 0:17:28OK, OK, OK, we've got one!
0:17:32 > 0:17:34- You've caught a fish, Mar!- Yes!
0:17:58 > 0:18:03While the rest of the family are out, Rhian has some visitors.
0:18:03 > 0:18:06She used to be the lead singer in a band and still is,
0:18:06 > 0:18:08when she can find the time.
0:18:12 > 0:18:15This is a song I've written for the boys.
0:18:20 > 0:18:24Strange, you know, that you think you have experienced
0:18:24 > 0:18:27a lot of emotions - sadness happiness, love.
0:18:27 > 0:18:33But the first time you actually hold that baby. Boof!
0:18:56 > 0:18:59I can remember with all three of them,
0:18:59 > 0:19:02when they're just born and the first time you get to hold them
0:19:02 > 0:19:06in your arms, how soft their breath is on your skin.
0:19:06 > 0:19:10Just that overwhelming emotion you feel.
0:19:10 > 0:19:14It just bursts out of your whole body. It's amazing.
0:19:14 > 0:19:16So that's what I wrote down, for them to remember.
0:19:22 > 0:19:27When they grow up and have kids themselves, maybe they'll realise what I was talking about.
0:19:58 > 0:20:00# There's a little fishy on the little dishy. #
0:20:00 > 0:20:02Hallelujah! Who caught it?
0:20:04 > 0:20:08- Yaaaay! Champion!- Mari!- What a girl!
0:20:08 > 0:20:11We're going to need a bigger fridge!
0:20:19 > 0:20:23As spring turns to summer the days are longer,
0:20:23 > 0:20:26the sun is out and the temperature is rising.
0:20:29 > 0:20:32It's time for one of the most important events
0:20:32 > 0:20:35in the farming calendar - shearing the sheep.
0:20:36 > 0:20:38But first, they need to be gathered.
0:20:42 > 0:20:45On hills and mountains all over Wales,
0:20:45 > 0:20:49people are coming together to collect their flocks.
0:20:49 > 0:20:51And here on the Carneddau,
0:20:51 > 0:20:54thousands of sheep are collected over the course of a week.
0:20:55 > 0:20:58But with no fences on the mountain,
0:20:58 > 0:21:01rounding up every single one can be a mammoth task.
0:21:12 > 0:21:16Even at the height of summer, the weather can be unpredictable
0:21:16 > 0:21:22and in sun, wind and rain, Gareth, his dogs, his family and his friends
0:21:22 > 0:21:27bring their sheep off the slopes and down to the lower pastures.
0:21:36 > 0:21:40It is 6:00am and Gareth is waiting patiently
0:21:40 > 0:21:45high in the mountains for the last of the summer gatherings to begin,
0:21:45 > 0:21:48just as his family has done for generations.
0:21:48 > 0:21:51My grandfather and our forefathers
0:21:51 > 0:21:54would have to start in the middle of the night.
0:21:54 > 0:21:56About 12:00am or 1:00am in the morning.
0:21:56 > 0:22:00They would walk up to here, so they'd get up here for first light.
0:22:01 > 0:22:03They must have been tough old people.
0:22:03 > 0:22:06They must have worked really, really hard.
0:22:06 > 0:22:09But there was no television. There was nothing else in their lives.
0:22:09 > 0:22:14All they lived for was for these mountains and these sheep.
0:22:15 > 0:22:19You know, there was no money. They were very, very poor people.
0:22:19 > 0:22:24Every year, friends and neighbours come together for these gatherings.
0:22:24 > 0:22:26No money changes hands,
0:22:26 > 0:22:30but they all rely on each other to round up each other's sheep.
0:22:38 > 0:22:44With all the shepherds and sheepdogs present, the gathering can begin.
0:22:45 > 0:22:47WHISTLING
0:22:47 > 0:22:49Ia! Ia! Ia! Ia!
0:22:56 > 0:22:57So what we are trying to do,
0:22:57 > 0:23:00is to keep a line here as much as we possibly can.
0:23:00 > 0:23:03Rob is on that ridge there.
0:23:03 > 0:23:05Hefin is above me.
0:23:05 > 0:23:07Arwyn, Gareth and Dylan.
0:23:07 > 0:23:11So everybody knows their place and their spot.
0:23:12 > 0:23:16What we are trying to do is to take the sheep and heft them this way down.
0:23:23 > 0:23:27As they work their way across the mountain, each shepherd keeps
0:23:27 > 0:23:31a close eye on their patch, using the dogs to round up any stragglers.
0:23:33 > 0:23:36Dogs, sticks, people.
0:23:36 > 0:23:39OK, there are quads here now, but the majority of this...
0:23:39 > 0:23:41Get back, Tess!
0:23:41 > 0:23:43..was done exactly the same way.
0:23:43 > 0:23:45And you know, these are hefted right.
0:23:45 > 0:23:48These are things that your father has handed down to you.
0:23:48 > 0:23:50From generation, to generation.
0:23:50 > 0:23:52It's a happy time.
0:23:52 > 0:23:55Hard work, but you know, it's a really happy time.
0:23:57 > 0:23:59Go down, Tess!
0:24:05 > 0:24:07This is when the net closes in now.
0:24:07 > 0:24:10From the few, come the many.
0:24:10 > 0:24:12This is exactly what we like to see.
0:24:12 > 0:24:15Rob is down there now, just holding them.
0:24:15 > 0:24:17The lads are pushing them down off the top.
0:24:19 > 0:24:21Because you can never ever trust a sheep.
0:24:21 > 0:24:23They could all go back under them
0:24:23 > 0:24:28and if you are not in the right position at the right time, it's a disaster.
0:24:37 > 0:24:42The only way to herd sheep on these mountains is to work together.
0:24:42 > 0:24:46But with fewer young people working in agriculture,
0:24:46 > 0:24:50these gatherings may one day become a thing of the past.
0:24:50 > 0:24:53It is a dying job.
0:24:53 > 0:24:56There are not many people that want to come on into this.
0:24:56 > 0:25:00And the truth is, it's long hours for very little reward.
0:25:00 > 0:25:03Physically, mentally and emotionally, it's tough.
0:25:03 > 0:25:06But the truth is, if you are born and bred into it,
0:25:06 > 0:25:08you know nothing better.
0:25:08 > 0:25:11That's the way it is. That's the way of the mountains.
0:25:18 > 0:25:21Shearing marks the high point of summer.
0:25:21 > 0:25:23Today, there are around 600 to get through.
0:25:23 > 0:25:28Last four years, the weather's been so changeable
0:25:28 > 0:25:32and we want to get the silage done, the shearing done.
0:25:32 > 0:25:36We used to do all the shearing, the gathering, the dipping, the dosing.
0:25:36 > 0:25:40But now, it's a lot easier to get the contractors in.
0:25:40 > 0:25:42We get it all done in one day.
0:25:47 > 0:25:50These lads are the top boys.
0:25:50 > 0:25:52They don't come any better than this.
0:25:52 > 0:25:55They can go to New Zealand, Australia, anywhere,
0:25:55 > 0:25:57and they won't beat those boys.
0:26:06 > 0:26:10These boys get 90 pence per sheep for doing these
0:26:10 > 0:26:13and fair play, it's a bloody hard job.
0:26:13 > 0:26:15It's worth every penny of it.
0:26:16 > 0:26:18Wool is a global commodity
0:26:18 > 0:26:22and around 75% of Welsh wool is sent abroad,
0:26:22 > 0:26:24much of it used in carpets.
0:26:24 > 0:26:28But the prices farmers get can fluctuate greatly.
0:26:28 > 0:26:35Many years ago, this stuff would pay the farm rent on a lot of farms.
0:26:35 > 0:26:39The wool was a really, really big part of the income.
0:26:39 > 0:26:45And today, you are lucky to get enough for this, to pay these boys.
0:26:45 > 0:26:47Things have changed, you know.
0:26:49 > 0:26:54As well as their money, tradition demands that the shearers get a square meal,
0:26:54 > 0:26:58and this falls to Gareth's mother and his Auntie Valmai,
0:26:58 > 0:27:00who monitor their progress carefully.
0:27:00 > 0:27:04The camera is here really for when they are calving.
0:27:04 > 0:27:06Rol will get up in the middle of the night
0:27:06 > 0:27:09and have a look at the cows.
0:27:09 > 0:27:11So that is what it is normally used for,
0:27:11 > 0:27:14but shearing time, it's very useful for us.
0:27:14 > 0:27:18We switch it on and we can see how far they have got with their batch of sheep.
0:27:18 > 0:27:22And then we'll know they will be ready for lunch in half an hour.
0:27:22 > 0:27:25They'll have finished, won't they? That's all they have got left.
0:27:25 > 0:27:27- Is it? - I think so, isn't it?
0:27:27 > 0:27:30I don't know if they have any in the shed.
0:27:30 > 0:27:33The shearing is a time for the family to come together,
0:27:33 > 0:27:36and the kids are kept home from school to help out
0:27:36 > 0:27:38and pick up important skills.
0:27:39 > 0:27:42You know, we keep the kids home.
0:27:42 > 0:27:45Sior has been home two days, Rolant has been home two days.
0:27:45 > 0:27:48Only for the shearing day, because it is a big day, you know.
0:28:04 > 0:28:08That's the last lot today. That's it.
0:28:08 > 0:28:11Very pleased with this now, aren't we?
0:28:11 > 0:28:15Luckily, the rain came and we finished. Thank God for that!
0:28:21 > 0:28:26With all the sheep sheared, they are turned back out on to the mountain,
0:28:26 > 0:28:31where they will graze and fatten-up throughout the summer months.
0:28:31 > 0:28:33And with this important job behind them,
0:28:33 > 0:28:36there are good times ahead for the farm.