Episode 3 This Farming Life

Across some of the most beautiful

and remote landscapes of the British Isles...

It's not a bad office, is it? You know, look at it!

..Scotland's farmers carve a living.

Everything has a time and a season, nature doesn't stop.

Breeding sheep and cattle,...

There's a lot of old friends here.

They've come to the end of their working life.

Quite a sad day.

Wait a second!

Bringing new life into the world

and battling with the elements.

They're all cute in their own way,

and especially if they end up on your plate as a lamb chop. Yum!

Over a year, five very different families

let cameras onto their farms...

Hell of a size of nuts on him!

..and into their lives, to share their struggles...

I don't know why you want the flower.

Do you need to do this?

..and their triumphs...

Look at my baby!

He's alive!

..as they try and turn a profit, in testing economic times.

That's just depressing that, really.

There's cause for celebration...

Gorgeous!

..and a time to reflect.

I feel sad that I haven't provided the next generation,

to carry on here.

But it's never dull.

I'm not letting go!

It's not a job, it's a way of life

It's late autumn on the Isle of Lewis,

30 miles off Scotland's west coast, in the Outer Hebrides.

The weather is unseasonably mild

and preparations to get the livestock ready for winter

continue for crofter Sandy Granville.

Indian summers are wonderful.

Summer is full of the noise of animals and insects

and everything goes much quieter in the...as the autumn goes through.

If you get an Indian summer it all goes on a little bit longer,

but there's always an end to it.

The longer the darkness can be put off the better.

This time of year we're very busy.

We bring the ewes in off the moor,

they come bustling home, big fit girls,

they haven't had any lambs feeding for the last two months

and they're...they're feeling pretty good.

Crofting is a new career for Sandy.

He used to be a criminal barrister in London,

but gave it up and moved here, 12 years ago, with his wife

to become one of 6,000 crofters in the Western Isles,

rearing sheep and Highland cattle.

Come, come. Walk up.

Come, come.

Dating back to the late 1800s,

crofting is unique to the Islands and Highlands of Scotland.

Sit there now.

Traditionally, a croft is a small agricultural

holding of about 12 acres that's often part of a community

where much of the work is shared.

I like this way of life.

It's a cooperative way of life, you have to work together,

and there's a delight in being part of a traditional system

that will only work because you're quite good at doing it.

And there's a great deal of pleasure

in trying to master that system and be part of it.

Today, Sandy's getting together with four other crofters

to round up all their ewes for dipping,

before the mating, or tupping, season begins.

So for the last week, or so, we've been out on the moors

bringing all the sheep into this area here, we call the bray.

This flock of around 700 sheep belong to different crofters

and, as tradition dictates,

they've been grazing together on common land on the moors.

It's a big effort the gathering and a lot of fun.

Heel now! Come to heel now, Doyle!

The sheep are being herded to the communal handling pens

on the outskirts of the village, known as the fank,

where the dipping will take place.

-It's a beautiful fank, isn't it?

-A beautiful fank.

We built it about...eight years ago

and it just all works like clockwork.

Just like the people.

We could do with having a counter and a gate opener.

At the fank, the sheep are split into batches owned by each crofter.

The ewes have been living wild in the hills for five months.

Don't think these ones are so keen on bath time.

Once separated, the sheep are plunged into the dip.

Fling them in! Fling them in!

The young ones go in quite nicely, but the old ones hang back

and, put them off.

Who would blame them?

Who would blame them?

I certainly wouldn't like it if it happened to me.

The dip is an insecticide which will get rid of external parasites

and help maintain the quality of their wool.

Scab is the thing that we have got to eliminate

because they're all going out on the common grazing,

meeting sheep from other places, so there's always a risk of scab.

Scab is an infectious skin disease caused by mites

and can lead to death if left untreated.

Scab used to be common here but it's quite rare now,

because of the dipping.

Got to get the whole sheep in there,

make sure there are no tics, or beasts, or scabs, on any bit.

Sandy's wife Ali is allocated the task of counting the sheep

as they go through.

We share the cost of the dip, so all these sheep belong to one person,

and so, at the end of the day,

we'll just divide the cost of the dip

between the number of sheep that went through it.

They'll have a brand on the horn, with the number of the croft on it.

They'll have ear tags with the croft number

and an individual number on,

and then the final thing is the paint mark.

Yes, that's our mark, at the moment, purple just behind the head.

People are very wary of talking about how many sheep they've got,

but I know how many go through the dip.

Just check how many I've got here.

Ten, nine, ten, 14.

Ali, I don't want any fraud going on here!

Yes, sir!

Life as a crofter is a completely new departure for Ali,

who also worked as a lawyer in London

until she was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis.

I used to work for the government.

I got my MS and was finding it more and more difficult to work.

Basically I had very little energy and it was a very demanding job,

and then, eventually, I had to take early retirement.

But when you suddenly realise that you might just throw

everything up in the air and start again, then you start thinking

what you really would like to do with the rest of your life,

We suddenly thought, well, we could, we could just come to Lewis.

The island was a frequent holiday destination for Sandy and Ali

when their two sons were young, as Sandy has family in Lewis.

My mother was born in this village

but she didn't actually spend very much time living here,

and the croft next door to us was my grandfather's.

When, Ali and I were looking for somewhere to move to,

to live this kind of life, it was a cousin of mine in the village

told me that this croft was for sale,

and that's how we finished up here.

It's a very pleasant life, and it's very, very beautiful here, and,

I think that I'm much fitter now

than I was 12 years ago when we first came here.

So, obviously, the life suits me and I feel very well.

I think it suits both of us, really.

At the fank, most of the flock are through the dip.

One of them needs to get its horns trimmed.

This stops them damaging their eyes

and is a bit like getting your nails clipped.

It's not uncommon.

Not uncommon.

-Is there another one?

-No.

-No.

Then the sheep are released to the common grazing in the village

where they'll live until it's time to meet the tups

for the tupping season in a few weeks.

The whole of the grazings now,

between the two cattle grids, are open.

There's quite a lot of grazing and nobody's been in it since May,

so it's lovely grass everywhere

and, for two weeks, the village will be full of sheep.

It takes five hours to dip all the sheep

and the total cost of £300 will be shared among the crofters.

-Do you want a hand up with that?

-Ah!

Big team effort.

This team's got more managers than most football teams!

Only one manager here, Sandy

Player managers. Guess who is it.

There's some attempted managing here.

We get on pretty here, really.

Here you are, men, have a flapjack.

People are pretty welcoming.

There's a lot doing in this village,

and in the, crofting part of the island society, we're quite busy.

We've got a lot to contribute.

I think we've completely integrated.

Not a bad day. Probably sleep well tonight.

On the west coast of Scotland, Sybil and George Macpherson

rear sheep and cattle on 15,000 acres of rugged mountain terrain.

Their land covers two farms, one they rent

and the other Sybil owns,

and has been in her family for nearly 200 years.

I never forget how lucky I am to have the opportunity to farm.

It's something that I love.

I greatly care for my livestock, I enjoy working with them,

I think rearing sheep and cattle is a fascinating way to live your life.

Come on, ladies!

Come on, mad cow!

Come on!

Having done most of their sheep work for the autumn,

today they're starting to tackle their herd of 60 cows.

Come on, 99! Good girl.

George is bringing them in from the fields to get them ready for winter.

Oi, you! You big rascal! Watch, watch, watch!

Oi! Rhona!

Having lived mostly wild in the hills since spring,

some are a little lively.

Oi, Rhona.

You behave! You already got me!

Most of the herd are breeding cows that live for around 14 years,

so, during their time on the farm,

George and Sybil get to know them well.

Follow on, everybody. In you go!

On you go, come on.

You're very skinny, Bonny.

I've got a much softer spot for some than others.

Come on, 209. On you go.

Come on, lass. On you go.

They're all a different character.

They respond to different situations differently,

just like human beings do.

Come on, Willy.

And we get very attached to them.

Just to let you know, I'm behind you.

That's Willy, Twisty, Tiny, Moira.

Grant, Rhona.

No. This one hasn't got a name. 606. It doesn't have a name.

Come on, Clunky.

So you build up a sort of relationship

and they understand us and know us and recognise us.

So yeah, I do get fond of them.

Some more than others.

That Rhona's a bully, she boxes everybody.

She boxed George coming down the hill.

Didn't you, Rhona? You're naughty.

Come on, Willy.

In you go, Spooky, good girl. Good girl, Spook.

The cattle are put in a pen overnight.

Like many hill farmers across Scotland,

Sybil sends most of her herd to lowland farms

to graze for the winter.

The majority of the herd are Saler crosses,

a large breed of beef cattle originally from France,

known for their foraging ability and longevity.

Come on, Willy.

They would struggle, though, to find enough food to survive

on the hills over the winter.

Excuse me. Excuse me!

We don't grow anything here to feed them with.

We either send them away for wintering,

or winter them at home.

In which case everything they eat has to be brought

in excess of 100 miles to here.

Come on, Willy.

Without sheds to house the herd,

sending them away makes economic sense.

Come on, Willy. Around you go.

Out! Out! Out! Out!

Tomorrow, she'll be dispatching her first batch of the season.

Come on, Bonnie!

The next day, the lorry arrives

to take the cows to their winter grazing.

It is not the bonniest day,

but it is usually a day like this when we do this, I can assure you.

The weather has turned really, really nasty.

Sadly, the wind and the rain has made the cows quite spooky.

They hate the wind, and so they've ran away.

Today, the weather isn't the only hurdle.

The calves, now six months old, need to be weaned

to help their mothers recover from constant milking,

so they're going to be separated.

For a few days the cows will break their hearts

looking for the calves, and it is quite sad to be removing them.

Management-wise and condition-wise, for the cows,

it's the very best thing that can happen

because they need a break from milking.

When the weather turns bad and the grass stops growing,

and the cows are milking and they lose condition quickly.

But for the first few days they... they roar, and roar, and roar,

and the calves will cry and cry

and, I must say, I find it quite upsetting to listen to them.

It is very stressful.

COWS MOO

Come on, Willy.

The mothers and calves will be going to different farms

and need to be loaded into separate compartments

on the lorry for an easy delivery.

The calves are first on board

Come on, guys, it's for your own good. I kid you not.

It's for your own good.

Enticed by the scent of their young...

-Go and see your baby.

-..the mothers follow.

Go on, Spook. Go and see your baby.

Go and see your baby.

Come on, come on

Finally, they're all on board

It's a huge relief to know that, tonight,

all those wee calvies will be lying knee deep in straw in a shed.

OK, they'll be breaking their hearts looking for their mothers,

but they'll be out of this wet, wind, and rain.

And for them, you know, in a few days' time,

they'll be, just, in luxury, compared with being here.

It's definitely the answer for them.

The lorry will deliver this first batch to separate farms

100 miles away in the east of Scotland, near Dundee.

On the other side of Scotland, north of Aberdeen,

where the weather is proving kinder,

Martin Irvine and his family rent a 240-acre farm,

rearing pedigree Limousin bulls.

Martin's family have been farming here for five generations.

The focus of his business is to produce breeding bulls

that he can sell for a profit at auction.

Three years ago, he made the best sale of his life,

selling one bull for £30,000.

When it comes to bull sales and us making money,

one bull can make a difference between a good year and a bad year.

We'll sell a lot of bulls, at three, four, five thousand,

which are great, but what we need is that one or two bulls a year,

that superstar bull to make good money

just to keep things going fine.

-Watch Tilly.

-Pull that gate this way.

Today, Martin and fiance Mel are also bringing in their herd

of 168 cattle for the winter.

They're quite happy to be inside, to be honest.

Oh, steady!

This is us gearing up for winter pretty much.

Cows and calves.

Heifers, bulls, in the bottom shed here.

Tomorrow we'll bring on all the dry cows, which is cows with no calves.

We'll just get into our winter routine,

feed in the morning, feed in the afternoon.

Check them and...

That's it. Next seven, eight months - this is it.

We find it better to get them in early

and keep the condition on them

and they're easier maintained inside like.

Martin can control what they eat, how much they eat.

If they're getting too fat you can slim them down,

or beef them up if you need to.

Limousins are a large continental breed

imported from France in the '70s.

Because of the high quality of their meat,

they have become the most popular beef cattle in the country.

To nourish his precious herd through the winter,

Martin feeds them a special diet

which costs him about £15 a week per animal.

We have got the silage and the draft.

This is what we feed the cows in the winter.

So this is the silage, which is chopped-up grass

we harvest through the summertime.

Put into a pit, and what it is, it's basically,...fermented.

Fermented grass.

-Smells nice.

-Smells nice.

So we cut it in the summertime, store it in a pit,

and it feeds the cattle through wintertime.

So it's just your grass, another feed we've got here is draft.

Draft, is pretty much the by-product from your distilleries.

So this is part of your whisky. Whisky pretty much.

And all it is is barley that's been soaked and cooked

and all the procedures that go into making whisky

and this is a by-product.

And we've got 20 distilleries in a ten-mile radius.

So, plenty of opportunity for getting draft cheap,

which makes it a good feed for the cattle.

Quite good for putting condition and bloom onto cattle.

During the coming months the other crucial job

will be bringing in the next generation.

Calving on Martin's farm happens in two blocks - autumn and spring -

and he's just had this season's first delivery.

So we're just getting his tags, every calf that is born,

anywhere, has to be tagged.

Double tagged. So, what's on here is

his UK number, which corresponds with this passport,

and we name every calf, as well, so the letter changes.

So, this year it's J, so we've decided to call this one Jay-Z.

So now Martin's going to catch the cow.

-Yeah.

-So she doesn't attack us.

But I don't think she would. She's quite quiet,

but you've always got to watch your freshly calved cows.

Yeah. Even your quietest cow, when she calves,

instinct kicks in and if her calf were to make a funny noise,

instinct would kick in, a cow could kill you, pretty much.

So we'll catch the cow in the yokes. So what'll happen,

we'll turn that,

she'll put her head in, it locks,

and she cannae get out.

So I'll tease her with a bit of feed.

Lock. Lock.

That's her secure so she can't get us, that's us safe,

and we'll go in the pen, catch the calf, tag the calf, and we're safe.

Just watch they don't kick, but I don't think so.

Working with cattle can be dangerous.

In the UK, 56 out of the 74 people

killed by cattle in the last 15 years have been farm workers.

This is the latest addition to Anside.

-Anside Jay-Z.

-Anside Jay-Z.

We've a big lot of calves, for the next two months,

and he's the start of it, so it's a good start, he's alive,

good calf, so hopefully it'll be like this for the rest of the spell.

So cute.

He's actually not moving,

because he'll probably think we're a predator and we're going to eat him.

Thing we find, the quicker, you make contact with the calves,

like speak to them, or touch them, they get used to you,

So it's good to get that kind of connection,

that first connection with the calves,

quite young, and they'll be quieter, usually, as they grow up.

So first tag, right lug.

-Does that hurt them?

-No.

-It's like an ear piercing.

So you'll see I'll show you its lug.

You'll see its ear here, there's like three fingers,

like cartilage, that come across the ear.

One, two three,

and we're going to aim for this soft bit in the middle here.

Just wait a minute.

Jay-Z is the first of this year's expected crop of 65 calves.

There you go.

Jay-Z.

That's him official now.

If they're lucky, he might grow up to be Martin's next superstar bull

and help boost the profits of the farm.

COW MOOS

BIRDSONG AND SHEEP BAA

On Lewis, the ewes are now grazing in the village,

so there's a brief respite from active sheep-rearing duties

for Sandy and Ali.

Once I've just spoken to the other two, I'll phone Roddy.

Haven't booked David in for ages.

David hasn't been in at all.

Running a croft is an all-consuming business

and there's always jobs to do.

While Ali gets on with the books,

Sandy embarks on a training session

with the youngest of his four Border Collies, Doyle.

Now a year old, he only made his working debut three weeks ago.

Right. Have we got our brain in gear?

Have we got our brain in gear?

OK. Heel.

And sit. Sit.

He's been working quite nicely on the hill.

Sit.

So we're just coming down to the training paddock.

Stay there.

Just to improve his technique

and to stop him

thinking that he knows everything.

Border Collies originated in the Borders,

between England and Scotland in the late 19th century...

Way to me.

..to help shepherds herd their sheep across vast distances.

Their temperament and hunting instinct

makes them perfect for the job.

It's estimated that for every mile a shepherd walks,

his dog covers 15.

Sit!

Today, Sandy's practising the key commands collies need

to learn to herd sheep.

Come by now. Keep off. Come by.

Come by.

Come by.

"Come by" means herd the sheep clockwise.

Good boy. Away to me.

Away to me.

"Away to me" is the anticlockwise command.

Walk up, Doyle. Sit there.

Renowned for their intelligence and sensitivity,

collies quickly learn instructions from their owner.

Walk up.

It's a very bad policy to say anything bad to the dog

because it's always the shepherd's fault.

Occasionally a high-spirited collie will just pack up and go home

if his handler is badly behaved.

Heel now. Come by.

Come by. Sit there.

Like Doyle,...

-Sit.

-..Sandy's also a bit of novice.

I've only had four dogs, he's my fourth dog. So I'm...

I'm not such an experienced dog trainer,

and they've all been members of the same family.

My original bitch is retired through ill health.

She was a very fine dog indeed.

We learnt everything that we know between the two of us.

He's very patient with the animals.

I tend to not be quite so consistent as I should be.

So, I know that there are rules you should stick to,

but then when one of the dogs is doing something really sweet

or breaks our rules...

He's... I think, that's why, he's really consistent.

He doesn't ever...let them off just because they're looking so cute.

Walk up. Walk up.

Walk up, Doyle. Walk up.

Training dogs and working the croft

is a world away from Sandy and Ali's old life as London lawyers.

Always prepared to try something different.

In fact I, I was probably a bit fed up with...

Not with the work, which I always enjoyed,

but I was probably a bit fed up with travelling to and from work

and get up and get on trains first thing in the morning.

Way to me. Way to me.

I think being in Lewis has brought us closer together.

We...we enjoy the same things, we're working on the same things.

I think, before we came, there were some things we did together

and some things we did separately. And this is, yeah, this is good.

We have the same goals and work away at them together,

all the time, which is lovely.

Come by. Come by.

I think you have to make a change now and again.

If you've only got one life it's a shame to spend it,

the whole life, doing only one thing.

Come by.

Aaah, Doyle.

I think that's probably quite enough for him today.

He doesn't think it's all that interesting.

That's the boy.

On the mainland, near Loch Lomond in central Scotland,

Bobby and Ann Lennox

are halfway through their sheep work for the autumn.

They rent two hill farms stretching across 5,000 acres,

where they rear over 2,000 hardy Blackface sheep.

Come on, lambies, let's go!

Ho-ho! Ho-ho!

Come on! Come on!

Like many hill farmers,

they're sending some of their livestock away for the winter.

But today, the weather isn't helping.

It is pretty yucky today, but everything's mud with the rain.

Everything's just mud. It's like walking in treacle.

Every year, Bobby and Ann send their new lambs away

to graze on a lowland farm

and this season they're dispatching 900.

We haven't got good enough grass

to keep them at home over the winter.

And it just gives these lambs a good start, in their life,

getting a first winter.

It means they're stronger, fitter sheep.

Now seven months old, the lambs need to fatten up.

Some are females who will return for breeding next spring

but the males will go for slaughter.

Before any of them can leave the farm, Bobby has to process them.

29.

By law, the movement of every single animal must be recorded.

The lambs are also given worm medicine to prevent them

spreading parasites to other farms.

This is what we call a lightsaber.

It's just an electronic tag reader.

The yellow tag has got an electronic chip in it on the lambs.

This reads it and stores the number.

It's a lot of work so Bobby's hired in contract shepherd Derek to help.

The last number of years we've got all the regulations

to do with tracing, you know, for animal welfare reasons,

health reasons and that,

so the government knows where every single animal is at any one time.

It's a paper trail nightmare.

They're a bit lively at this age.

This is one of the last flocks to go

and Bobby and Ann are itching to get the whole job done

because, at the end of the week,

they're heading off on their annual holiday.

I'll be quite glad that we leave here on Sunday and go to Tenerife.

Be quite nice to get off the plane and the heat just hits you.

And if it's not, I'll be very upset!

So we know we're going to get another six months like this

till the spring comes again.

A break away sets you up nicely for the winter

and recharges the batteries.

My doctor's recommended a bottle of wine for me.

I got a jag in my shoulder, I've got a sore shoulder,

so I got a jag in my shoulder yesterday,

so he recommended a bottle of wine...a day.

But before they get carried away,

Bobby's got to deliver this batch of lambs himself.

The flock's winter home is only a 20-minute drive away

in the lowlands by the River Clyde.

They're less exposed here

and, with less stress to deal with, they'll grow better.

Definitely not Tenerife

but in the middle of winter it will feel like Tenerife

compared to where we are.

It costs Bobby 50 pence per animal per week to winter them away.

This is totally strange to them.

It doesn't seem to upset them too much.

But it's cheaper than buying in their food

and keeping them on the farm.

Another two or three days we will have everything sorted out and away.

Then we'll get away, switch off and have a good break.

Boost us up ready for the winter.

Further west...

Where do you want to go with it?

..Sybil and George are still in the process of

dispatching their cattle to their winter grazing...

We're just going to leave this in?

..and today they're dealing with the special cases.

-Come on, girl.

-Watch your back.

They're moving six young calves to a lowland farm near Dundee.

-Come on, ladies.

-On you go.

Only two months old, they're too young to be weaned

and will be reunited with their mothers at the farm.

Steady yourselves. Steady yourselves.

But, apart for the first time, they're all a bit jittery.

You little monkey!

It's a bit sore.

That was rather painful.

They might be young, but a kick from a calf can still do some damage.

Oh, you wee monkey!

You all right?

Well, yes, I am.

Haven't had a kick for ages.

I wasn't expecting it.

In fact, both of us worked...

-Where did he get you?

-Just here.

Both of us worked at the...

..calf sale in Dalmalie for UA to help them with their cattle

and there'll be, what, I don't know,

1,200 calves through the market that day and neither of us got a kick

and you go to two little animals, wee squirts here,

and get a kick like that, quite unpleasant.

Before she married George, Sybil ran the farm on her own for 22 years

and has fine-tuned the art of being tough.

It's one of the things I think I've found all through my life

being a woman in this job, that people always imagine,

that you're not going to be up to either, physically or mentally.

I think nowadays things are a wee bit, you know,

women are more accepted into agriculture, but certainly,

you know, 30, 40 years ago, especially in this sort of part

of the world, this type of farming, it was very much a man's world.

I suppose because I've worked outside and done the physical things

all my life I'm probably fairly lucky in that I am quite strong,

and built like, built like...

Right.

Part of Sybil that I do admire in so many ways is her determination

and depth of strength.

I'm a softer person by miles than her in nature

and she's helped me develop into a better person.

I admire her as a farmer

and I think it's amazing what she's trying to do here.

I don't know if it helps since I've joined the forces or not.

I just think this is more stable.

Today there's another tricky case that needs to be dealt with.

One of her continental crossbreeds has just given birth

in a field nearby.

It's a cow that's calved last night

and we are quite keen to get her in out of the weather.

It's a bit of a nuisance she's calving out of sync with everybody,

but, so we need to make just a temporary pen for her just now.

Right.

That's looking pretty good.

Do not jump the fence.

George and Sybil must approach new mum Ghost with extreme care.

With a calf so young, she may get aggressive.

-Come on, Ghost.

-He went for me.

-She went for you?

-HE went for me.

He did? On you go, girl.

Just watch. He's kind of tired.

As very young calves are not used to being handled,

they also need to be treated with caution.

Come on, wee guy.

Just watch yourself.

One in five farm workers killed by cattle in the UK

are by cows that have recently calved.

In you go, girl. Good lass.

Smashing.

Absolutely smashing.

The thing that I always find with the sheep physically

you can overpower them, you can do whatever.

Have to take some cake.

Come on, Ghost.

She's called Ghost because of her colour.

Her pal's called Spook.

With the cattle if they decide they want to do something,

well, they do it,

and you've got to appeal to their better nature to play ball.

Good girl. Good girl. Good girl.

-He went for me when I stood him up, like.

-Did he? Wee monkey.

Good girl. That's a naughty little calf you've got.

-He's a wee beauty.

-He is a topper.

Ghost is pacified.

Cattle cake has done the trick.

Hello.

Ghost's calf is too young to travel,

so they'll stay together on the farm to be taken care of

by Sybil and George through the winter.

He's quite cheery, isn't he?

Quite amazing really to think that, this time yesterday,

it was tucked up inside there and now it's out and running about.

End up on somebody's dinner plate one day.

George don't speak like that.

He's a pretty wee thing.

Good girl.

On the Isle of Lewis,

Sandy's also working his way through his autumn to-do list.

OK, ready?

Today a high tide is predicted

so he's seizing the chance to get his boat into the water.

He's roped in local, Callum, to help.

She was coming quite nicely there.

We use it to take sheep off to the islands and back.

The boat can hold up to 30 sheep

and will be used to transport a flock to a nearby island

for their winter grazing...

..if they can get it into the sea unscathed.

-OK?

-On you go.

She's pretty tough. She can bounce off anything.

Very heavy, though. About three tonnes.

It's not the easiest object to manoeuvre without a trailer,

especially down a 45-degree ramp.

Only a scratch, I hope.

I wanted to get it down a bit further but that'll have to do.

He now has to wait for the tide to come in for the boat to float.

As Sandy won't have another spare day for a while,

he's hell bent on sticking to his schedule.

About four hours till the full tide.

So I'll come down and look at her in two hours or so

and see how near floating she is.

Sandy's back to finish the job.

Now he plans to motor the boat out into the bay and moor up.

All he needs to do is start the engine.

Well, that's a nuisance.

But before he can fix the engine, he needs to secure the boat.

It's quite heavy work putting down these big anchors.

Many people would think it doesn't look very pleasurable

but there's a lot of joy in it.

It's a fine thing to be testing yourself

against a hard physical challenge.

And this task is proving to be especially challenging.

No, we're not holding.

Sandy's run out of options.

That's interesting.

Four hours later, he's back where he started.

He'll have to fix the engine and try again another day.

While the rest of the farmers get on with their normal routine,

one lucky family is taking a complete break from theirs.

Sheep farmers Bobby and Ann are off to the Canary Islands.

-Are we going to go on a plane?

-Yay!

I love going on holiday.

It's just so nice to drive down that road and we're away.

With their grandchildren, daughter Gill and twins Alan and Kay,

they holiday in Tenerife,

where they've been going for the last 15 years.

It's a great chance just to relax,

go out for one or two meals out, and just have a nice, easy, lazy time.

I like having the family around.

Great in the swimming pool and going to the beach.

And a very good night for Alan and Kay's 30th birthday party.

Hip-hip!

THEY CHEER

12 days later, they are back at their Loch Lomond farm...

..and back to the autumn routine.

Shifty, shifty.

There you are.

I miss my morning swim.

I miss the heat of the sun.

By the time it gets to the end of the holiday, it's nice to get back

but it's also nice just lying about doing not a lot.

But there's no chance of a lazy day.

Having sent their lambs to winter grazing, their big job over

the next fortnight is to bring in their entire flock of 1,500 ewes

from the hills for the start of the tupping season.

Today, the plan is to gather 200 of them

scattered across 500 acres of hillside.

Working on his trail bike,

60-year-old Bobby is covering the low ground

and will drive the sheep towards Ann.

Anywhere a sheep can walk we can get a two-wheel bike, basically,

so that allows us to do a lot more work.

We can gather much bigger areas of the hill because of the bike.

SHE PANTS

But 62-year-old Ann has drawn the short straw.

She's covering the middle ground on foot.

I need oxygen. I would like a wee bit of oxygen.

I mean, I've just lain about for the past fortnight,

not done much, you know.

The strongest thing I've lifted was a glass of wine, you know.

Anyway...let's go.

Come on. Down boy, down.

While traversing up the 45-degree gradient,

Ann's job is to try and gather all the sheep that Bobby sends her way

and wrangle collie Jim into sending them towards the farm.

Come to heel!

Jim! Come by, come by!

Oh, bugger.

Jim, come bye!

Jim, away!

Away, away!

She's trying to get Jim to turn the flock in the opposite direction,

but after the holiday everyone's a little rusty.

Lie down, just lie down there.

Come by!

He wants to work sheep.

He hasn't worked sheep for three weeks and he just is desperate

to work sheep and he's just not listening.

I don't maybe give him the right commands at the right time,

that's also the problem.

Right.

Come by, Jim, come by, come by!

Hello!

Jim!

Jim, come by, come by!

At last, Jim manages to turn the flock...

Good dog. Now lie down!

..but now Ann has to catch up.

Right just concentrate, concentrate.

On a typical gather, Ann can easily cover eight miles.

Jim, come by!

As long as we keep going.

To keep the sheep moving towards the farm, Ann now needs Bobby's backup.

'Ann, whereabouts are you just now?'

I'm in the top of the ridge

where I met up with you last time Bobby. Over.

'All right.'

There's Bobby coming.

Come here, boy. Come on.

-Hello, dear.

-All right.

Knackered.

It's hard work. This tussocks is very hard to ride on.

If you head for this part of the cut

-and that should get these to start running.

-Right. OK.

We'll walk on to make sure they go down then, right?

Okey dokey.

With Bobby on the sheep's tail, the pressure's off

and Ann can head home at a reasonable pace.

The sheep are going in the right direction.

I don't seem to have lost any so that's a good day.

Sunshine's shining over there.

I like the outdoors.

On a day like this, when it's nice, it's dry,

it's a pleasure being out here, once I've got up the steep bit.

It's taken three hours' hard graft, but all 200 sheep are now in.

Successful, that.

You know, some days you go out and, you know, some have got away on you

and, on others you're not sure some have got away or not

and that's more frustrating.

But, no, I think we've got them all.

This is only the first flock

and they'll have to keep going out every day

until they bring in all 1,500 ewes.

I'll just have to help Bobby do it tomorrow.

We'll go gather the wood and, yeah.

Just sort them out. Do as I'm told as always.

-Make my tea for tonight.

-Make your tea?

Oh, aye, that'll be interesting(!)

He's getting macaroni and cheese...

last night's leftovers.

SHEEP BLEATS

In Stirling, Central Scotland, bull-breeder Martin and fiancee Mel

have made the 150-mile journey from their farm

to take part in a prestigious show for beef calves

called Stars Of The Future. COWS MOO

An annual event, it's like a beauty pageant

for calves aged between five and 16 months,

and showcases upcoming talent across Scotland

to prospective future buyers.

Today, over 400 calves from eight different breeds,

including Beef Shorthorn, Hereford and Highland,

will all take part. COWS MOO

The most impressive in each class will be awarded a rosette.

COWS MOO

Martin and Mel have entered two 11-month-old Limousin bull calves,

Injector and Informer,

that they hope will be their next top-earning superstars.

These bulls will be bulls that I bring on for next year at sales

and, if someone's here, and sees this bull here,

and he wins his class or he does well in his class,

it kind of plants a seed in his head,

so a lot of people will watch for young bulls here,

and follow them right through to when they sell them next year.

It's good advertising for the farm and the herd, but we enjoy it.

It's a competition and I like competition.

Competition's good and healthy and we're definitely in it to win it.

We're not here to mess about.

The top prize for Martin today is the Senior Male Championship

in the Limousin rounds.

The winner will receive widespread publicity

in the breeding society press -

a golden opportunity to increase their price tag at auction

in a few months' time, when they'll be sold at their reproductive prime.

I'm just doing their tails,

and what we do is we just backcomb it,

like all the girls do, to give it a bit of volume.

It's basically just like a girl putting on make-up

and blow-drying their hair, making everyone look pretty.

Using their magic box of tricks,

they're indulging in some creative window-dressing

to show off their bulls to their best effect.

This is a really, really strong gel,

and you spray that on, comb it up

and it sets really good, but it's...

We call it a spray glue and it's pretty much as strong as glue.

It's pretty good stuff.

Now, for all the short hairs on their legs,

this is great at pulling it all up.

COW MOOS

There you go - it looks the part now.

It's Informer and Injector's first show

so they need a bit of encouragement...

Go on.

Awkward little bugger.

No, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh.

..but Martin and Mel can't control everything.

COW MOOS

Oh, you little rascal.

OK, Martin, let's go. Shift.

This is a different surrounding for them, so, different noises,

smells and, as long as it's not me being dragged round the ring,

I'll be all right.

I know Mel, she worries about it, but it happens to the best of us.

COWS MOO Time to step the unruly bulls

into the ring for the first round.

-They're up against two other Limousins of the same age.

-Oi.

Stop, please.

"I'm small but I'm feisty."

Martin leads Informer and Mel is with Injector.

Shh, shh, shh...

The winner in this round will qualify for the next -

the Senior Male Championship title -

but badly-behaved bulls will be asked to leave the ring

and disqualified.

Oi!

COW MOOS

-Morning.

-How are you?

-Fine, thanks.

-Is that your calf...?

To try and keep Injector calm,

Mel tickles his stomach with a stick,

and also uses it to position his feet in line with

the four corners of his body, to make the most of his big frame,

and kicking the judge isn't likely to help their cause.

Informer wins first prize and is through to the big competition.

Naughty Injector comes second to last.

-They didn't like my baby boy!

-SHE LAUGHS

Now, Martin's in with a shot at the title.

Winning here would help lay the groundwork for the spring sales

and make up for their dismal performance at last month's auction,

when Martin failed to sell three of his four bulls.

-AUCTIONEER:

-3,800, held under. 3,800, 3,800,

3,800 guineas. It's 3,800.

I'm very sorry, but today...

Well, that's just depressing, that, really, isn't it?

Not enough, but we'll go and try the next three,

I'm not getting very excited for this really.

Hard work - really hard work.

4,500, 4,500.

Are we all done now? 4,500 guineas...

You can see there's just...

There's no atmosphere. There's no buzz.

It's hard work - really hard work.

Shh, shh, shh...

Now, there's a bull who should have been selling for 6,000 easy -

he's unsold. It's pretty sad, like.

At Stars Of The Future, Martin's about to step into the ring

for the big competition.

Failing is my biggest fear,

and I got a real hiding in October, at the bull sales.

It wasn't our fault.

There was too many bulls, not enough buyers

and we were at the tail end of it,

so February needs to be good.

Informer's the youngest and smallest of the four Limousin finalists.

Two prizes will be awarded -

first and runner-up, known as reserve.

-COWS MOO

-He looks good standing there,

pretty wee boy.

Either would put Martin in a strong position at the spring sales.

Hey!

We've now gotten Reserve Senior Male,

so, yeah, that's good.

I didn't expect that. Happy days.

Informer has come second - a good result for Martin.

Yay!

COW MOOS

-Yay!

-Not bad.

I'm fair chuffed with that,

and he's given away five months

compared to the one Champion.

The one that got it - Champion, you know?

He's a wee star, like. He stands just beautiful.

COW MOOS

The prospects for the spring sales are looking good.

-Another one for the wall. Hey!

-COW MOOS

COW MOOS

Next time,

Sandy battles the elements as a force-11 storm hits Lewis...

-WIND BLOWS

-Freezing, freezing...

Oh, and probably going to get worse yet.

..at one of Scotland's top livestock auctions,

love is in the air for Sybil...

I love the back of his head, I like the colours

and the hair on his face, and he's got a really good waterproof coat.

I just like him.

THEY GRUNT

..and in the Irvines' calving shed,

there's a desperate struggle

to save a life.

-Right front leg. Front legs!

-COWS MOO

It's coming. It's coming.