Episode 10

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0:00:03 > 0:00:04Across some of the most beautiful

0:00:04 > 0:00:08and remote landscapes of the British Isles...

0:00:08 > 0:00:11This is not a bad office, is it? You know, look at it.

0:00:11 > 0:00:14..Scotland's farmers carve a living...

0:00:14 > 0:00:18Everything has a time and a season. Nature doesn't stop.

0:00:18 > 0:00:20..breeding sheep and cattle...

0:00:20 > 0:00:21There's a lot of old friends here.

0:00:21 > 0:00:23They've come to the end of their working life.

0:00:23 > 0:00:24Quite a sad day.

0:00:26 > 0:00:27Wait a second!

0:00:27 > 0:00:29..bringing new life into the world...

0:00:31 > 0:00:33..and battling with the elements.

0:00:35 > 0:00:37They're all cute in their own way

0:00:37 > 0:00:40and especially if they end up on your plate as a lamb chop. Yum.

0:00:41 > 0:00:45Over a year, five very different families

0:00:45 > 0:00:47let cameras onto their farms...

0:00:47 > 0:00:49Hell of a size of nuts on him.

0:00:49 > 0:00:53..and into their lives, to share their struggles...

0:00:53 > 0:00:56I don't know why you want the... Do you need to do this?

0:00:56 > 0:00:58..and their triumphs...

0:00:58 > 0:01:01Look at my baby. He's alive!

0:01:02 > 0:01:06..as they try and turn a profit in testing economic times.

0:01:06 > 0:01:08That's just depressing, that, really.

0:01:08 > 0:01:10There's cause for celebration...

0:01:10 > 0:01:12Gorgeous.

0:01:12 > 0:01:14..and a time to reflect.

0:01:14 > 0:01:17I feel sad that I haven't provided the next generation

0:01:17 > 0:01:19to carry on here.

0:01:19 > 0:01:20But it's never dull.

0:01:20 > 0:01:23I'm not letting go!

0:01:23 > 0:01:25It's not a job. It's a way of life.

0:01:42 > 0:01:46It's been the second wettest spring in Scotland since records began.

0:01:49 > 0:01:53The rain's come during one of the busiest periods in the farming calendar,

0:01:53 > 0:01:54calving time.

0:01:58 > 0:02:00In Western Scotland,

0:02:00 > 0:02:02hill farmers Sybil and George Macpherson

0:02:02 > 0:02:05mainly farm sheep, but they also keep cattle.

0:02:07 > 0:02:09Calving's a very exciting time of year and

0:02:09 > 0:02:13it's also a time of year when you have to have your wits about you.

0:02:13 > 0:02:16Birth is a very difficult process, whatever the animal,

0:02:16 > 0:02:19be it human being or cow or sheep.

0:02:19 > 0:02:23Things can go wrong, but you must be alert and aware so that

0:02:23 > 0:02:27if you have to assist, then you're ready and able to do that.

0:02:27 > 0:02:29But it is hugely exciting because it is this new life.

0:02:29 > 0:02:31It's a new calf and calves are...

0:02:31 > 0:02:33Wee baby calves are absolutely beautiful.

0:02:38 > 0:02:42Sybil and George farm over 15,000 acres of mountainous terrain.

0:02:45 > 0:02:47So pretty.

0:02:47 > 0:02:49They have a herd of 60 cows.

0:02:49 > 0:02:5320 are hardy types, particularly suited to living all year round

0:02:53 > 0:02:55in this challenging landscape

0:02:55 > 0:02:57Watch you don't fall in this bog.

0:02:57 > 0:03:00There are cross Highlanders and Blue Greys,

0:03:00 > 0:03:04both hybrid types combining self-sufficiency,

0:03:04 > 0:03:05low-maintenance,

0:03:05 > 0:03:09and the ability to endure difficult conditions.

0:03:09 > 0:03:12We decided to go away from the more shapely heavier cross

0:03:12 > 0:03:15Limousin cattle into the wee Blue Greys for outdoor wintering

0:03:15 > 0:03:20and because they're smaller, supposedly better foraging cattle.

0:03:20 > 0:03:24During calving, these breeds give birth outside on their own.

0:03:24 > 0:03:26You're very calm today, girls, aren't you?

0:03:26 > 0:03:28Sybil's brought the pregnant cows

0:03:28 > 0:03:31and new mothers to a field closer to the farmhouse

0:03:31 > 0:03:32so she can keep an eye on them

0:03:32 > 0:03:35and give them supplementary feed if they need it.

0:03:35 > 0:03:37They're just in here for supervision at the moment,

0:03:37 > 0:03:40'close at hand for calving in case anything goes wrong.'

0:03:40 > 0:03:42Good girl.

0:03:42 > 0:03:45'And then they'll be back to the hill to do the job that we keep them for.'

0:03:45 > 0:03:47Good girl, Eccentric.

0:03:47 > 0:03:50'And the calves will run on them until October-November time,'

0:03:50 > 0:03:53when they're either sold or taken away for the winter.

0:03:53 > 0:03:56The male calves will eventually go into the food chain.

0:03:56 > 0:03:58The females will be kept for breeding

0:03:58 > 0:04:00and in three years' time,

0:04:00 > 0:04:03go on to produce another generation of calves.

0:04:03 > 0:04:06Where is the wee guy? There he is round there.

0:04:06 > 0:04:09Three healthy calves have already been born

0:04:09 > 0:04:11and another two are expected.

0:04:11 > 0:04:14But Sybil has more than just the cows to look out for.

0:04:14 > 0:04:18She's also planning a special party for husband George,

0:04:18 > 0:04:20who has a big birthday looming.

0:04:20 > 0:04:23Unfortunately, his birthday lands at lambing time,

0:04:23 > 0:04:25so it's never an event.

0:04:25 > 0:04:29But because he's 50 this year, I'm very tempted, to actually try

0:04:29 > 0:04:31and have some kind of celebration.

0:04:32 > 0:04:36So, I'm trying to get a move on and get it organised for him.

0:04:36 > 0:04:40Top of the guest list is Sybil's sister Helen, nicknamed Moppet.

0:04:41 > 0:04:45She left the hardships of farming life 35 years ago

0:04:45 > 0:04:47to become a student in London.

0:04:47 > 0:04:50It actually ties in with an interview for my youngest niece,

0:04:50 > 0:04:54who's coming up to have an interview in Edinburgh that weekend,

0:04:54 > 0:04:57and they don't usually come to Scotland because she hates the rain,

0:04:57 > 0:05:01but I think she will make an exception on this occasion, I hope.

0:05:01 > 0:05:03COW MOOS

0:05:06 > 0:05:07COW MOOS

0:05:07 > 0:05:12The rest of Sybil's herd of cattle are continental crossbreeds.

0:05:12 > 0:05:17One of them, Julia K, is currently in need of round-the-clock care.

0:05:17 > 0:05:18Sorry, girl.

0:05:18 > 0:05:21Three weeks ago, she had to have an emergency Caesarean.

0:05:22 > 0:05:25She'd become pregnant before she was fully mature

0:05:25 > 0:05:27and her calf got stuck during labour.

0:05:29 > 0:05:32Unfortunately, the calf died from stress.

0:05:34 > 0:05:36The vet's coming because, as you can see,

0:05:36 > 0:05:39her Caesarean wound is not at all nice.

0:05:40 > 0:05:42Foot in, missus.

0:05:43 > 0:05:47She's so weak, that she can't get up on her feet by herself,

0:05:47 > 0:05:50so Sybil and George have been lifting her to a standing position

0:05:50 > 0:05:53twice a day to help improve her muscle strength.

0:05:55 > 0:05:58We've been lifting her for about a fortnight because the first...

0:05:58 > 0:05:59No, a bit more than that actually.

0:05:59 > 0:06:01The first few days, she was so nearly dead,

0:06:01 > 0:06:05there was no point in doing anything with her.

0:06:05 > 0:06:10Julia K weighs 450 kilos - over 70 stone -

0:06:10 > 0:06:13so Sybil and George have turned a builder's bag

0:06:13 > 0:06:15into a sling to help lift her.

0:06:15 > 0:06:17Right, girl.

0:06:17 > 0:06:21It's no easy task, but if they can get her back on her feet,

0:06:21 > 0:06:23she still might have a chance of a future on the farm

0:06:23 > 0:06:25as a breeding cow.

0:06:25 > 0:06:27I don't know why you won't go forward, missus.

0:06:30 > 0:06:32SHE GRUNTS

0:06:34 > 0:06:37'We are responsible for all the animals that are under our care

0:06:37 > 0:06:40'and it is up to us to look after them...'

0:06:40 > 0:06:41She's gone right on this wound, George.

0:06:41 > 0:06:45'..and, for something like this, where it's been a mistake that she

0:06:45 > 0:06:47'ever got pregnant when she was too young...'

0:06:47 > 0:06:50You'll either have to go in front of the wound or behind it.

0:06:50 > 0:06:51It's right on it.

0:06:51 > 0:06:55'..and the fact that she has, herself, has tried so hard,

0:06:55 > 0:06:59'you could only support her and do as much as we can.'

0:06:59 > 0:07:01You might be better now, though.

0:07:02 > 0:07:06Lifting her is a time-consuming and stressful process.

0:07:08 > 0:07:11'A fit animal of that age would do you a lot of damage.

0:07:11 > 0:07:14'She could do a lot of damage if she fell on top of you.'

0:07:14 > 0:07:16She's fallen out of it.

0:07:16 > 0:07:19- Eh?- She was falling out of it - you'll need to do this.

0:07:20 > 0:07:23'But, as she gets stronger, she'll get more active with us.

0:07:23 > 0:07:25'You hopefully read the signs.'

0:07:25 > 0:07:27SHE GRUNTS

0:07:29 > 0:07:31Whoa, missus.

0:07:31 > 0:07:33Missus, missus...

0:07:35 > 0:07:37I'm just physically not fit enough.

0:07:37 > 0:07:40Oh.

0:07:40 > 0:07:41Good girl.

0:07:41 > 0:07:43Want a drink?

0:07:43 > 0:07:45Get your sweeties.

0:07:45 > 0:07:48Just as they get Julia K standing,

0:07:48 > 0:07:52the vet who performed the Caesarean, Julie McGlynn, arrives.

0:07:52 > 0:07:54She's come to inspect the wound.

0:07:54 > 0:07:56I bet you never thought you'd see her standing up, did you?

0:07:56 > 0:07:58No, I was absolutely shocked when they said

0:07:58 > 0:08:01- that she was still here, so... - She's remarkable, isn't she?

0:08:01 > 0:08:02And quite... It's unbelievable.

0:08:02 > 0:08:06We have spent an enormous amount of time on this,

0:08:06 > 0:08:10on this one animal, but, basically because we so admired

0:08:10 > 0:08:13the fact that she survived the whole thing to start with.

0:08:13 > 0:08:14Yeah, it's that lady again.

0:08:14 > 0:08:16Sorry, girl.

0:08:16 > 0:08:20Visits from the vet are costly but, if Julia K recovers,

0:08:20 > 0:08:24she could go on to produce calves for the next 12 years.

0:08:24 > 0:08:27Whoa, missus. Whoa, you're going to fall, now, now...

0:08:27 > 0:08:30- I'll just push her in against the side, then, or whatever.- Try to.

0:08:30 > 0:08:32'Farming's not all about trying to make lots of money.

0:08:32 > 0:08:34'It's so much more than that.

0:08:34 > 0:08:36'It's, you know, caring for the animals.

0:08:36 > 0:08:37'You develop relationships with them.'

0:08:37 > 0:08:41- I would love to think she was able to kick but I know she can't.- No.

0:08:41 > 0:08:43'They're characters and individuals,

0:08:43 > 0:08:45'and they rely on us for their wellbeing

0:08:45 > 0:08:48'and it's our duty, really, to look after them.

0:08:48 > 0:08:50You should be able to flush this now, just...

0:08:50 > 0:08:53- It basically just wants the water pressure.- Just with water?

0:08:53 > 0:08:56Yeah, just literally a stream of water to actually

0:08:56 > 0:08:58- flush out all that pus out of it. - Like a dosing gun?

0:08:58 > 0:09:00- Yeah, that'd be fine, yeah. - A flow or something, wouldn't it?

0:09:00 > 0:09:04- You'd just keep squirting it, wouldn't you?- Yep, that would work.

0:09:04 > 0:09:06Well, I'd better leave you to it, anyway, and head on.

0:09:06 > 0:09:07- Yep, yep.- Well, thanks, Julie.

0:09:07 > 0:09:11We get lots of disasters and this may end still in one,

0:09:11 > 0:09:13but, while she keeps trying, then we'll keep trying,

0:09:13 > 0:09:14however long it takes,

0:09:14 > 0:09:17and hope that one day she'll skip out of this shed.

0:09:23 > 0:09:26Julia K is now able to stand on her own for about two hours

0:09:26 > 0:09:30and get herself down when she gets too tired.

0:09:30 > 0:09:34Soon the whole process will start again.

0:09:34 > 0:09:37THUNDER RUMBLES

0:09:42 > 0:09:4660 miles east of Inverness, the wetter-than-average weather

0:09:46 > 0:09:50has meant that Martin Irvine's pedigree herd are still inside

0:09:50 > 0:09:54his large sheds, where they've been for the last eight months.

0:09:54 > 0:09:59His 168 Limousin, a breed that's originally from France,

0:09:59 > 0:10:03are not suited to being outdoors during a Scottish winter.

0:10:03 > 0:10:05COW MOOS

0:10:05 > 0:10:09It means Martin gets plenty of opportunity to get up close to them.

0:10:09 > 0:10:10This is the nice bit. I like this.

0:10:10 > 0:10:12The calves, they get the run of the court.

0:10:12 > 0:10:15They run back and forward there. They're playing, to be honest,

0:10:15 > 0:10:17and if you just sit here, nosing this,

0:10:17 > 0:10:19they'll just come in, wanting to smell you.

0:10:21 > 0:10:24I know every cow, every calf.

0:10:24 > 0:10:27I could probably name every cow just by her silhouette.

0:10:27 > 0:10:30Every calf, I'll know which cow it belongs to

0:10:30 > 0:10:32and which is the father, and the breeding.

0:10:32 > 0:10:36Just cos you work with them all the time, you just learn it.

0:10:36 > 0:10:38I've known them all since born

0:10:38 > 0:10:42and I'll know them until they go, really, much.

0:10:42 > 0:10:45Over the winter, 12 bull calves have been born.

0:10:45 > 0:10:48While some of them will be sent off for meat when they're

0:10:48 > 0:10:5215 months old, most will be kept or sold for breeding.

0:10:54 > 0:10:57Among the calves are two of Martin's favourites

0:10:57 > 0:10:59that were born in November.

0:10:59 > 0:11:02You had Jaya and Jumbo born the same day.

0:11:02 > 0:11:06Jaya, born first, pretty much textbook calving -

0:11:06 > 0:11:10up and sooking its mother within half an hour. Perfect.

0:11:10 > 0:11:12With Jumbo, you couldn't have wrote the story any worse.

0:11:12 > 0:11:15Everything that could have went wrong did go wrong.

0:11:15 > 0:11:18He pretty much should have died, really.

0:11:18 > 0:11:21I wonder if he remembers that I gave him mouth-to-mouth.

0:11:23 > 0:11:26Wait till the calf's up, now...

0:11:26 > 0:11:28HE BLOWS AIR

0:11:28 > 0:11:31Jumbo was particularly large.

0:11:31 > 0:11:32Over the wall.

0:11:32 > 0:11:34- Just wait a second! - COW MOOS

0:11:34 > 0:11:36He was stuck in the birth canal for too long...

0:11:36 > 0:11:39HE BLOWS AIR

0:11:39 > 0:11:41- The leg.- Front legs!

0:11:41 > 0:11:43He is breathing. He is breathing.

0:11:43 > 0:11:46..and the stress nearly killed him.

0:11:46 > 0:11:48COW MOOS

0:11:48 > 0:11:49- Is this it?- Yeah.

0:11:49 > 0:11:54After eight long minutes, Martin managed to get Jumbo to breathe.

0:11:54 > 0:11:56COW MOOS

0:11:59 > 0:12:03Looking at Jumbo the now, he's going to be a big calf -

0:12:03 > 0:12:05he'll be a good calf.

0:12:05 > 0:12:08He's got plenty of size. He's got a bit of shape to him.

0:12:08 > 0:12:12But what he really needs is to get outside and get onto the grass -

0:12:12 > 0:12:16stretch his legs off, work those muscles.

0:12:16 > 0:12:19But the long, wet spring has meant that Martin's been unable to

0:12:19 > 0:12:22turn his cows and calves out into the fields.

0:12:22 > 0:12:23RAIN SPLASHES AND COWS MOO

0:12:23 > 0:12:27In this weather they would churn up the grass into mud

0:12:27 > 0:12:29and the calves would risk getting pneumonia.

0:12:30 > 0:12:35Every day they stay inside costs Martin money in feed and bedding.

0:12:35 > 0:12:39So every night the last thing of the day

0:12:39 > 0:12:41is to roll out one or two bales,

0:12:41 > 0:12:43- just depending how dirty they are... - COWS MOO

0:12:43 > 0:12:47..and just give them a clean bed for night-time.

0:12:47 > 0:12:495th of May and I shouldn't really be doing this.

0:12:49 > 0:12:52All of this shed should be empty at this time of year,

0:12:52 > 0:12:55and all the cows outside on the grass.

0:12:55 > 0:12:58So, the way the weather's going, this May could be another week,

0:12:58 > 0:13:00ten days before I get stuff outside,

0:13:00 > 0:13:02which just leads to more expense

0:13:02 > 0:13:06and I've only got about 30 bales of straw left,

0:13:06 > 0:13:08so I've only got enough bedding for about another ten days.

0:13:08 > 0:13:11ENGINE RUMBLES

0:13:11 > 0:13:14We're inside for eight months of the year

0:13:14 > 0:13:16and outside for just over four months of the year.

0:13:16 > 0:13:18- It's kind of back to front. - COWS MOO

0:13:18 > 0:13:22Getting outside soon is particularly important for the healthy growth

0:13:22 > 0:13:25of Jumbo and the other calves.

0:13:25 > 0:13:27The cows do better outside.

0:13:27 > 0:13:28What they really want is

0:13:28 > 0:13:32"green medicine", we call it - grass.

0:13:32 > 0:13:33And they'll get their summer coats

0:13:33 > 0:13:35and they'll just get a really good bloom.

0:13:35 > 0:13:38They'll get a really good shine.

0:13:38 > 0:13:40I think that's what I need as well, to be honest.

0:13:40 > 0:13:42COWS MOO

0:13:47 > 0:13:51In the West in Argyll, there's been a break in the weather,

0:13:51 > 0:13:55just in time for Sybil and George's big weekend.

0:13:55 > 0:13:57Come on, everybody.

0:13:57 > 0:14:00Sybil's sister Moppet and her daughter Lucy

0:14:00 > 0:14:04are coming to stay for two nights to celebrate George's birthday.

0:14:04 > 0:14:08It does you good to get outside and stretch your legs.

0:14:08 > 0:14:12Sybil and George don't have any children and Sybil hopes to

0:14:12 > 0:14:16use the visit to discuss who might eventually take over the farm.

0:14:16 > 0:14:18Our farm's been handed down through the generations

0:14:18 > 0:14:20for over 170 years

0:14:20 > 0:14:23'and I am custodian of the farm.'

0:14:23 > 0:14:26Maybe one day you'll be on top of those hills, will you?

0:14:26 > 0:14:29'Just caring for it for the next generation to'

0:14:29 > 0:14:31come along and farm it and look after it.

0:14:31 > 0:14:36Well, you've always got your best sides showing.

0:14:36 > 0:14:37'I have a hope that my nieces,

0:14:37 > 0:14:39'who both live in the South of England,

0:14:39 > 0:14:41'will want to come back and farm here.

0:14:41 > 0:14:43'Whether they will or not, I don't know.'

0:14:43 > 0:14:45Come on, you're going to get left behind.

0:14:45 > 0:14:49LAMB BLEATS Today, sister Moppet and niece Lucy

0:14:49 > 0:14:51are arriving by train...

0:14:51 > 0:14:52Is the gate shut?

0:14:52 > 0:14:56..and will stay until Lucy's university interview in Edinburgh.

0:14:57 > 0:15:02I'm just going to the metropolis of Dalmally Station,

0:15:02 > 0:15:06to pick up Sybil's sister and niece. Wowee(!)

0:15:09 > 0:15:12Moppet met her husband in the South East,

0:15:12 > 0:15:15and they now live in Kent with their two daughters -

0:15:15 > 0:15:1821-year-old Claire and 18-year-old Lucy.

0:15:20 > 0:15:25We have completely different lifestyles, totally different,

0:15:25 > 0:15:29and it is really surprising how much our lives are different,

0:15:29 > 0:15:31considering that we were both brought up

0:15:31 > 0:15:33on the same family farm for 18 years,

0:15:33 > 0:15:36and she spread her wings and flew, flew far away,

0:15:36 > 0:15:38and achieved a massive amount,

0:15:38 > 0:15:43whereas I'm still flapping about at home, really,

0:15:43 > 0:15:47but happily so, and I don't think that would have been enough for her.

0:15:50 > 0:15:52So sad that the weather's broken

0:15:52 > 0:15:55because one of the reasons that my sister

0:15:55 > 0:15:59would never come and live back here is because she can't stand the rain,

0:15:59 > 0:16:04and it just absolutely always starts as soon as she appears.

0:16:04 > 0:16:08However good the weather's been, it'll rain once she arrives.

0:16:11 > 0:16:14I hope they're not in their T-shirts and shorts.

0:16:14 > 0:16:17Why does it have to rain?

0:16:17 > 0:16:20It's all my family we see normally, do you know what I mean?

0:16:20 > 0:16:21Cos they're closer.

0:16:21 > 0:16:24It's not very often we see Syb's family.

0:16:24 > 0:16:25No, and especially the girls.

0:16:25 > 0:16:28I mean, I think my sister was so relieved that you came along

0:16:28 > 0:16:31and, I think, I think it's such a relief for her that

0:16:31 > 0:16:34we have each other and we have such a, you know,

0:16:34 > 0:16:37I think, such a happy time together.

0:16:37 > 0:16:42Sybil's nieces are next in line to inherit the farm.

0:16:42 > 0:16:43George has a special way with kids

0:16:43 > 0:16:46and they've always absolutely adored George,

0:16:46 > 0:16:49and you've got, pretty much, a special bond with Lucy.

0:16:49 > 0:16:52I'm the softer one of the pair.

0:16:52 > 0:16:55- I'm nearly crying just thinking about them. Don't look. - It doesn't...

0:16:55 > 0:16:58It doesn't seem it, like, when it comes to animals or stuff like that

0:16:58 > 0:17:02but when it comes to, like, family and that, yeah, definitely.

0:17:03 > 0:17:05Here they come.

0:17:05 > 0:17:08- TRAIN RUMBLES - Where are they?

0:17:08 > 0:17:09There's Lucy, there.

0:17:09 > 0:17:10Where?

0:17:10 > 0:17:11Down there.

0:17:11 > 0:17:14- They're in that one. - Middle carriage.

0:17:16 > 0:17:19BRAKES SQUEAK

0:17:19 > 0:17:22- Hello! Hello!- Hello.

0:17:23 > 0:17:27Oh, look at all your gear. Loopy!

0:17:27 > 0:17:30- Hello. - Oh, lovely to see you.

0:17:30 > 0:17:32Oh, Lucy, you've grown up!

0:17:32 > 0:17:35What a glamourpuss.

0:17:35 > 0:17:40- Fantastic to see you both.- Oh!- Wow.

0:17:40 > 0:17:43But, true to form, it's raining.

0:17:43 > 0:17:44Is now not a good time?

0:17:44 > 0:17:48Yeah, that's why I live in the sunny South.

0:17:48 > 0:17:50But it's... It's lovely to be here

0:17:50 > 0:17:52- and it's lovely to see George on his birthday.- Yeah.

0:17:52 > 0:17:55But it's been a while since we've all been up here, hasn't it?

0:17:55 > 0:17:56- Oh, yeah, years.- I think, Lucy,

0:17:56 > 0:17:59the last time you were up was May at lambing, wasn't it?

0:17:59 > 0:18:00- LUCY:- Three years ago, I think.

0:18:00 > 0:18:02- Yeah.- Yeah, I thought it was about three years, yeah.

0:18:02 > 0:18:04- You were right, George.- Yeah.

0:18:04 > 0:18:06ENGINE RUMBLES

0:18:06 > 0:18:08Even before unpacking their bags,

0:18:08 > 0:18:12Moppet and Lucy are thrown straight into farming life.

0:18:12 > 0:18:14She's not in a great position, is she?

0:18:14 > 0:18:16We're in trouble tonight.

0:18:16 > 0:18:20Sybil wants to stop at the barn and give Julia K her evening lift.

0:18:20 > 0:18:23I've been kept up-to-date with her, poor old thing.

0:18:23 > 0:18:24Poor young thing.

0:18:24 > 0:18:26We've to lift her up twice a day to try

0:18:26 > 0:18:28and get the feeling back in her legs.

0:18:28 > 0:18:31LUCY: Aw, poor thing.

0:18:31 > 0:18:35Julia K's condition is of particular interest to Moppet.

0:18:35 > 0:18:38- I'm a midwife. Different... - There on the other side.

0:18:38 > 0:18:41- Different...species. - Breed.

0:18:41 > 0:18:44- With the wound.- What do you want to do?- Flip her over.- Oh, missus.

0:18:44 > 0:18:47- OK.- Oh, I don't know, I'd have loved to have seen the Caesarean.

0:18:47 > 0:18:49It would have been really interesting,

0:18:49 > 0:18:51- and Syb, can I do anything to help? - No, watch out.

0:18:54 > 0:18:57Syb, if there's anything I can do, please tell me.

0:18:57 > 0:19:01You just haven't gone in a very easy place tonight, girl. Has she?

0:19:01 > 0:19:03For Moppet, growing up on the farm

0:19:03 > 0:19:06was a different experience to Sybil's.

0:19:06 > 0:19:08Sybil was, you know, from when we were tiny,

0:19:08 > 0:19:13she always loved it and was always out with my father, always.

0:19:13 > 0:19:14Watch the door!

0:19:14 > 0:19:18And, to be honest, I just, well, you know,

0:19:18 > 0:19:20I knew what a sheep looked like and that was about it, really.

0:19:20 > 0:19:25Head end, tail end, four legs.

0:19:25 > 0:19:27Yeah, not for me.

0:19:27 > 0:19:28Steady, missus.

0:19:28 > 0:19:31Sybil's banking on her 18-year-old niece Lucy

0:19:31 > 0:19:34- showing more interest in farming than her mum.- Yup.

0:19:34 > 0:19:38It's a lot of hard work and it kind of looks a little bit makeshift.

0:19:38 > 0:19:41ENGINE RUMBLES

0:19:41 > 0:19:43But, I mean, how does that not break?

0:19:46 > 0:19:49It obviously works.

0:19:49 > 0:19:52Come on, missus.

0:19:52 > 0:19:54SYBIL GRUNTS

0:19:55 > 0:19:57Where are you?

0:19:59 > 0:20:01Steady, missus.

0:20:01 > 0:20:04- Watch your head. - ENGINE RUMBLES

0:20:04 > 0:20:06Sweeties, sweeties, sweeties.

0:20:06 > 0:20:09- SYBIL SIGHS - What do you think, Lucy?

0:20:09 > 0:20:11Is this putting you off?

0:20:11 > 0:20:14It's amazing. How do you...?

0:20:14 > 0:20:17- Isn't she amazing? - Poor little thing.

0:20:17 > 0:20:20It is very inspiring but, at the moment,

0:20:20 > 0:20:26I kind of don't have a clue, about this kind of side of it,

0:20:26 > 0:20:28- but, erm...- We're learning, too.

0:20:28 > 0:20:31We didn't have a clue when we were 18 either, much,

0:20:31 > 0:20:35but it's different when you're the person that's responsible

0:20:35 > 0:20:37and you've got to make the decisions.

0:20:59 > 0:21:01In the North of Scotland near Inverness...

0:21:01 > 0:21:03Come on. Come on!

0:21:03 > 0:21:07..large-scale sheep and cattle farmer John Scott is up early,

0:21:07 > 0:21:10enjoying a much-needed break from the rain.

0:21:11 > 0:21:13He runs a successful business,

0:21:13 > 0:21:17producing livestock for both the meat and breeding industry.

0:21:17 > 0:21:19I'm just having a bit of a drive round.

0:21:19 > 0:21:21We do this every morning

0:21:21 > 0:21:23to make sure all the sheep and cattle are fine,

0:21:23 > 0:21:26and anything that needs fed gets fed.

0:21:26 > 0:21:30Like Sybil and George, he keeps a variety of breeds

0:21:30 > 0:21:32picked to suit the different landscapes

0:21:32 > 0:21:35on his 4,000 acres of farmland. COW MOOS

0:21:35 > 0:21:39One of John's hardiest herds is his Luings -

0:21:39 > 0:21:42a hybrid of Highland cattle and Beef Shorthorns,

0:21:42 > 0:21:45originally bred on the island of Luing in the Inner Hebrides.

0:21:45 > 0:21:47Come on, then.

0:21:47 > 0:21:51They're a hardy hill-type cow,

0:21:51 > 0:21:53so we've been calving them for,

0:21:53 > 0:21:55- yeah, a couple of months now. - COW MOOS

0:21:55 > 0:21:56I'm nearly finished.

0:21:56 > 0:21:58- I think there's one or two left. - COWS MOO

0:21:58 > 0:22:03While most calvings are planned, some are not, and John, like Sybil,

0:22:03 > 0:22:06has to deal with the occasional unplanned pregnancy

0:22:06 > 0:22:09that doesn't always end well.

0:22:09 > 0:22:11Most of the time it's...

0:22:11 > 0:22:15You get a dead calf and a live heifer.

0:22:15 > 0:22:17A nice heifer, too.

0:22:20 > 0:22:23We've got a batch of Luing steers and heifers here.

0:22:23 > 0:22:26- They're about 14, 15 months old. - COWS MOO

0:22:26 > 0:22:29Unfortunately we have a teen pregnancy, so we have one

0:22:29 > 0:22:32that's been a little bit naughty and has been doing things

0:22:32 > 0:22:34- she shouldn't have been doing... - COW MOOS

0:22:34 > 0:22:37..before she should have been doing them.

0:22:37 > 0:22:40Normally, we wouldn't let them calve till they're two,

0:22:40 > 0:22:44but this girl's going to be calving a lot earlier than that.

0:22:44 > 0:22:47My experience of these type of calvings isn't that good

0:22:47 > 0:22:51and we don't often get a good result,

0:22:51 > 0:22:53erm, but fingers crossed it might be OK.

0:22:53 > 0:22:55There's a nice bag of milk forming on her now.

0:22:55 > 0:22:58- COW MOOS - It might be all right

0:22:58 > 0:23:01but it's certainly not something I want to try and repeat.

0:23:01 > 0:23:05HE THUMPS THE CAR

0:23:05 > 0:23:07COW MOOS If she does fall into difficulty,

0:23:07 > 0:23:10he'll call out the vet.

0:23:10 > 0:23:15There's the financial implications for calling the vet out.

0:23:15 > 0:23:19I don't really think about them, to be honest, because it's...

0:23:19 > 0:23:22It.... If an animal is in pain or...

0:23:22 > 0:23:26its welfare is, is...

0:23:26 > 0:23:29It's paramount that we look after our animals

0:23:29 > 0:23:31to the best of our ability,

0:23:31 > 0:23:34so you tend to think about the financials later

0:23:34 > 0:23:38and focus on the health of the animal and getting it better.

0:23:38 > 0:23:41That's the main concern for us.

0:23:41 > 0:23:44COWS MOO The bulk of John's herd of 200

0:23:44 > 0:23:50are Shorthorns - one of the UK's oldest breeds of cattle.

0:23:50 > 0:23:53This is one of my favourite two-year-old heifers

0:23:53 > 0:23:54and she was one of the first cows to calve

0:23:54 > 0:23:57and, to be honest, I didn't think her calf was going to make it,

0:23:57 > 0:24:00so it's really satisfying being out here and seeing the calf.

0:24:00 > 0:24:02It was a little bit premature, and it struggled a little bit.

0:24:02 > 0:24:06I had to tube feed it for a while, but it's a nice heifer calf

0:24:06 > 0:24:10and to see it out here with its mum is really satisfying.

0:24:10 > 0:24:13His Shorthorns are prime beef-producers,

0:24:13 > 0:24:16which he keeps on the low-lying parts of his farm.

0:24:16 > 0:24:19Animals aren't here just to produce food.

0:24:19 > 0:24:21I mean, that's their main purpose but, for us,

0:24:21 > 0:24:24you do get attachment to them and you...

0:24:24 > 0:24:27you have your favourites, erm, and it's tough sometimes seeing...

0:24:27 > 0:24:30seeing your favourites leave, especially.

0:24:30 > 0:24:34Erm, and they're characters - they're all different characters.

0:24:34 > 0:24:37It's a funny thing, the emotion you have for them.

0:24:37 > 0:24:39It's a different emotion, yeah.

0:24:42 > 0:24:43You know, the grass is growing now,

0:24:43 > 0:24:46the cows are...have got good milk and the calves are thriving,

0:24:46 > 0:24:48so it's great to see it.

0:25:08 > 0:25:10SHEEP BLEATS

0:25:17 > 0:25:20In Central Scotland near Loch Lomond...

0:25:20 > 0:25:22DOG BARKS AND SHEEP BLEAT ..sheep farmer Bobby Lennox

0:25:22 > 0:25:24has an annual event to attend to.

0:25:24 > 0:25:28Just as he passes the peak of his busy lambing season,

0:25:28 > 0:25:30he holds an open day for members of the public,

0:25:30 > 0:25:32to raise awareness of farming.

0:25:32 > 0:25:36- SHEEP BLEAT - We're in the lambing shed.

0:25:36 > 0:25:37Basically, the way...

0:25:37 > 0:25:40The sheep on this side of the shed are all going to have twins

0:25:40 > 0:25:42and the sheep on that side are singles,

0:25:42 > 0:25:45so we can control the feeding at different levels.

0:25:45 > 0:25:47SHEEP BLEAT

0:25:47 > 0:25:50This is the fifth open day at the family farm

0:25:50 > 0:25:54and they're expecting over 150 visitors.

0:25:54 > 0:25:56It's good fun. Yeah.

0:25:56 > 0:25:59It's great seeing the kids' and the adults' faces,

0:25:59 > 0:26:02you know, when there's a newborn lamb and they watch it

0:26:02 > 0:26:07and there's 100 folk piled round the pen watching this poor ewe perform.

0:26:07 > 0:26:11It's a way of getting somebody that's never had any involvement

0:26:11 > 0:26:12in farming actively to see what,

0:26:12 > 0:26:15you know, where your food's coming from.

0:26:15 > 0:26:18I think that anything that we as farmers can do, to help

0:26:18 > 0:26:23the general public understand what's involved in our business, helps.

0:26:25 > 0:26:28I wanted to get the signs out on the end of the road as well,

0:26:28 > 0:26:29without getting run over.

0:26:29 > 0:26:33It's a huge amount for the family to organise, but everyone chips in.

0:26:33 > 0:26:36Blu Tack! That's what I need. Blu Tack...

0:26:36 > 0:26:40Daughter Kay is taking on the job of chief organiser.

0:26:40 > 0:26:43We need to get the marquee up. We need to get tables and chairs up.

0:26:43 > 0:26:46We need to get all my signs - they need to be put up round the sheds.

0:26:46 > 0:26:47My sister and her husband

0:26:47 > 0:26:50should be arriving in the next ten, 15 minutes,

0:26:50 > 0:26:52so the more bodies we've got for the marquee the better

0:26:52 > 0:26:55cos it's pretty windy now, so...

0:26:55 > 0:26:57- Look!- No, cos you've had... Where's your chocolate, Ailsa?

0:26:57 > 0:27:00- Full up.- Where's your chocolate?

0:27:00 > 0:27:01Gone.

0:27:01 > 0:27:03Gone? Did you eat it?

0:27:03 > 0:27:04Yes.

0:27:04 > 0:27:06Let's go and get the marquee up when we've got bodies.

0:27:06 > 0:27:08- Yup. - All right.

0:27:08 > 0:27:10As long as it's not a corner, it's all right.

0:27:10 > 0:27:11What are you building?

0:27:11 > 0:27:14We're building a big tent!

0:27:14 > 0:27:16- Tent!- Are you going to help?

0:27:16 > 0:27:18Yeah, I'm helping Grandpa.

0:27:18 > 0:27:20Are you helping? Now, don't move them, though.

0:27:20 > 0:27:24Bobby's wife Anne is in charge of the catering.

0:27:24 > 0:27:26What's that for?

0:27:26 > 0:27:28That's the barbecue, Blair!

0:27:28 > 0:27:29- Are we having tea out here?- Yes.

0:27:29 > 0:27:31The thing about having a farm is, even,

0:27:31 > 0:27:34these things probably should have been thrown out years ago

0:27:34 > 0:27:36but you just keep it cos you never know when you're going to use it.

0:27:36 > 0:27:38Right, are we ready at that end?

0:27:44 > 0:27:46- I don't think we'll be using this one.- Maybe not.

0:27:46 > 0:27:48And round...

0:27:48 > 0:27:52It's become a tradition for Bobby to show people round the farm

0:27:52 > 0:27:54on an unusual mode of transport.

0:27:54 > 0:27:55Mummy, I can!

0:27:55 > 0:27:58Right, you can, you can do the lot now. Push.

0:27:58 > 0:27:59This is Rambo,

0:27:59 > 0:28:02cos it's got a ram's head on the front of it for some reason.

0:28:02 > 0:28:03That's where it got the name.

0:28:03 > 0:28:05- Ram's horns, just a ram's horns. - Ram's horns.

0:28:05 > 0:28:08- Not head, that would be quite bizarre.- Ram's horns,

0:28:08 > 0:28:10and it got called Rambo the first year we had it.

0:28:10 > 0:28:11I need to bang it down!

0:28:11 > 0:28:13- No, you need to get a spanner. - You need to get a spanner.

0:28:13 > 0:28:15You just sit behind each other.

0:28:15 > 0:28:18You've got a rope to hold on to and I just drive them around the farm.

0:28:18 > 0:28:21- LAMBS BLEAT - They can look at the lambs that are out and about.

0:28:21 > 0:28:23We'll go through a few muddy bits, a few steep bits

0:28:23 > 0:28:26and it's just a fun ride for them, basically.

0:28:26 > 0:28:28ENGINE RUMBLES

0:28:28 > 0:28:32A quick test drive, then the family await the public

0:28:32 > 0:28:33and hope the weather holds.

0:28:35 > 0:28:39TRAIN RUMBLES

0:28:49 > 0:28:53Further north, at last the rain has stopped,

0:28:53 > 0:28:56and Sybil is attending to one of her sheep.

0:28:56 > 0:28:57Well done.

0:28:57 > 0:29:00A ewe is struggling to bond with her lamb.

0:29:00 > 0:29:02Moppet and Lucy are on hand to help.

0:29:02 > 0:29:05It's a wee gimmer that George has just brought in from...

0:29:05 > 0:29:07from the hill park, who was...

0:29:07 > 0:29:10The lamb was...was almost choked.

0:29:10 > 0:29:13Erm, we've got a biggish lamb for a wee sheep

0:29:13 > 0:29:16and his head was just coming and he was stuck.

0:29:16 > 0:29:19I'm just encouraging the ewe, just, to mother him,

0:29:19 > 0:29:21and she's been rattled down in the back of a quad bike

0:29:21 > 0:29:25from the hill park. She'll be quite disoriented and quite stressed.

0:29:25 > 0:29:28- If you go down to the shed, get some pellets.- Mm-hmm.

0:29:28 > 0:29:30- How many?- Enough for a sheep.

0:29:30 > 0:29:33SHEEP BLEATS

0:29:33 > 0:29:35I don't know how much a sheep has.

0:29:35 > 0:29:36A double handful, just like that.

0:29:36 > 0:29:40- OK.- I'll go and get that, and you can get the water.

0:29:40 > 0:29:45Sybil's keen to get Lucy involved in as much of farm life as she can.

0:29:45 > 0:29:49I'm hoping I'm going to interest her enough that,

0:29:49 > 0:29:51maybe in a few years' time when I've retired,

0:29:51 > 0:29:55that Lucy or Claire will want to come and farm here.

0:29:55 > 0:29:59Lucy has been coming to the farm since she was a small child.

0:29:59 > 0:30:00That's good.

0:30:00 > 0:30:02I mean, I always loved it when we came up when I was younger

0:30:02 > 0:30:07but, kind of, doing Geography at uni isn't much like farming,

0:30:07 > 0:30:09but you never know.

0:30:09 > 0:30:12They loved coming up as kids, you know,

0:30:12 > 0:30:13just for the summer holidays.

0:30:13 > 0:30:15It was great, and that is, that's good fun, isn't it?

0:30:15 > 0:30:18It's fun to be a farmer for two weeks in the summer,

0:30:18 > 0:30:22but I think the day to day drudgery of farming, I don't think...

0:30:22 > 0:30:26from what I know of my two girls, I don't think...

0:30:26 > 0:30:29It's not a drudgery. Every day is an excitement and an interesting...

0:30:29 > 0:30:30- Something different.- OK.

0:30:30 > 0:30:33The day-to-day excitement of farming,

0:30:33 > 0:30:36I don't if that's quite what they're...

0:30:36 > 0:30:39gearing themselves up for at the moment, but they might do.

0:30:39 > 0:30:41Yes, one mustn't pressurise them

0:30:41 > 0:30:44but I would dearly love one of them or somebody.

0:30:44 > 0:30:48I mean, how much more exciting can it be?

0:30:48 > 0:30:50When Sybil and Moppet were very young,

0:30:50 > 0:30:55it became clear that Sybil was destined to take over the farm.

0:30:55 > 0:30:59Syb was outside all the time with my father doing sheepy things

0:30:59 > 0:31:03and I was inside playing with my dollies.

0:31:03 > 0:31:05We didn't... We didn't really get on very well.

0:31:05 > 0:31:07Not at all.

0:31:07 > 0:31:09We did nothing together. Nothing.

0:31:09 > 0:31:13But as, you know, with the length of the country between us,

0:31:13 > 0:31:16- and life events...- Stab.

0:31:16 > 0:31:18No! Life events and things. I mean, I think we're very...

0:31:18 > 0:31:21I would do anything for you and I know you'd do anything for me.

0:31:21 > 0:31:24- Absolutely. Definitely.- There's certainly never any jealousy.

0:31:24 > 0:31:25We fought like hell when we were little.

0:31:25 > 0:31:27Oh, yeah, we really did not get on.

0:31:27 > 0:31:29- We were horrible.- Really big fights. - Yeah, very nasty.

0:31:29 > 0:31:31I think you knocked me out once.

0:31:32 > 0:31:36My memories of our childhood are fabulous.

0:31:36 > 0:31:39Listening for the curlew, looking for the first lamb -

0:31:39 > 0:31:43all the sort of things that still give me such a buzz now.

0:31:43 > 0:31:46And, talking with Moppet over the years,

0:31:46 > 0:31:49her memories of our childhood was that it was boring,

0:31:49 > 0:31:51we didn't do anything, nothing happened...

0:31:51 > 0:31:54- Well, that's just, different people though, isn't it?- Yeah.

0:31:54 > 0:31:56And I remember my father saying to me, you know,

0:31:56 > 0:31:59"I know you don't like the farm, and I know that you won't want to

0:31:59 > 0:32:02"do anything with the farm,

0:32:02 > 0:32:06"and it will be your sister's, so get right away from it."

0:32:06 > 0:32:09And I can't remember how old I was when he said, you know,

0:32:09 > 0:32:12- when we had this little talk. Did you know he said that to me?- No.

0:32:12 > 0:32:14No. And he said, yeah, "Get right away from it."

0:32:14 > 0:32:17I mean, I had every intention of getting right away from it anyway,

0:32:17 > 0:32:20so, it wasn't...

0:32:20 > 0:32:23And it didn't even enter my head to think

0:32:23 > 0:32:25anything other than she would take it over

0:32:25 > 0:32:29and that I would be... it wouldn't ever be part of my life.

0:32:32 > 0:32:36I had never really heard that before but, I suppose,

0:32:36 > 0:32:39she had never, ever shown any interest,

0:32:39 > 0:32:41a remote interest at all in the farm,

0:32:41 > 0:32:44whereas, from an early age, I had sat on my father's shoulders,

0:32:44 > 0:32:46hanging onto his hair.

0:32:46 > 0:32:49She had never wanted to do those sort of things,

0:32:49 > 0:32:53and I was quite sad to hear that she felt like that.

0:32:55 > 0:32:59All Sybil can do now is hope that Lucy will warm to a farming life

0:32:59 > 0:33:01more than Moppet did.

0:33:05 > 0:33:08At the Lennox farm, visitors have started to arrive.

0:33:08 > 0:33:10Why don't you come in and just have a wee wander round?

0:33:10 > 0:33:14Kay's fingers are crossed that the ewes are in the mood to perform.

0:33:14 > 0:33:16Hopefully we'll have some live births.

0:33:16 > 0:33:17It's been really quiet this morning

0:33:17 > 0:33:21so we're hoping they've been saving themselves for this afternoon, so...

0:33:21 > 0:33:23Bobby's desire to educate the local community,

0:33:23 > 0:33:26and encourage the next generation of farmers,

0:33:26 > 0:33:28is being thoroughly embraced.

0:33:28 > 0:33:30I've been coming for years,

0:33:30 > 0:33:32every year since Bobby opened up the farm.

0:33:32 > 0:33:35It's just great fun for the kids to come and see what it is like,

0:33:35 > 0:33:37and my oldest daughter wants to be a vet

0:33:37 > 0:33:40so she's up here helping out at the moment - has been up through

0:33:40 > 0:33:42- the week helping out with lambing. - SHEEP BLEAT

0:33:42 > 0:33:44Some of the kids just see things in the supermarket -

0:33:44 > 0:33:46they have no clue where it comes from -

0:33:46 > 0:33:48so, here, they can see right from the offset,

0:33:48 > 0:33:50right through to where it is.

0:33:50 > 0:33:51It gives them a more, kind of,

0:33:51 > 0:33:54I don't know, just more of a realism to their lives

0:33:54 > 0:33:56and more to the...more... more about it.

0:33:56 > 0:33:58It's been so good.

0:33:59 > 0:34:01I want to be a farmer.

0:34:01 > 0:34:04- Do you want to be a farmer? - SHEEP BLEATS

0:34:04 > 0:34:07Then, Kay spots a ewe showing the signs of labour.

0:34:07 > 0:34:08You can see her - she's kind of resting.

0:34:08 > 0:34:10She's kind of rolling around a little bit

0:34:10 > 0:34:13and she's kind of padding the ground so that's her sitting down again,

0:34:13 > 0:34:16so maybe a couple of more shoves and we might have a wee lamb,

0:34:16 > 0:34:20so I'm just going to let some people know, so we've got a few witnesses.

0:34:20 > 0:34:22Guys, without sending too much alarm,

0:34:22 > 0:34:24we've got a sheep about to give birth,

0:34:24 > 0:34:29so, if you want to quietly make your way down, this direction.

0:34:29 > 0:34:32SHEEP BLEAT

0:34:34 > 0:34:36Not yet. Nearly.

0:34:36 > 0:34:39As soon as it's out, she'll suddenly stand up

0:34:39 > 0:34:41- and start licking at it and cleaning it.- Licking?

0:34:41 > 0:34:43- Yeah, she's got to clean it. Yucky. - LAUGHTER

0:34:43 > 0:34:46It's all covered in this yucky stuff.

0:34:46 > 0:34:47Is it? Is it?

0:34:47 > 0:34:50- Whoa, it's there. It's there. - Oh, there it comes, look.

0:34:50 > 0:34:53- Yay! Look! Wahey! - CHEERING

0:34:53 > 0:34:55That's it, shake it out.

0:34:55 > 0:34:58I would say, within the next two minutes,

0:34:58 > 0:34:59that lamb will be up on its feet.

0:34:59 > 0:35:03The first thing it wants to do is feed off its mummy.

0:35:03 > 0:35:06- SHEEP BLEAT - Wow.- I love this bit.

0:35:06 > 0:35:08SHEEP BLEAT

0:35:08 > 0:35:10There we go. We're thinking about it.

0:35:10 > 0:35:12Wahey!

0:35:12 > 0:35:15- Oh! Hey! - SHEEP BLEAT

0:35:15 > 0:35:17The ewe is expecting twins,

0:35:17 > 0:35:20and the second lamb needs a bit of help,

0:35:20 > 0:35:24so Kay moves in quickly to intervene.

0:35:24 > 0:35:26- SHEEP BLEATS - Oh...

0:35:26 > 0:35:28Pretty cool.

0:35:28 > 0:35:31It's pretty normal for us but it's really nice to see

0:35:31 > 0:35:34the reaction of everybody else, cos it's what we do,

0:35:34 > 0:35:37but it's really nice to see everyone.

0:35:37 > 0:35:38It's the questions as well.

0:35:38 > 0:35:41It's totally normal questions but for us it's second nature,

0:35:41 > 0:35:44so it's really good.

0:35:44 > 0:35:45I think it's very important,

0:35:45 > 0:35:48and that's why we welcome a day like this,

0:35:48 > 0:35:50where people can come on the farm -

0:35:50 > 0:35:53they can see, they can hear, they can learn.

0:35:53 > 0:35:56To be able to hold lambs, to touch sheep -

0:35:56 > 0:35:59it's really nice for kids, and adults, to do that.

0:35:59 > 0:36:04Well, it's good they've seen a lamb being born, that's a bonus.

0:36:04 > 0:36:08- All right, are you ready? - Yes!- Hold on tight!- Everybody ready?

0:36:08 > 0:36:12And Bobby has plenty of takers for his unique farm tour...

0:36:12 > 0:36:14KIDS SQUEAL HAPPILY

0:36:14 > 0:36:16It's going down very well at the moment so far, yeah.

0:36:16 > 0:36:20Everyone seems very happy when they come off it.

0:36:20 > 0:36:24There's a few shout and squeals on the way round,

0:36:24 > 0:36:26but it seems to be doing fine.

0:36:26 > 0:36:28ENGINE HUMS

0:36:28 > 0:36:31LAUGHTER

0:36:34 > 0:36:35The day's been good.

0:36:35 > 0:36:37I think it's been a successful day, all told.

0:36:37 > 0:36:40It was a nice number of crowd that you could actually work with,

0:36:40 > 0:36:42and just seeing the folk's faces,

0:36:42 > 0:36:45the kids, you know, out on the bike ride

0:36:45 > 0:36:47or in the sheds when they were watching that sheep lambing,

0:36:47 > 0:36:49well, you just need to see their faces -

0:36:49 > 0:36:52that makes it worthwhile, without anything else.

0:36:52 > 0:36:53It is a good life.

0:36:53 > 0:36:56It's not a profitable life, or financially rewarding,

0:36:56 > 0:36:58but physically rewarding and mentally rewarding.

0:36:58 > 0:37:00it is a great life.

0:37:05 > 0:37:09Further north, it's the evening of George's birthday bash.

0:37:11 > 0:37:14We are going for a meal in the George Hotel in Inveraray.

0:37:14 > 0:37:18It's just a get-together for a few friends for my birthday.

0:37:18 > 0:37:21- 50.- 50th birthday.

0:37:21 > 0:37:24George, is that you and your dolly bird?

0:37:24 > 0:37:25I wish. I wish.

0:37:25 > 0:37:27"I wish," eh?

0:37:27 > 0:37:29I do wish.

0:37:29 > 0:37:31If I could be so lucky.

0:37:31 > 0:37:33Stuart's dad Dave.

0:37:33 > 0:37:35Oh, hi, Dave, nice to meet you.

0:37:37 > 0:37:39Well, very fitting that we're in the George hotel

0:37:39 > 0:37:42celebrating George's 50th birthday,

0:37:42 > 0:37:46with his mum and dad, my sister and my niece and George's pals.

0:37:46 > 0:37:48It's a good turnout,

0:37:48 > 0:37:51considering that many of George's friends are farmers

0:37:51 > 0:37:53and it's a busy time of year.

0:37:53 > 0:37:56Unfortunately, most of them are tied up with lambing,

0:37:56 > 0:37:58but we've come over to have a special wee night

0:37:58 > 0:38:01just for George's birthday.

0:38:01 > 0:38:04But a dedicated farmer never quite switches off -

0:38:04 > 0:38:07Julia K is always at the forefront of Sybil's mind.

0:38:07 > 0:38:10We, sort of, had to stop off on the way here to check the heifer,

0:38:10 > 0:38:13so we have got all of the dirty clothes in the pick-up,

0:38:13 > 0:38:15ready to change on the way back.

0:38:15 > 0:38:18But, yeah, it's good to make an effort and see Euan and Rina out -

0:38:18 > 0:38:21his parents to celebrate his 50th birthday is pretty important,

0:38:21 > 0:38:23so that's good.

0:38:23 > 0:38:25# Happy birthday

0:38:25 > 0:38:28# Dear George

0:38:28 > 0:38:36# Happy birthday to you. #

0:38:36 > 0:38:39CHEERING, WHISTLING AND APPLAUSE

0:38:39 > 0:38:42Thank you very much and don't give up your day job!

0:38:42 > 0:38:43Oh...

0:39:01 > 0:39:05In the far north, near Inverness, John is up late.

0:39:05 > 0:39:08He's keeping an eye on one of his pedigree Shorthorns

0:39:08 > 0:39:09that's in labour.

0:39:09 > 0:39:14So, we've just got a two-year-old heifer calving at the moment.

0:39:14 > 0:39:16She's been calving probably three hours now.

0:39:16 > 0:39:18I'm just a wee bit concerned. She's...

0:39:18 > 0:39:20She is one of our smaller heifers

0:39:20 > 0:39:23so we're just going to take her in and examine things.

0:39:23 > 0:39:28I suspect we are going to have to help her give birth to the calf.

0:39:28 > 0:39:30For some reason, this year,

0:39:30 > 0:39:32everybody seems to be getting big calves.

0:39:32 > 0:39:33I speak to both vet practices in the area,

0:39:33 > 0:39:36they're both calving more than they would normally calve,

0:39:36 > 0:39:38and we've certainly had bigger calves,

0:39:38 > 0:39:40whether it's something to do with the kind autumn last year

0:39:40 > 0:39:42and cows have put on more condition

0:39:42 > 0:39:45and they've been able to put more into their calves but...

0:39:45 > 0:39:47I don't know what it is but the calves are bigger.

0:39:47 > 0:39:49We've had definitely bigger calves.

0:39:52 > 0:39:55John feels inside the heifer to gauge how likely it is

0:39:55 > 0:39:57for her to give birth unaided.

0:39:58 > 0:40:01Her pelvis is too narrow to get that calf out of there.

0:40:07 > 0:40:09I'm going to phone the vet for assistance.

0:40:11 > 0:40:15If the calf gets stuck, then the likelihood of it dying is high.

0:40:15 > 0:40:16Oh...

0:40:17 > 0:40:21- 'Hello, John.' - Hello, Paco. How are you?

0:40:21 > 0:40:23I suspect we've got a Caesarean in a heifer.

0:40:23 > 0:40:25'I'll see what I can do.'

0:40:25 > 0:40:27Yeah, yeah, make an assessment when you get here. Yeah, yeah.

0:40:27 > 0:40:29Thanks, Paco. Cheers. Bye.

0:40:31 > 0:40:34As every minute ticks by, the heifer is struggling.

0:40:34 > 0:40:36METAL CLANKS

0:40:36 > 0:40:39It's a tense wait for the vet to arrive.

0:40:39 > 0:40:41COW MOOS

0:40:41 > 0:40:43RAIN SPLASHES

0:40:45 > 0:40:48In Argyll, the birthday party is over,

0:40:48 > 0:40:52but the night's work has just begun.

0:40:52 > 0:40:55This is just on our way home from George's 50th dinner

0:40:55 > 0:40:56out in Inveraray tonight,

0:40:56 > 0:41:00and we unfortunately didn't have to have time to lift the heifer,

0:41:00 > 0:41:02so we've had to stop on the way back.

0:41:02 > 0:41:06It's after midnight. HE SIGHS

0:41:06 > 0:41:09Moppet's on hand to help,

0:41:09 > 0:41:12but Lucy has fallen asleep in the car.

0:41:12 > 0:41:14- ENGINE HUMS - I don't think I've ever had to come

0:41:14 > 0:41:19out to help with a cow being put on its feet after a night out.

0:41:23 > 0:41:25Looking good, Mrs P.

0:41:26 > 0:41:29Sybil and George have been lifting Julia K

0:41:29 > 0:41:31twice a day for two weeks now,

0:41:31 > 0:41:34and she's remained fairly immobile,

0:41:34 > 0:41:37but, as Sybil puts her legs in the right place,

0:41:37 > 0:41:39she suddenly tries to stand on her own.

0:41:39 > 0:41:41Oh, no!

0:41:41 > 0:41:46Luckily, the sling holds Julia K in place.

0:41:46 > 0:41:49I think tonight the problem was,

0:41:49 > 0:41:53for the first time, she really tried to move her back legs.

0:41:53 > 0:41:57She went to push, and she shot out backwards, which was not good.

0:41:58 > 0:42:01- You naughty monkey. - ENGINE RUMBLES

0:42:01 > 0:42:04And I don't hear about them, and then, sort of, like,

0:42:04 > 0:42:06a few weeks later, you know, they say they, sort of, did this

0:42:06 > 0:42:09and then the cow nearly fell on them or that it...

0:42:09 > 0:42:11Oh, it just makes me feel ill.

0:42:13 > 0:42:16But it's a good sign - Julia K is getting stronger.

0:42:18 > 0:42:22Certainly not nearly as much yucky stuff here tonight.

0:42:22 > 0:42:27That's not for you to drink - that's your drinking water there.

0:42:27 > 0:42:30She seems to be quite chirpy tonight.

0:42:30 > 0:42:32- It's quite good, actually. - WATER SPLASHES

0:42:32 > 0:42:36I think she's got a wee bit more life every single day.

0:42:36 > 0:42:39Is that enough for tonight with that, girl?

0:42:40 > 0:42:45And I hope that the outcome's a good one, eventually.

0:42:45 > 0:42:48It seems to be going in the right direction now, thank God.

0:42:48 > 0:42:50OK. You're OK.

0:42:50 > 0:42:52I can't believe I was frozen a wee while ago

0:42:52 > 0:42:54when we came out from the lovely dinner,

0:42:54 > 0:42:58and now I'm pouring with sweat and covered with muck.

0:42:58 > 0:43:02In your nice shirt. It's a glamorous job, isn't it?

0:43:03 > 0:43:05Erm, no. Erm...

0:43:05 > 0:43:07No.

0:43:07 > 0:43:09No.

0:43:09 > 0:43:12Now everyone can get some well-earned rest

0:43:12 > 0:43:14and Lucy can get to her bed.

0:43:22 > 0:43:25At John Scott's farm, it's nearly 12.30am,

0:43:25 > 0:43:28and the vet has arrived.

0:43:28 > 0:43:30- Have you been to bed yet? - Not yet.

0:43:30 > 0:43:32Barcelona-born vet Paco Morera

0:43:32 > 0:43:35has been practising in Scotland for 15 years.

0:43:37 > 0:43:40Is it worth having a check? What do you think?

0:43:40 > 0:43:43I think you should have a check, yes.

0:43:43 > 0:43:46The heifer has been struggling in labour now for over four hours.

0:43:46 > 0:43:49It's crucial she gets help. HE SNIFFS

0:43:49 > 0:43:53First, Paco wants to assess the calf.

0:43:53 > 0:43:56I'm just trying to check if it's still alive.

0:43:56 > 0:43:57I'll be disappointed if it's not.

0:43:57 > 0:44:01She's not been going... An eight o'clock start?

0:44:01 > 0:44:03Yeah, still alive.

0:44:03 > 0:44:05- We'll open the side and it will... - COW MOOS

0:44:05 > 0:44:09It will have more chances to having them alive, both.

0:44:09 > 0:44:12CLIPPERS BUZZ Paco decides on a Caesarean.

0:44:12 > 0:44:17It's a major operation but Paco does at least 30 a year.

0:44:17 > 0:44:21- A live calf - very narrow pelvis. - BUZZING CONTINUES

0:44:21 > 0:44:23Small heifer.

0:44:23 > 0:44:26We could try but, if we try, you know,

0:44:26 > 0:44:31just to get out through the back and it gets stuck at the pelvis,

0:44:31 > 0:44:36we are likely to damage the heifer and maybe lose the calf.

0:44:38 > 0:44:40The heifer is able to stand throughout

0:44:40 > 0:44:42with just her side anesthetised.

0:44:42 > 0:44:45Whoa, lass. Whoa, lass.

0:44:45 > 0:44:48A straightforward Caesarean should take about an hour to perform.

0:44:48 > 0:44:49Are we ready?

0:44:49 > 0:44:51I'm ready.

0:44:51 > 0:44:54Paco has to cut through several layers of muscle

0:44:54 > 0:44:58and then the womb wall in order to reach the calf.

0:44:58 > 0:45:00Stop it, lass. Come on.

0:45:00 > 0:45:03There's a lot at stake.

0:45:04 > 0:45:07This heifer here will be worth something about in the region

0:45:07 > 0:45:09of £2,500-3,000.

0:45:10 > 0:45:14Don't like putting pressure on Paco when he's doing his job but...

0:45:17 > 0:45:2020 minutes into the operation, Paco hits a problem.

0:45:22 > 0:45:27He's trying to get hold of the calf but the calf has other ideas.

0:45:27 > 0:45:29Just moving away from me. The calf.

0:45:31 > 0:45:33I suspect it's a pretty big calf.

0:45:36 > 0:45:38Paco needs to get the calf into a position

0:45:38 > 0:45:42so that he can pull it out without tearing the womb.

0:45:42 > 0:45:45Because of its size, he has very little room to manoeuvre.

0:45:48 > 0:45:52It's going to be... It's going to be difficult to get it out, OK?

0:45:54 > 0:45:56At last, Paco gets hold of a foot.

0:46:02 > 0:46:05With such a large calf packed into such a tiny space,

0:46:05 > 0:46:10it takes the strength of three men to winch it out.

0:46:10 > 0:46:12Keep going. Keep going.

0:46:15 > 0:46:18Work on the calf, I'll deal with the mother.

0:46:18 > 0:46:21John moves in quickly to make sure it's breathing.

0:46:21 > 0:46:23I'm just making sure the calf is OK.

0:46:24 > 0:46:27I think it's...it's fine

0:46:27 > 0:46:30but that is far too big a calf for a heifer, it's a heifer calf.

0:46:30 > 0:46:36It's fine, we're happy with that, yeah, just huge though.

0:46:36 > 0:46:41Yeah, it would never have come out, the other end.

0:46:41 > 0:46:42You know, there's no doubt

0:46:42 > 0:46:47that the right decision was made to give Paco a shout.

0:46:47 > 0:46:51Cos if we'd tried to calve that ourselves that would have ended in disaster.

0:46:53 > 0:46:54The calf is a healthy female.

0:46:56 > 0:46:59Now Paco and John must focus on her mother.

0:46:59 > 0:47:02Now we probably have half an hour, 40 minutes of checking,

0:47:02 > 0:47:03stitching, you know,

0:47:03 > 0:47:09making sure that we do everything first to make sure that she's OK

0:47:09 > 0:47:13but, second, if we can, to make sure that she can carry on having calves.

0:47:15 > 0:47:17The calf at the moment is fine.

0:47:17 > 0:47:20It is just looking around,

0:47:20 > 0:47:24surveying the world that it's just arrived into.

0:47:24 > 0:47:26Before too long it will be thinking about trying to get up

0:47:26 > 0:47:29and looking for a suck from Mum.

0:47:29 > 0:47:33It's been a long operation but it's gone well.

0:47:33 > 0:47:35Paco gives the mum a dose of antibiotic spray.

0:47:36 > 0:47:39She should be on course to make a full recovery.

0:47:40 > 0:47:42That's it, what do you think?

0:47:45 > 0:47:46And that's her done.

0:47:48 > 0:47:49Back you go, back you go, good girl.

0:47:49 > 0:47:53It's 2:30 in the morning but, before heading to bed,

0:47:53 > 0:47:56John wants check on the new calf one more time.

0:47:56 > 0:48:03Most of our Shorthorn calves would be between 36 and 41 kilos,

0:48:03 > 0:48:10whereas this girl is, well, nearer 46, 47...

0:48:11 > 0:48:13..which is too big really for a heifer.

0:48:13 > 0:48:16It's great to see her up and trying to get up and on the move so,

0:48:16 > 0:48:19we've a live calf, hopefully the cow will recover OK

0:48:19 > 0:48:21and, before you know it,

0:48:21 > 0:48:23they'll be out skipping and playing in the grass.

0:48:24 > 0:48:27And I'll be asleep.

0:48:27 > 0:48:31Eugh. The joys of being a vet eh?

0:48:31 > 0:48:37- How lovely.- Thanks, Paco. Catch you. - See you, bye.- Cheers, yep.

0:48:42 > 0:48:45Just two and a half hours after entering the world,

0:48:45 > 0:48:49the newborn calf is up, looking to suckle from her mother.

0:48:59 > 0:49:03In Argyll, Julia K's recovery from her Caesarean

0:49:03 > 0:49:05has been a long, hard slog.

0:49:07 > 0:49:11But the good news is she seems to be turning a corner.

0:49:11 > 0:49:14She definitely looks better than last night.

0:49:14 > 0:49:15Yeah, more alert.

0:49:16 > 0:49:19Moppet and Lucy's visit has come to an end.

0:49:19 > 0:49:23We're leaving in about an hour, to go back to Edinburgh,

0:49:23 > 0:49:25and then back home, back to school.

0:49:27 > 0:49:29Back to...normal life.

0:49:29 > 0:49:32As we know it, anyway.

0:49:32 > 0:49:36Yeah. So different, isn't it?

0:49:40 > 0:49:43I'm looking forward to going back home, yeah.

0:49:43 > 0:49:45It's been nice... I mean, it's obviously nice

0:49:45 > 0:49:49seeing Syb and George but, yeah, few days is enough.

0:49:51 > 0:49:54Part of me's just so sad I can't tell you.

0:49:54 > 0:49:57And part of me is thinking I'll be able to get things done

0:49:57 > 0:49:58so much more quickly.

0:49:58 > 0:50:00They want to help, they're interested,

0:50:00 > 0:50:02I don't want to discourage Lucy,

0:50:02 > 0:50:05but this time of year things have to be done quickly and on instinct

0:50:05 > 0:50:09and whatever else but, you know, I'm just devastated they're going.

0:50:09 > 0:50:12OK, everyone. Ready?

0:50:12 > 0:50:16- Thanks, Moppet.- Bye, George. Lovely to see you. Thanks.

0:50:16 > 0:50:21- Take care. - Nice to see you.

0:50:21 > 0:50:23Yep, thanks for coming up.

0:50:26 > 0:50:30Good luck! See you!

0:50:32 > 0:50:34It's always sad to see Moppet and that go.

0:50:34 > 0:50:37Especially when it's just a short visit like that.

0:50:38 > 0:50:40I mean, it doesn't matter what we do with stock

0:50:40 > 0:50:44but it's people that matter, isn't it, really, at the end of the day?

0:50:44 > 0:50:45But there we go.

0:50:46 > 0:50:49It's a chance for George to reflect on

0:50:49 > 0:50:53whether Lucy might one day take over the farm.

0:50:53 > 0:50:56I don't know, I don't think she's completely put off

0:50:56 > 0:51:00but I think she just sees how, even like last night, how tying it is,

0:51:00 > 0:51:04like, and I think that, for somebody that age, that's a nightmare.

0:51:04 > 0:51:05I mean, it was for me.

0:51:08 > 0:51:11You know for poor Sybil, she's always been kind of

0:51:11 > 0:51:12responsible for a lot, like.

0:51:27 > 0:51:29On the Scotts' farm near Inverness

0:51:29 > 0:51:32it's the day after the Caesarean operation.

0:51:32 > 0:51:37John wants to check on the mother and calf, now named Fearn Monique.

0:51:37 > 0:51:39I'm coming to check things out.

0:51:40 > 0:51:43We had a fair bit of worry there - hey, baby -

0:51:43 > 0:51:45when we couldn't get that calf out naturally

0:51:45 > 0:51:48and it wasn't a straightforward Caesarean.

0:51:49 > 0:51:52I'm absolutely delighted with the result

0:51:52 > 0:51:57and now we've got this, this nice heifer calf, who's thriving.

0:51:57 > 0:52:01Mother's really maternal, looking after it really well.

0:52:01 > 0:52:05It's great, we'll get them out to the field next week as well.

0:52:07 > 0:52:11If she would have another Caesarean, there'd be no way back.

0:52:11 > 0:52:14She'll be watched carefully to make sure she does calve without

0:52:14 > 0:52:18assistance next year but I think, in the circumstances this year,

0:52:18 > 0:52:20when everybody's having big calves,

0:52:20 > 0:52:22we're going to give her another chance.

0:52:30 > 0:52:34Further east, the weather has finally turned.

0:52:34 > 0:52:39At last, Martin can let his cows and new calves out into the fields.

0:52:41 > 0:52:44Such a nice feeling, getting them outside.

0:52:44 > 0:52:46This is official, when the cows go outside,

0:52:46 > 0:52:48to us that's summer beginning, really.

0:52:48 > 0:52:49All right, girls?

0:52:54 > 0:52:56They'll enjoy this.

0:52:56 > 0:52:5825th of October, they came inside,

0:52:58 > 0:53:01and they've been inside since then every day through the winter.

0:53:01 > 0:53:05Getting fed, pretty much the same ration, same company,

0:53:05 > 0:53:08so when you let them out, the legs will be in the air, the tails

0:53:08 > 0:53:10will be up in the air and they'll be off.

0:53:10 > 0:53:14It must be a good feeling. For them, it must be a good feeling getting outside in the field again.

0:53:14 > 0:53:20The sun's out and it's quite warm so, yeah, about time.

0:53:20 > 0:53:23Jumbo's now six months old.

0:53:23 > 0:53:26He and his fellow calves have never been outside before.

0:53:27 > 0:53:32So Jumbo, he's in here. Jaya, Jurassic, Juventus.

0:53:32 > 0:53:35What they need is to get outside and get exercise

0:53:35 > 0:53:39and stretch their legs and eat grass, pretty much.

0:53:39 > 0:53:41Come on then, come on then!

0:53:59 > 0:54:01So that's Jumbo, that's his batch out,

0:54:01 > 0:54:04so that's all the back end calfers out.

0:54:04 > 0:54:08That'll be the most exercise they've had their whole lives.

0:54:08 > 0:54:10They run about for a couple of hours.

0:54:10 > 0:54:13It'll be a new experience for them, freedom.

0:54:13 > 0:54:15Hopefully this summer they'll just thrive on

0:54:15 > 0:54:19and mushroom and just keep growing - that's what we want.

0:54:20 > 0:54:23Now it's time for the pregnant heifers,

0:54:23 > 0:54:25carrying the next generation of calves.

0:54:38 > 0:54:41That feeling there for them must be a great feeling.

0:54:41 > 0:54:43Just getting back out onto the grass again and away,

0:54:43 > 0:54:45stretching their legs.

0:54:45 > 0:54:50They run about for about half an hour, just playing, to be honest.

0:54:50 > 0:54:55Just run about as a group, smelling everything, seeing everything.

0:54:57 > 0:54:59It's a nice batch of heifers.

0:54:59 > 0:55:01That's as big a batch of heifers as we've had.

0:55:01 > 0:55:03I really do like that batch of heifers.

0:55:03 > 0:55:05Big, strong, sweet.

0:55:07 > 0:55:09This is like the elite, pretty much. This is our best.

0:55:09 > 0:55:12This is the cream of our crop in front of us here.

0:55:12 > 0:55:13This is our future.

0:55:15 > 0:55:17And to me it's looking good.

0:55:30 > 0:55:34On the other side of Scotland in the hills of Argyll,

0:55:34 > 0:55:38Sybil and George are also thinking about the future of their farm.

0:55:38 > 0:55:43These buildings here were probably built about the same time

0:55:43 > 0:55:46as my ancestors came here and...

0:55:46 > 0:55:51now, as the sort of last in the direct line,

0:55:51 > 0:55:54I feel sad that

0:55:54 > 0:55:58I haven't provided the next generation directly to carry on,

0:55:58 > 0:55:59carry on here.

0:56:00 > 0:56:02Yeah, but I think it's the circumstances, like.

0:56:02 > 0:56:06I mean, we never met until later and it was just a kind of joint decision

0:56:06 > 0:56:11between us. I didn't want to risk your livelihood or life,

0:56:11 > 0:56:13just for the sake of having a family.

0:56:13 > 0:56:17You know, it wasn't, it wasn't worth it. Simple as that, like.

0:56:17 > 0:56:20Had we met and married when we were very much younger

0:56:20 > 0:56:22and we hadn't the struggle of, like,

0:56:22 > 0:56:24when my father died, as I say, in my late...

0:56:24 > 0:56:27I was in my late twenties, I'd inheritance tax and things to pay

0:56:27 > 0:56:31and that was the driving force that I had to...to pay off the inheritance tax,

0:56:31 > 0:56:33I had to make the farm work.

0:56:33 > 0:56:36I really wanted to do that and that was my main focus,

0:56:36 > 0:56:40for possibly far too long, and it's only now and looking back

0:56:40 > 0:56:45that I think, perhaps, I got it wrong. But, then again, maybe not.

0:56:46 > 0:56:51I just feel that I was so fortunate to be given the opportunity

0:56:51 > 0:56:53to live and work in such a wonderful place,

0:56:53 > 0:56:55that I would have liked to have given somebody else,

0:56:55 > 0:56:59but I don't suppose it really matters if it's a direct blood relative,

0:56:59 > 0:57:03as long as somebody who wants to be here and wants to appreciate it

0:57:03 > 0:57:05and love it the way I do,

0:57:05 > 0:57:08I don't suppose it matters in the slightest who it is.

0:57:08 > 0:57:11It's just finding that right person.

0:57:11 > 0:57:13And if it's Claire or Lucy, then great.

0:57:13 > 0:57:16If it has to be somebody else, why not?

0:57:19 > 0:57:22Whatever lies ahead for the farm,

0:57:22 > 0:57:26the future for Julia K is looking bright.

0:57:26 > 0:57:28Here we go.

0:57:32 > 0:57:37You are indeed a miracle. It's hard to believe, isn't it?

0:57:37 > 0:57:39When you see her like that.

0:57:39 > 0:57:42That scar is just so much better today, isn't it?

0:57:42 > 0:57:44Miles. It's nearly there.

0:57:47 > 0:57:50Good girl. You are amazing.

0:57:50 > 0:57:54Nature's a wonderful thing, isn't it? And you're a wonderful heifer.

0:57:56 > 0:57:57Yeah, you are.

0:58:00 > 0:58:04Next time...Mel and Martin finally tie the knot...

0:58:04 > 0:58:07Martin, you may kiss the bride.

0:58:13 > 0:58:16..and, at the prestigious Royal Highland Show,

0:58:16 > 0:58:18Bobby tries his hand at cooking...

0:58:22 > 0:58:25..and John has high hopes for his best bull.

0:58:25 > 0:58:28Looking well out there and...fingers crossed.

0:58:28 > 0:58:30Keep your head up.