0:00:02 > 0:00:05Across some of the most beautiful and remote landscapes
0:00:05 > 0:00:06of the British Isles...
0:00:06 > 0:00:10There's not many views like that. It's absolutely stunning.
0:00:10 > 0:00:13..Scotland's farmers work day and night,
0:00:13 > 0:00:17producing our milk and our meat.
0:00:18 > 0:00:20Trying out new ideas...
0:00:20 > 0:00:21Buffalo doesn't want to do something,
0:00:21 > 0:00:23you're going to find it very difficult.
0:00:23 > 0:00:24Hey!
0:00:24 > 0:00:28..and striving to turn a profit in tough economic times.
0:00:28 > 0:00:32We're struggling, we're definitely struggling.
0:00:32 > 0:00:33Over the course of a year,
0:00:33 > 0:00:38six very different families let cameras onto their farms...
0:00:39 > 0:00:42Everything that could've gone wrong there went wrong.
0:00:42 > 0:00:45The idea of lying on a beach - bliss.
0:00:45 > 0:00:46..to share their struggles...
0:00:46 > 0:00:49We have to get her out or she's going to die.
0:00:49 > 0:00:50..and their triumphs.
0:00:50 > 0:00:51Thank you!
0:00:51 > 0:00:55It's not about the pay cheque, it's about the lifestyle.
0:01:09 > 0:01:11It's mid-autumn in Scotland.
0:01:13 > 0:01:15As the season advances,
0:01:15 > 0:01:19the last of the warm weather makes way for rain and early frost,
0:01:19 > 0:01:21and farmers are under pressure
0:01:21 > 0:01:23to get ready for the winter months ahead.
0:01:32 > 0:01:35In the rolling farmland of Fife, on the East Coast...
0:01:37 > 0:01:40..it's time to move an unusual herd to their winter shed.
0:01:43 > 0:01:47Scotland's first water buffalo.
0:01:47 > 0:01:51I absolutely love cattle - huge part of my life growing up on the farm.
0:01:51 > 0:01:54As it got to the stage where I was looking to create a business,
0:01:54 > 0:01:57I was looking for a unique product which I could market.
0:02:00 > 0:02:02The path was much clearer with the buffalo meat,
0:02:02 > 0:02:06as opposed to normal beef, which there's already a host of, you know...
0:02:06 > 0:02:09Scotland's full of great producers of quality beef.
0:02:10 > 0:02:1434-year-old Stevie Mitchell spotted a gap in the market.
0:02:15 > 0:02:18And because buffalo meat is unusual, and low in cholesterol,
0:02:18 > 0:02:20the business has taken off.
0:02:20 > 0:02:24Now he keeps a herd of over 400.
0:02:24 > 0:02:27So, these are all nearly coming up for two years old.
0:02:27 > 0:02:30These are all young boys, which were bred for meat.
0:02:33 > 0:02:36Today, Stevie needs to move his bull calves
0:02:36 > 0:02:38from the hills into their winter housing.
0:02:39 > 0:02:42Normally we do this by lorry, because it is a bit of distance,
0:02:42 > 0:02:46but the fields in between our farm
0:02:46 > 0:02:49and the farm we're taking them to just now are in stubble.
0:02:49 > 0:02:52So to save a bit of money, we're going to try and take them by foot.
0:02:52 > 0:02:54So, it'll be an interesting project.
0:02:57 > 0:03:00There shouldn't be too much trouble, but famous last words.
0:03:05 > 0:03:06Good boys.
0:03:07 > 0:03:09The bull calves are keen...
0:03:13 > 0:03:18..but Stevie's prize stock bull, 007, is having none of it.
0:03:18 > 0:03:19He's a big fair lump,
0:03:19 > 0:03:23but we need to move him out of the road, so we can bring the...
0:03:24 > 0:03:26..these young bulls up, but...
0:03:26 > 0:03:30the only thing he's bad at is he really hates other males.
0:03:31 > 0:03:34He's top dog.
0:03:34 > 0:03:37We bought him as a calf probably about eight or nine years ago.
0:03:38 > 0:03:42He's father now to most of our females that we keep,
0:03:42 > 0:03:44because he's got such a good temperament.
0:03:44 > 0:03:49He may be well-loved, but buffalo are notoriously stubborn.
0:03:49 > 0:03:52007 weighs over a tonne.
0:03:52 > 0:03:53Come on.
0:03:54 > 0:03:56Stockman Eddie lends a hand.
0:03:56 > 0:03:58It makes it quite difficult for us sometimes,
0:03:58 > 0:04:00because he's so headstrong and weighs so much.
0:04:00 > 0:04:02Trying to get him to do anything.
0:04:02 > 0:04:04Come on, big fella, let's go.
0:04:04 > 0:04:06He's got such a thick skin and big horns, he doesn't feel anything.
0:04:06 > 0:04:08Come on! No!
0:04:08 > 0:04:09Hey! No, come on!
0:04:09 > 0:04:14The other way. Come on, turn around!
0:04:14 > 0:04:17Come on, don't be silly. Come on, boy.
0:04:17 > 0:04:19Come on, ho! Come on!
0:04:19 > 0:04:20Hey!
0:04:22 > 0:04:23Good boy. That's a boy.
0:04:25 > 0:04:30With 007 shifted, Stevie and Eddie can finally get going.
0:04:31 > 0:04:32Come on, then, guys.
0:04:32 > 0:04:34HE WHISTLES
0:04:37 > 0:04:39When the buffalo get out, they behave quite different to cows.
0:04:39 > 0:04:42Cows tend to get quite excited, but buffalo just march,
0:04:42 > 0:04:44and they can get quite far.
0:04:48 > 0:04:51Domestic water buffalo are more commonly seen
0:04:51 > 0:04:54tilling the rice paddies of Southeast Asia.
0:04:57 > 0:04:59They stick as a group, they stick as a herd.
0:04:59 > 0:05:02They are, I think, crafty. They're definitely quicker.
0:05:02 > 0:05:04They run faster than cows -
0:05:04 > 0:05:06they're an extra five or ten miles an hour quicker,
0:05:06 > 0:05:08definitely, than cows.
0:05:09 > 0:05:12I mean, it's how people shifted animals back in the day.
0:05:12 > 0:05:14All the drovers shifted them from market to market, you know?
0:05:14 > 0:05:18So, it's quite a modern thing, these big livestock lorries.
0:05:18 > 0:05:21They're getting ahead of me, so I'd better crack on!
0:05:29 > 0:05:3345 minutes later, the buffalo arrive at their winter home.
0:05:34 > 0:05:37Feeling quite good about things - that all went really, really well.
0:05:37 > 0:05:41Just need get them up around a shed.
0:05:41 > 0:05:43Home sweet home.
0:05:43 > 0:05:46They'll spend the next few months being fed indoors.
0:05:46 > 0:05:48Come on, guys, out of here.
0:05:50 > 0:05:53It's both better for them and the fields,
0:05:53 > 0:05:56which can grow new grass for the spring.
0:05:56 > 0:05:57All done. That went all right.
0:05:57 > 0:05:59It's just so much nicer for the animals.
0:05:59 > 0:06:01You could see how happy they were.
0:06:01 > 0:06:04Almost going out for a leisurely stroll this afternoon.
0:06:06 > 0:06:09Most of the bulls will spend their last winter here.
0:06:09 > 0:06:12But one of these young fellows could get lucky
0:06:12 > 0:06:15and live on to become Stevie's new stock bull.
0:06:15 > 0:06:18It's a funny noise they make, isn't it?
0:06:18 > 0:06:21It goes... During a still night, it goes for miles.
0:06:21 > 0:06:22It's really funny.
0:06:22 > 0:06:25BUFFALOS GRUNT
0:06:30 > 0:06:34135 miles north, in the Highlands near Inverness,
0:06:34 > 0:06:37Robin and Penny Calvert run a croft.
0:06:37 > 0:06:39A traditional small-scale holding,
0:06:39 > 0:06:41unique to the Highlands and Islands of Scotland.
0:06:44 > 0:06:50A croft...possibly even more than a "proper farm" in inverted commas.
0:06:50 > 0:06:52It almost becomes part of you, it's a funny thing to say.
0:06:54 > 0:06:56It's the seasons, the way the colours change.
0:06:56 > 0:06:59It's the weather, they all, sort of,
0:06:59 > 0:07:01get under your skin over the course of time.
0:07:05 > 0:07:07Make sure that calf goes in, Penny.
0:07:07 > 0:07:09Peggy, just stay there.
0:07:09 > 0:07:12They make money by butchering and selling meat
0:07:12 > 0:07:14from the animals they raise.
0:07:14 > 0:07:15Okey dokey.
0:07:15 > 0:07:18So when a cow nears the end of her breeding life,
0:07:18 > 0:07:21her value to the croft dwindles,
0:07:21 > 0:07:23and Robin and Penny need to sell her while they still can.
0:07:25 > 0:07:29This morning, we're preparing our cows to go to the market,
0:07:29 > 0:07:32and we're having them ready overnight,
0:07:32 > 0:07:35and then we'll take them early next morning.
0:07:35 > 0:07:39Up for sale are 12-year-old Honey and 11-year-old Blondie,
0:07:39 > 0:07:41and Blondie's three-week-old heifer calf.
0:07:41 > 0:07:45They're still capable of having maybe two or three calves,
0:07:45 > 0:07:48so somebody else can make use of them.
0:07:48 > 0:07:52And selling one with a calf at foot is always a good thing, as well.
0:07:53 > 0:07:56Right, we'll leave them there for now.
0:07:57 > 0:07:59Highland cows will fight to establish a pecking order
0:07:59 > 0:08:01when they're contained.
0:08:02 > 0:08:04The problem we got at the moment is these two
0:08:04 > 0:08:06have never been terribly fond of each other.
0:08:06 > 0:08:09So we're going to have to put them in a trailer tomorrow morning,
0:08:09 > 0:08:11so I want them absolutely used to each other
0:08:11 > 0:08:13before they go in there, these two.
0:08:13 > 0:08:15Oh, no, no, no, no, no!
0:08:15 > 0:08:17Hang on! Whoa!
0:08:19 > 0:08:21Calf's on the wrong side.
0:08:21 > 0:08:23All right, we'll have to bring her back around.
0:08:24 > 0:08:27They're just organising their pecking order...
0:08:27 > 0:08:29and she jumped the fence.
0:08:29 > 0:08:31Right, Penny, I'm just going to have to lead her down.
0:08:31 > 0:08:34So, she's no longer in the fank, she's actually in the hen run.
0:08:36 > 0:08:39The difficulty being that she's going to have to leave her calf
0:08:39 > 0:08:42over the fence in order to get round the corner and back,
0:08:42 > 0:08:45so that might be a little bit difficult.
0:08:45 > 0:08:48Robin lures Blondie with some tasty treats.
0:08:51 > 0:08:53That's with having them in a tight space.
0:08:53 > 0:08:57If I had opened them up, we wouldn't have had that happening.
0:08:57 > 0:08:58Let's open this gate here.
0:08:58 > 0:09:01Come on, good girl. Good girl.
0:09:03 > 0:09:05That wasn't very nicely tempered of you, was it?
0:09:08 > 0:09:10They're back together for now.
0:09:12 > 0:09:13They're fine now.
0:09:13 > 0:09:17I'll be sorry to see that old cow go - she's been a good one.
0:09:17 > 0:09:19But I really don't want her around here
0:09:19 > 0:09:22when she's getting old and grey, like me.
0:09:23 > 0:09:25But, tomorrow, it's market day,
0:09:25 > 0:09:28which means an even tighter squeeze in the trailer.
0:09:38 > 0:09:40South-west in the Inner Hebrides,
0:09:40 > 0:09:43the Isle of Mull is home to new entrant farmers
0:09:43 > 0:09:44Janet and Alistair Taylor.
0:09:47 > 0:09:50They're tenants of a small farm on the south of the island.
0:09:53 > 0:09:57Along with two horses, ducks, and a large brood of hens,
0:09:57 > 0:10:00together they look after 180 sheep...
0:10:01 > 0:10:05This is Toffee, and this is Chantelle.
0:10:05 > 0:10:06Quite eager to get some breakfast.
0:10:06 > 0:10:09..and 20 Highland cattle.
0:10:09 > 0:10:12So, that's Hazel, Goldilocks and Patience in front of us.
0:10:14 > 0:10:16That's a lot of mouths to feed.
0:10:19 > 0:10:23Janet and Alistair depend on subsidies and grants to survive.
0:10:23 > 0:10:26The only income the farm's livestock have brought in this year
0:10:26 > 0:10:31is from the sale of lambs - a mere £2,000.
0:10:32 > 0:10:34What are you doing out, old fool?
0:10:34 > 0:10:36No shooting for you!
0:10:36 > 0:10:40So to boost their income, the couple take paid work on other farms.
0:10:42 > 0:10:44This autumn, Alistair's hoping to take over
0:10:44 > 0:10:48a potentially lucrative job managing red deer on three estates.
0:10:50 > 0:10:53It could provide the struggling farmers
0:10:53 > 0:10:55with up to £9,000 extra a year.
0:10:57 > 0:11:00Alistair's learning the ropes from Callum Entwistle.
0:11:01 > 0:11:03Callum's always in charge.
0:11:03 > 0:11:06That way, if we don't get anything, it's Callum's fault.
0:11:09 > 0:11:11Safety is absolutely paramount.
0:11:12 > 0:11:14This is Mull, and here,
0:11:14 > 0:11:17there's a pair of binoculars behind every bush.
0:11:17 > 0:11:19People are perfectly entitled to be out here.
0:11:19 > 0:11:22Pest as it is for us doing our job, but it is part of life,
0:11:22 > 0:11:24so we just have to accept it.
0:11:26 > 0:11:29There are over 7,000 red deer on Mull,
0:11:29 > 0:11:31and they have no natural predators.
0:11:32 > 0:11:37Without some being culled every year, the population would explode,
0:11:37 > 0:11:40leading to the ransacking of vegetation across the island,
0:11:40 > 0:11:42and disease.
0:11:42 > 0:11:45But, today, the deer are proving elusive.
0:11:46 > 0:11:47They're hiding at the moment.
0:11:47 > 0:11:49I think if they've got any sense,
0:11:49 > 0:11:51they're hiding in the trees out of the wind.
0:11:52 > 0:11:55German pointer Driesh is learning the ropes, too.
0:11:56 > 0:12:00He's a gun dog - an ideal candidate for deerstalking...
0:12:01 > 0:12:03..and half an hour in, he picks up a scent.
0:12:05 > 0:12:06He's saying they're that way.
0:12:09 > 0:12:13The tail's stiff, and he was scenting the air.
0:12:13 > 0:12:14He can smell a stag.
0:12:15 > 0:12:17But it's over 200 metres away.
0:12:20 > 0:12:22239 metres when we first saw him.
0:12:23 > 0:12:25And then he spun.
0:12:25 > 0:12:26He was head-on to us,
0:12:26 > 0:12:28which is not a shot you would take at that distance.
0:12:28 > 0:12:30He'll live for another day.
0:12:31 > 0:12:33That's stalking.
0:12:33 > 0:12:35- Driesh could smell him.- Yeah.
0:12:35 > 0:12:38When we came halfway across there, we stopped, because he was...
0:12:39 > 0:12:41..turning towards there.
0:12:42 > 0:12:45To the kettle! Tea time.
0:12:46 > 0:12:48Before he can take over from Callum,
0:12:48 > 0:12:51Alistair needs a stalking certificate,
0:12:51 > 0:12:53which means passing a shooting exam.
0:12:53 > 0:12:56Driesh was really good today - I was really pleased with him,
0:12:56 > 0:12:58cos he was calm, and he didn't get frustrated
0:12:58 > 0:12:59when we were waiting around,
0:12:59 > 0:13:02and didn't make any noise, so really pleased.
0:13:03 > 0:13:05Driesh has passed his first test.
0:13:05 > 0:13:07Next, it's Alistair's turn.
0:13:20 > 0:13:22120 miles east in Fife,
0:13:22 > 0:13:25Stevie's also putting his animals through their paces.
0:13:28 > 0:13:30He's hoping to spot a new stock bull
0:13:30 > 0:13:32while weighing all the buffalo he moved earlier.
0:13:34 > 0:13:37Stevie's invested in a brand-new bit of kit for the job.
0:13:37 > 0:13:40A special cage for holding cattle called a crush.
0:13:42 > 0:13:44Been looking forward to getting this crush for quite a long time
0:13:44 > 0:13:48so that we could get some facts rather than going on instinct.
0:13:51 > 0:13:54By weighing the bulls, they can work out how much feed they need
0:13:54 > 0:13:57to reach their optimum weight for slaughter.
0:13:58 > 0:14:01But as water buffalo are a new species in Scotland,
0:14:01 > 0:14:04Stevie's always on a steep learning curve.
0:14:05 > 0:14:07So, it should say 172 kilos.
0:14:13 > 0:14:14I don't know what weight I am, though.
0:14:14 > 0:14:16You know you're 72 kilos, eh?
0:14:16 > 0:14:18I think I'm 100, but I'm not sure.
0:14:20 > 0:14:23It's something we probably should have done a long time ago,
0:14:23 > 0:14:25but, you know, this crush wasn't a cheap piece of equipment,
0:14:25 > 0:14:27and you've got to prioritise.
0:14:27 > 0:14:29- When we're right in the middle, it's right.- Yes.
0:14:29 > 0:14:32- What was that, 100 kilos?- 112 kilos.
0:14:33 > 0:14:35It's saying I'm 112 kilos?
0:14:35 > 0:14:37- Yes.- It's saying you're 72.
0:14:37 > 0:14:39- Uh-huh.- Right in the middle.
0:14:39 > 0:14:40We're not...
0:14:40 > 0:14:42- It's probably got a wee bit of wiggle room, so...- Yeah.
0:14:42 > 0:14:44Right, let's get started.
0:14:47 > 0:14:50Stevie has 160 obstinate bulls to weigh...
0:14:50 > 0:14:52Come on, boy. Up here.
0:14:52 > 0:14:55..but these boys have never been in a crush before.
0:14:55 > 0:14:57Don't be stubborn. Good boy.
0:15:03 > 0:15:06So, we're writing down all their weights.
0:15:06 > 0:15:09The plan is that we'll do this again in 30 days' time,
0:15:09 > 0:15:11and just see how much they've grown.
0:15:11 > 0:15:12No, come back.
0:15:14 > 0:15:15Good boy.
0:15:17 > 0:15:18Buffalo can be extremely stubborn,
0:15:18 > 0:15:22and the good news is that of all the traits they've got, they never kick,
0:15:22 > 0:15:26whereas the cattle beasts are... quite dangerous from behind.
0:15:26 > 0:15:28Get on. In you go.
0:15:28 > 0:15:30Hup, hup!
0:15:30 > 0:15:31Just go forward.
0:15:33 > 0:15:35Back, you.
0:15:37 > 0:15:39There we go. Phew!
0:15:40 > 0:15:41The buffalo's on...
0:15:43 > 0:15:46..but the scales aren't...
0:15:46 > 0:15:48Have we not had that at zero?
0:15:50 > 0:15:51HE COUGHS
0:15:51 > 0:15:54Right, we'll have him back out.
0:15:54 > 0:15:55..so he has to come off again.
0:16:02 > 0:16:04514.
0:16:04 > 0:16:06The buffalo, like, you just have to accept that it takes time.
0:16:06 > 0:16:11The more you get stressed, the less co-operative they come.
0:16:11 > 0:16:14The more you fight them, the more they go against you.
0:16:16 > 0:16:17Come on, move on.
0:16:23 > 0:16:24Well done, Eddie.
0:16:26 > 0:16:28As the youngsters go through,
0:16:28 > 0:16:31Stevie's been looking for a new stock bull.
0:16:31 > 0:16:32And one of them has caught his eye.
0:16:34 > 0:16:36There's lots to look at in a bull.
0:16:36 > 0:16:40He's got to be good on his feet, decent head, really good top line.
0:16:40 > 0:16:44Without being hard on this beast, it's just not got the same...
0:16:44 > 0:16:46It's not as full, erm...
0:16:47 > 0:16:49Not quite as well put together.
0:16:49 > 0:16:52It's actually, for a buffalo, got a really good shape.
0:16:53 > 0:16:57While the rest of these young bulls are destined for the food chain,
0:16:57 > 0:17:01this lucky fellow could be plucked out to live a very different life.
0:17:01 > 0:17:04He will get a name. The breeding bulls all have names.
0:17:04 > 0:17:10We've got 007, because his mum was 007, and he became Mr Bond.
0:17:10 > 0:17:12Get on, get on, get on, get on, get on, get on.
0:17:12 > 0:17:13HE WHISTLES
0:17:13 > 0:17:16But only if he gets the thumbs-up from vet Simon Ward.
0:17:18 > 0:17:20First time I tried to take a blood sample off a buffalo,
0:17:20 > 0:17:23Steve said it's easier to get blood out of a stone,
0:17:23 > 0:17:24and I didn't believe him.
0:17:24 > 0:17:26HE LAUGHS
0:17:26 > 0:17:27Come on, big fella. Come on.
0:17:29 > 0:17:32It is your luckiest day ever.
0:17:32 > 0:17:35Hopefully, provided the vet thinks that you're up for the job.
0:17:35 > 0:17:38Come on, keep going forward.
0:17:38 > 0:17:40Come on, son.
0:17:40 > 0:17:44Stevie wants Simon to size up his great new hope.
0:17:44 > 0:17:47They have notably smaller scrotums.
0:17:47 > 0:17:48Simon will have felt more...
0:17:49 > 0:17:51..bulls' balls than I have, so he'll maybe...
0:17:51 > 0:17:53I was wondering where you were going there!
0:17:53 > 0:17:57He'll maybe be able to tell us how different they are, but...
0:17:57 > 0:18:00So what we're looking for is symmetry of the two testicles,
0:18:00 > 0:18:05are they both present, is there a hernia above it?
0:18:05 > 0:18:07And particularly down at the tail of the epididymis,
0:18:07 > 0:18:10is there a hardened lump on them?
0:18:10 > 0:18:12And they both feel perfectly symmetrical.
0:18:12 > 0:18:13- They do?- Yeah.
0:18:13 > 0:18:15If the young bull passes muster,
0:18:15 > 0:18:19he'll be put straight to work, as Stevie's favourite,
0:18:19 > 0:18:22007, has recently been firing blanks.
0:18:22 > 0:18:26007, for the first time ever, didn't get his cows in calf.
0:18:28 > 0:18:30So this is why we're picking out a new bull to...
0:18:31 > 0:18:35At the moment, help 007, potentially have to replace 007.
0:18:35 > 0:18:38- Seems all right. Yep. - Good as gold.- Yep.
0:18:38 > 0:18:41- Yep.- Ah, well, Eddie, looks like we've got a new stock bull.
0:18:41 > 0:18:43- Well, thanks for that, Simon. - No bother.
0:18:43 > 0:18:46- So now just a puppy.- Puppy! - THEY LAUGH
0:18:47 > 0:18:52Last up is Stevie's latest acquisition.
0:18:52 > 0:18:54This is our wee friend Maple.
0:18:54 > 0:18:56So she's just eight weeks old.
0:18:56 > 0:18:59Before starting her career as a gun dog,
0:18:59 > 0:19:02Labrador Maple needs to be vaccinated and microchipped.
0:19:02 > 0:19:07I'll put you in my jacket. Warmer in here, eh?
0:19:07 > 0:19:08Looks like butter wouldn't melt.
0:19:08 > 0:19:12Normally, she's running round like an absolute terror, aren't you?
0:19:12 > 0:19:14Whirlwind.
0:19:14 > 0:19:16Destroying everything in her sight.
0:19:17 > 0:19:20I thought this would be nicer than having to go to the vet.
0:19:20 > 0:19:23The vet's come to Maple, cos she's special.
0:19:26 > 0:19:28Good dog. That's it.
0:19:28 > 0:19:30We will get a wee whimper off this one.
0:19:30 > 0:19:32This is her microchip.
0:19:32 > 0:19:35It is a very, very big needle I have to put in the back of the neck,
0:19:35 > 0:19:39so they tend to let a wee whimper out.
0:19:40 > 0:19:42MAPLE WHIMPERS
0:19:42 > 0:19:44It's OK, Mapes, you're OK.
0:19:44 > 0:19:47Brave dog! Brave dog.
0:19:47 > 0:19:49I feel a little bit...
0:19:51 > 0:19:54..un-farmer-ish right now. But she is lovely.
0:19:54 > 0:19:55HE LAUGHS
0:20:14 > 0:20:17On the West Coast, it's an early start and a big day for Alistair.
0:20:21 > 0:20:24He's taking the ferry from Mull to the mainland,
0:20:24 > 0:20:27where he'll be sitting his deerstalking exam.
0:20:33 > 0:20:35I need this certificate to be allowed to sell venison
0:20:35 > 0:20:36into the food chain.
0:20:36 > 0:20:38So without it, all the deer I shot
0:20:38 > 0:20:41wouldn't be available for sale to the public.
0:20:41 > 0:20:45So that would take away any profit from shooting deer,
0:20:45 > 0:20:46so it's pretty important.
0:20:46 > 0:20:50It's about as important as they come for tests that I've got to do.
0:20:50 > 0:20:53I'm feeling suitably nervous about getting it done!
0:20:53 > 0:20:55Cos I HAVE to do it, there's no...
0:20:55 > 0:20:58There's no, "I can't do it," or, "I maybe wouldn't do it."
0:20:58 > 0:21:02So, if I don't pass it, I have to come back and do it again,
0:21:02 > 0:21:03which just costs a fortune.
0:21:05 > 0:21:09Adding to the pressure, Alistair's absent for the farm for five days -
0:21:09 > 0:21:11the longest he's ever been away.
0:21:13 > 0:21:17While I'm away, Janet's mostly quiet.
0:21:17 > 0:21:20Hopefully, there shouldn't be any problems with anything.
0:21:20 > 0:21:23Maybe it's easier when I'm away, and I'm not there to make a mess.
0:21:24 > 0:21:27Alistair and Janet met when they were teenagers,
0:21:27 > 0:21:29and have been inseparable ever since.
0:21:29 > 0:21:33It's really unusual for the two of us to be apart,
0:21:33 > 0:21:36so this going away for five days is quite a big thing.
0:21:43 > 0:21:46Cuillin, Cuillin. Cuillin, Cuillin. Come on!
0:21:46 > 0:21:49We've got eight collies and Driesh.
0:21:49 > 0:21:55Cuillin, Moss, Duke, Shaw, Bria, Pip, Rusty and Driesh.
0:21:55 > 0:21:57And Bud.
0:21:57 > 0:21:59- Forgot one! - SHE LAUGHS
0:22:00 > 0:22:03People always ask me how I keep track of them,
0:22:03 > 0:22:07and I've trained them to keep track of me, so they know where I am.
0:22:09 > 0:22:11With so many dependents,
0:22:11 > 0:22:13Janet knows Alistair will be feeling the pressure.
0:22:15 > 0:22:17It's a big thing.
0:22:17 > 0:22:19It's going to make us a bit busier,
0:22:19 > 0:22:22but it's got lots of benefits to it, too.
0:22:22 > 0:22:24I think he's probably quite nervous!
0:22:24 > 0:22:26He needs this for the job,
0:22:26 > 0:22:30so he needs to pass, and everyone he's spoken to keeps saying,
0:22:30 > 0:22:32"Oh, yes, when I was on the course, I passed,
0:22:32 > 0:22:34"but quite a few people failed."
0:22:34 > 0:22:36Which doesn't help!
0:22:42 > 0:22:45In the Highlands, north of Inverness,
0:22:45 > 0:22:47it's market day for Robin and Penny.
0:22:47 > 0:22:48Come by!
0:22:50 > 0:22:53Blondie and Honey have been kept together in a pen overnight
0:22:53 > 0:22:55to encourage them to get on.
0:22:56 > 0:22:59Sometimes they'll go in with a bucket, sometimes they won't -
0:22:59 > 0:23:01we'll just have to see what happens.
0:23:01 > 0:23:04Now they need to coax the pair, and Blondie's young calf,
0:23:04 > 0:23:05into a small trailer.
0:23:06 > 0:23:09Now, Honey, are you going to come in like a good girl,
0:23:09 > 0:23:10or are we going to have to coerce you in?
0:23:15 > 0:23:16No, she's very nervous.
0:23:16 > 0:23:18- I think we're going to have to hurdle them in.- Yes.
0:23:18 > 0:23:20So I'll put the bucket there.
0:23:21 > 0:23:23As an incitement, inducement.
0:23:25 > 0:23:27OK.
0:23:27 > 0:23:29- Now, keep coming in with me with that gate.- Yeah.
0:23:29 > 0:23:30Robin has a plan.
0:23:31 > 0:23:35He's going to take the hurdles and gradually pull them in,
0:23:35 > 0:23:37and diminish the area that they're in, and push them in,
0:23:37 > 0:23:40and push them until they've got only one way to go.
0:23:42 > 0:23:44On you go. Ho! Ho! Ho!
0:23:44 > 0:23:47Come on. On you go. Come on. Come on. On you go. Come on.
0:23:47 > 0:23:51These two cows just don't want to be absolutely close together.
0:23:54 > 0:23:56Ho! Come on, in you go.
0:23:56 > 0:24:00- Mind that gap, Pen.- Oh, the calf's going to get out of the other side.
0:24:00 > 0:24:02Go on, get up.
0:24:03 > 0:24:05God's sakes!
0:24:05 > 0:24:09The calf escapes, and Blondie's not happy.
0:24:09 > 0:24:10Now we've got a problem.
0:24:11 > 0:24:12Where's the calf?
0:24:12 > 0:24:13MOOING
0:24:15 > 0:24:17No! Whoa! Whoa! Whoa! Whoa!
0:24:17 > 0:24:18That's the problem we've got.
0:24:20 > 0:24:22Where's the little one?
0:24:24 > 0:24:26Fine. We'll worry about the calf later.
0:24:27 > 0:24:28Undo that rope, Pen, quickly.
0:24:31 > 0:24:32Whoa!
0:24:33 > 0:24:34Blondie's in...
0:24:36 > 0:24:39..but Honey's not keen to join her.
0:24:39 > 0:24:41Just go into the front, open the front gate,
0:24:41 > 0:24:42and rattle these nuts here.
0:24:42 > 0:24:43Quick as you can.
0:24:47 > 0:24:48That's it.
0:24:59 > 0:25:00OK, you two, just steady on.
0:25:01 > 0:25:04Right. Where's the calf? Any idea?
0:25:04 > 0:25:07Don't let that calf jump in with the others, whatever we do.
0:25:07 > 0:25:10Sheepdog Meg's herding instincts kick in.
0:25:11 > 0:25:13Meg, come to heel. Come to heel.
0:25:13 > 0:25:15Good girl. Keep it going that direction.
0:25:18 > 0:25:19Good girl.
0:25:20 > 0:25:22Come to heel!
0:25:24 > 0:25:26We've got her.
0:25:28 > 0:25:30Steady. Steady now.
0:25:30 > 0:25:31Doing fine.
0:25:31 > 0:25:32We've got her into the fank,
0:25:32 > 0:25:34we're now actually going to put her through.
0:25:34 > 0:25:37If we open the gates up, we're going to lose the cows out of there.
0:25:37 > 0:25:39I think the only thing I can do is actually physically...
0:25:40 > 0:25:42..pick up the calf in here,
0:25:42 > 0:25:46and then put it through the small door in the trailer.
0:25:46 > 0:25:47Come and get the head lock, quickly.
0:25:48 > 0:25:52- Pull hard down.- Pull hard down, then pull the thing towards you.
0:25:52 > 0:25:54Pull the other one towards you now.
0:25:54 > 0:25:55She's not yet three weeks old,
0:25:55 > 0:26:00but the calf already weighs around 45 kilos.
0:26:00 > 0:26:01Right, get that bottom door.
0:26:01 > 0:26:03Fast as you can.
0:26:07 > 0:26:09Help me lift it in.
0:26:17 > 0:26:19As easy as that!
0:26:19 > 0:26:21PENNY LAUGHS
0:26:22 > 0:26:25Basically, everything that could have gone wrong there went wrong.
0:26:25 > 0:26:27Uncooperative cows, breaking out calves.
0:26:27 > 0:26:30- HE SIGHS - We did it.- We got there.
0:26:31 > 0:26:33It's all taken longer than Robin hoped.
0:26:34 > 0:26:37Quick change, quick cup of tea, and let's get down to the market
0:26:37 > 0:26:39before we get there too late.
0:26:39 > 0:26:41- DOG BARKS - Meg! Come and get in.
0:26:41 > 0:26:43Meg! Get in. Go on, get in.
0:26:44 > 0:26:48Now all he has to worry about is getting the cows and calves
0:26:48 > 0:26:50safely to market, and in time.
0:26:53 > 0:26:56There isn't really room for these two to completely turn around
0:26:56 > 0:26:58among themselves, cos they're quite big cows.
0:26:58 > 0:27:02If they do decide to have a bit of a waltz or a tango on the way down,
0:27:02 > 0:27:04then we'll just have to drive accordingly.
0:27:13 > 0:27:16Over 50 miles south-east, near Aberdeen...
0:27:19 > 0:27:24..fifth-generation farmer Martin Irvine rents a 240-acre farm.
0:27:26 > 0:27:28Previously on This Farming Life...
0:27:29 > 0:27:33..Martin's passion was breeding pedigree Limousin bulls.
0:27:33 > 0:27:36Until sheep-loving Mel came into his life.
0:27:36 > 0:27:39Hell of a size of nuts on him.
0:27:40 > 0:27:43Martin, you may kiss the bride.
0:27:43 > 0:27:46Mel and Martin tied the knot on the banks of the river Spey...
0:27:46 > 0:27:48APPLAUSE
0:27:49 > 0:27:52..and they knew exactly what they wanted to do next.
0:27:52 > 0:27:55She's very broody. Very, very broody.
0:27:55 > 0:27:57- Babies, babies, and more babies. - Really?!
0:27:57 > 0:27:59LAUGHTER
0:27:59 > 0:28:02Now it's 16 months later,
0:28:02 > 0:28:04and they have a new addition to the Irvine clan...
0:28:05 > 0:28:07..baby Erin.
0:28:08 > 0:28:11ERIN CRIES
0:28:11 > 0:28:13Four-month-old Erin is already showing signs
0:28:13 > 0:28:15of having farming in her blood.
0:28:15 > 0:28:17Oh, she'll definitely be a sheep gal.
0:28:17 > 0:28:19- Definitely. - ERIN SQUEALS
0:28:19 > 0:28:20See?
0:28:20 > 0:28:21MEL LAUGHS
0:28:21 > 0:28:22You like sheep!
0:28:24 > 0:28:25Huh?
0:28:25 > 0:28:29Today, Mel and Martin are planning to worm the sale lambs -
0:28:29 > 0:28:30all 500 of them.
0:28:30 > 0:28:34Shoo! Shoo! Tilly! Come out of there!
0:28:34 > 0:28:36Mel can't get as hands-on as she used to.
0:28:38 > 0:28:40Me and Erin do some back pinning.
0:28:40 > 0:28:42The safest bit for her.
0:28:42 > 0:28:43Isn't it?
0:28:45 > 0:28:47Shoo! Shoo! Shoo! Shoo!
0:28:47 > 0:28:50Got to watch that she doesn't get bashed or bumped,
0:28:50 > 0:28:53either by me pulling a gate, or a sheep.
0:28:53 > 0:28:54But you'll survive, won't you?
0:28:55 > 0:28:57We start off with an easy job,
0:28:57 > 0:28:59and then when she can hold a worming gun, she can do it.
0:29:01 > 0:29:04Until then, Martin has to worm the lambs on his own.
0:29:05 > 0:29:07If they would just stand and open their mouths,
0:29:07 > 0:29:09it would be a lot easier, but the more they fight,
0:29:09 > 0:29:11the harder it is on them.
0:29:15 > 0:29:17Everyone kind of said to us, you know, when you have a baby,
0:29:17 > 0:29:19it changes your life, and, yes, it does,
0:29:19 > 0:29:21but not as much as I thought it would.
0:29:23 > 0:29:26And she's been on the tractor and the digger and the quad bike.
0:29:27 > 0:29:30All before she's five months old.
0:29:31 > 0:29:32Yeah, she's had a good start.
0:29:34 > 0:29:38It takes an hour and a quarter to dose all 500 lambs.
0:29:39 > 0:29:43We did it, didn't we? That's a good afternoon's work.
0:29:43 > 0:29:45But there's no rest for Martin yet.
0:29:46 > 0:29:49He and dad Stephen want to see if their crop of barley
0:29:49 > 0:29:51is dry enough to harvest.
0:29:53 > 0:29:56A late spate of warm weather could save them money on drying costs.
0:30:00 > 0:30:03What we've got here is an unfed grain, just a random pick.
0:30:03 > 0:30:07And we just have to separate the seed from the chaff, pretty much.
0:30:07 > 0:30:08So we just crush it up in our hands.
0:30:08 > 0:30:12What we want to do is just a small handful
0:30:12 > 0:30:13of clean seed to test.
0:30:14 > 0:30:19Martin has a high-tech moisture meter.
0:30:19 > 0:30:20All we're doing is just crushing it.
0:30:23 > 0:30:26Just turn into a powder with the moisture meter.
0:30:27 > 0:30:29And it feels good, I'm guessing...
0:30:30 > 0:30:3319%. What's your guess, Dad?
0:30:35 > 0:30:3719 and a quarter.
0:30:39 > 0:30:43Stephen's moisture meter is a bit more old-school.
0:30:43 > 0:30:46Well, you bite it and if it cracks in your teeth,
0:30:46 > 0:30:48you ken how dry it is.
0:30:48 > 0:30:50If it just squashes... Ken. It's supposed to crack in your teeth.
0:30:50 > 0:30:53The harder it is, the drier it is.
0:30:53 > 0:30:55- Is that right, Dad? - Aye.
0:30:55 > 0:30:56That's why he's got no teeth.
0:30:56 > 0:30:59HE LAUGHS
0:31:00 > 0:31:03So that's good, that's 18%, so it's getting close.
0:31:03 > 0:31:05We normally add a percent and a half, 2%,
0:31:05 > 0:31:07by the time it goes through the combine.
0:31:07 > 0:31:10So I'd imagine if I combined this now, it would be about 20%,
0:31:10 > 0:31:11and that's just too wet for us.
0:31:11 > 0:31:15If I get it low, 17%, maybe 16% if we're very lucky,
0:31:15 > 0:31:17I've got no drying costs at all.
0:31:17 > 0:31:19So that's us saving money. It is very much a gamble.
0:31:19 > 0:31:22As far as I can see, the forecast's good, so I'll gamble,
0:31:22 > 0:31:25I'll leave it another two days and hopefully it will drop down to just
0:31:25 > 0:31:26where I want it to be.
0:31:28 > 0:31:29Jack. Jack.
0:31:29 > 0:31:32Come on. Come on. Hup.
0:31:32 > 0:31:36Martin's banking on the good weather but if the rain comes early,
0:31:36 > 0:31:38his harvest could be ruined.
0:31:38 > 0:31:41We're not going to get too excited just yet.
0:31:41 > 0:31:43It's coming. The weather's good, it's close.
0:31:43 > 0:31:45You can hear the barley crackling away.
0:31:45 > 0:31:46Patience.
0:31:54 > 0:31:5750 miles west in Dingwall,
0:31:57 > 0:32:01farmers from around Scotland are buying and selling rare-breed and
0:32:01 > 0:32:03Highland cattle.
0:32:03 > 0:32:06On you go.
0:32:06 > 0:32:10Honey and Blondie seem to have put their differences to one side.
0:32:10 > 0:32:11No, we're back on track again.
0:32:11 > 0:32:15The calf seems quite happy, no injuries there or anything.
0:32:15 > 0:32:17These two are quite settled.
0:32:17 > 0:32:19Blondie's looking a bit fed up, she's been here before, a few years ago.
0:32:19 > 0:32:22It's where we got her from originally. But...
0:32:22 > 0:32:24There's a big cross-section of what happens
0:32:24 > 0:32:26to these animals at the end of the day.
0:32:26 > 0:32:29Some people keep them almost as pets, you know.
0:32:29 > 0:32:31Either of these two more or less could go for that.
0:32:31 > 0:32:33The only thing going against them is actually their age,
0:32:33 > 0:32:36which will knock a lot of their value off, because they are quite old cows,
0:32:36 > 0:32:38which is exactly why we're getting rid of them.
0:32:38 > 0:32:42- Come on, girls. - If he can sell them today,
0:32:42 > 0:32:45Robin will have three less mouths to feed over the winter.
0:32:45 > 0:32:49- Honey, shift down. - But with the cows' advanced age,
0:32:49 > 0:32:51they might not fetch a good price.
0:32:52 > 0:32:54We just have to see what happens when we get out there,
0:32:54 > 0:32:56I'm really not making any predictions on it at all.
0:32:57 > 0:32:59There's one.
0:33:00 > 0:33:04First up is Blondie, with her calf at foot.
0:33:04 > 0:33:07Very quiet cow, a three-week-old calf.
0:33:07 > 0:33:08It's a nice quiet cow here...
0:33:08 > 0:33:11280...
0:33:11 > 0:33:13It's a good start.
0:33:16 > 0:33:17..40
0:33:17 > 0:33:1960.
0:33:19 > 0:33:2080.
0:33:20 > 0:33:22- MAN WHISTLING - ..on 480...
0:33:22 > 0:33:26They've sold for £480.
0:33:26 > 0:33:27And now it's Honey's turn.
0:33:29 > 0:33:31..not guaranteed...
0:33:31 > 0:33:33Very quiet cow.
0:33:33 > 0:33:36Nice quiet cow. £100 bid.
0:33:36 > 0:33:39120, 140, 160, 180, 200.
0:33:42 > 0:33:44220, 240. Anybody else?
0:33:44 > 0:33:47Going then at 240.
0:33:47 > 0:33:51A total of £720 before commission is a great result
0:33:51 > 0:33:54and a satisfying end to a trying day.
0:33:56 > 0:33:58Whoever's bought them got good value.
0:33:58 > 0:34:01I'm quite happy to get rid of them at that price.
0:34:01 > 0:34:03At least I've got enough back in the pocket there to get myself a
0:34:03 > 0:34:05nice young heifer next spring.
0:34:13 > 0:34:17In Perthshire, Alistair is at the deer certificate assessment centre.
0:34:18 > 0:34:22He needs to pass an exam and a shooting test.
0:34:22 > 0:34:24The stakes couldn't be higher.
0:34:24 > 0:34:28Janet and Alistair need every penny they can get to keep the farm afloat.
0:34:30 > 0:34:31From the written test side of it,
0:34:31 > 0:34:33there's a lot of information to remember.
0:34:33 > 0:34:36As for the shooting side, it's probably going to be, if anything,
0:34:36 > 0:34:39nerves that get the better of me on that one.
0:34:39 > 0:34:44Examiner Donald Muir will be testing his shooting skills.
0:34:44 > 0:34:46We've got to put the mat out, we'll get you down,
0:34:46 > 0:34:50we've got to get too comfortable and then we're going to go into the
0:34:50 > 0:34:53formal shooting test. And I could see the excitement already.
0:34:53 > 0:34:55Oh, yeah! Lots of excitement.
0:34:55 > 0:34:59Once the range goes live, we put you into the shooting position,
0:34:59 > 0:35:02three shots to get within the four-inch circle.
0:35:02 > 0:35:04- Mm-hm.- You get three attempts at that.
0:35:04 > 0:35:07When we then move on to the deer target,
0:35:07 > 0:35:10then we've to get the six shots into that.
0:35:10 > 0:35:13Again, if we drop any of them, we'll start again.
0:35:13 > 0:35:15OK, you quite happy with what you've to do?
0:35:15 > 0:35:18- Yep.- Now it'll just have to be "do it".
0:35:18 > 0:35:20To prove he can get a clean kill,
0:35:20 > 0:35:24Alistair needs to place his shots perfectly in the four-inch circle
0:35:24 > 0:35:26set up 100 yards away.
0:35:28 > 0:35:33I've shot on a range before but never had a shooting exam before,
0:35:33 > 0:35:35nothing like this.
0:35:35 > 0:35:38Sun's shining, there's no rain, it's just ideal.
0:35:38 > 0:35:41It's less to give an excuse for!
0:35:41 > 0:35:42If it was raining and blowing a gale,
0:35:42 > 0:35:45at least I'd have an excuse to say why I was missing everything.
0:35:49 > 0:35:51ALISTAIR EXHALES
0:35:51 > 0:35:53In your own time, Alistair.
0:35:53 > 0:35:57Three rounds into the left-hand zero target at 100 yards.
0:36:30 > 0:36:32That's Alistair's first go over.
0:36:32 > 0:36:34This is your first three attempts.
0:36:34 > 0:36:37- You were quite a bit off the target there.- Yeah, that was pretty bad, yeah.
0:36:37 > 0:36:40Those three shots were low and to the left,
0:36:40 > 0:36:44so I'll need to put three more better shots in.
0:36:45 > 0:36:46He's got two more chances.
0:36:48 > 0:36:49Pressure. Yeah!
0:36:52 > 0:36:53GUNSHOT
0:36:57 > 0:36:59GUNSHOT
0:37:08 > 0:37:13OK? So give yourself five minutes, Alistair.
0:37:20 > 0:37:22Alistair has missed again.
0:37:22 > 0:37:25If he misses a third time, he fails the test.
0:37:38 > 0:37:39It's very important to this job,
0:37:39 > 0:37:43he needs it so he can put the venison into the food chain,
0:37:43 > 0:37:44so he really needs to pass it.
0:37:47 > 0:37:50Living on the island, it's much more of a challenge.
0:37:50 > 0:37:52Anything where you've got to go away and do something,
0:37:52 > 0:37:56quite often it's an added cost to everything as well.
0:37:56 > 0:37:59Because he's got to have accommodation and obviously pay
0:37:59 > 0:38:01for the ferry and stuff.
0:38:02 > 0:38:04If Alistair passes the shooting test,
0:38:04 > 0:38:08he could bring much-needed extra cash to the farm.
0:38:08 > 0:38:11Last year, with the farm and the contract,
0:38:11 > 0:38:13we made £16,000 between us.
0:38:13 > 0:38:18And with the deer job, we're hoping that Alistair's going to make
0:38:18 > 0:38:19another £9,000.
0:38:22 > 0:38:24There's a lot of pressure on him to pass it.
0:38:27 > 0:38:30It's time for Alistair's final go at hitting the target.
0:39:04 > 0:39:07- I'll let you have a look, Alistair. - Pretty sure I know where they are.
0:39:12 > 0:39:16- Oh, well, that's that, then.- Yep.
0:39:16 > 0:39:20Unfortunately, that's your...
0:39:20 > 0:39:22- That's my three. - ..most you could do today.
0:39:24 > 0:39:27The first one, I saw it go out, and then...
0:39:27 > 0:39:29that one, and I just aimed for the centre with the last,
0:39:29 > 0:39:32which I should have just done the whole time but...
0:39:32 > 0:39:34Yeah. These things happen.
0:39:34 > 0:39:35You start overthinking it.
0:39:35 > 0:39:36Yeah.
0:39:37 > 0:39:41So, as I say, unfortunately, you have failed it today,
0:39:41 > 0:39:44but I'm quite sure you'll pass it another day.
0:39:44 > 0:39:45Don't get disheartened about it,
0:39:45 > 0:39:47just go home, have a bit of practice
0:39:47 > 0:39:49- and come back.- Yeah.
0:39:49 > 0:39:51And then we'll see how we get on from there.
0:39:51 > 0:39:54Well, that's us, then. That's it.
0:40:05 > 0:40:09As autumn rolls on, daylight hours start to shrink.
0:40:11 > 0:40:15Scotland's climate is famously unpredictable,
0:40:15 > 0:40:19dominated by Atlantic winds sweeping wet and unstable conditions across
0:40:19 > 0:40:21the country.
0:40:21 > 0:40:24So when good weather comes,
0:40:24 > 0:40:28busy farmers have to juggle their plans to make the best of it.
0:40:29 > 0:40:33In farming, you need a lot of skill, experience, knowledge,
0:40:33 > 0:40:37a good weather forecast, but, most of all, luck.
0:40:39 > 0:40:43North of Aberdeen, Martin's barley has reached the perfect moisture level.
0:40:44 > 0:40:46It's ready to harvest.
0:40:46 > 0:40:49But he's taken a gamble on the rain holding off.
0:40:53 > 0:40:55- 319.- There we go.
0:40:55 > 0:41:02Martin, Mel and Erin have travelled 40 miles to a large sheep sale.
0:41:02 > 0:41:05The weather's changed, there's going to be rain coming in tonight,
0:41:05 > 0:41:08we need to get home and flatten that pack of barley,
0:41:08 > 0:41:09so we're just a bitty rushed.
0:41:09 > 0:41:11Mel can do it herself but she likes me being here
0:41:11 > 0:41:13just to have a second opinion.
0:41:13 > 0:41:15Don't you?
0:41:15 > 0:41:18Yeah, but I'm not stopping you from staying at home and combining.
0:41:18 > 0:41:20No, I never said. Look, she's getting grumpy now.
0:41:20 > 0:41:22Look at this, teeth are coming out.
0:41:22 > 0:41:26At least they know exactly what sort of sheep they're looking for -
0:41:26 > 0:41:28mules.
0:41:28 > 0:41:33What a mule is is a cross between a Blackface yow and a Bluefaced
0:41:33 > 0:41:35Leicester tuck.
0:41:35 > 0:41:38You've got a Blackface yow, it is really a hill sheep,
0:41:38 > 0:41:41not a lot of meat production out of the Blackface.
0:41:41 > 0:41:45- Sheepies.- And you've got Bluefaced Leicester,
0:41:45 > 0:41:48which is nice and long and not the toughest,
0:41:48 > 0:41:50but you cross them and you get pretty much
0:41:50 > 0:41:53the ultimate female breeder.
0:41:53 > 0:41:54These ones are cheaper,
0:41:54 > 0:41:57because they are towards the end of their reproductive lives.
0:41:58 > 0:42:01They're sold as broken mouth and correct underneath, which means that, you know,
0:42:01 > 0:42:04they have lost some of their teeth but the udder is good,
0:42:04 > 0:42:06so no mastitis and they should milk again.
0:42:06 > 0:42:08This year, we're looking for about 250.
0:42:08 > 0:42:11Last week me, and Mel were in, we managed to pick up 40.
0:42:11 > 0:42:14£62 on average for 40 lives.
0:42:14 > 0:42:16That's good.
0:42:16 > 0:42:17OK.
0:42:17 > 0:42:20Right. Seen enough?
0:42:20 > 0:42:23Yeah, I think so.
0:42:23 > 0:42:26The sale room is quiet today.
0:42:26 > 0:42:29I think with just the fine weather that everybody is busy with the harvest
0:42:29 > 0:42:32in our area, just missing a lot of buyers.
0:42:32 > 0:42:34It could be a good day for us.
0:42:34 > 0:42:37Martin is hoping for a quick bargain.
0:42:37 > 0:42:40And to get home to harvest the barley before it's too late.
0:42:40 > 0:42:41AUCTIONEER SPEAKS
0:42:44 > 0:42:48- Chap the hammer.- No. - No, let him go.
0:42:48 > 0:42:51But at £80 a head, this lot is too expensive.
0:42:52 > 0:42:54Somebody credited them to 80, we had them at 70.
0:42:56 > 0:42:58And the clock is ticking.
0:43:01 > 0:43:05I'm thinking of sheep, and I think Martin is thinking of barley.
0:43:05 > 0:43:06- Are you?- Yeah.
0:43:07 > 0:43:09The next lot is 100 mules.
0:43:10 > 0:43:11Right, these ones.
0:43:11 > 0:43:14We bought sheep from this guy last year, they did hell of a well.
0:43:14 > 0:43:17So I'm keen to go back and buy them again.
0:43:18 > 0:43:21- No.- It's 100.
0:43:23 > 0:43:27- I paid 82 last year, I don't want to spend any more.- That's it, then.
0:43:29 > 0:43:30Come on, chap the hammer.
0:43:33 > 0:43:35- AUCTIONEER:- 84.
0:43:35 > 0:43:37They've bought them.
0:43:37 > 0:43:41At £84 each, they've paid more than they wanted to.
0:43:41 > 0:43:43But they have got their sheep in the nick of time.
0:43:43 > 0:43:47Hello. Just be leaving in the next ten minutes.
0:43:47 > 0:43:50I'll phone Dad in ten minutes to get the combine started.
0:43:50 > 0:43:53The weather forecast has changed.
0:43:53 > 0:43:56Now Martin has only five hours to bring in the barley
0:43:56 > 0:43:58before it is due to start raining.
0:43:58 > 0:44:02So what we will do is head back, we'll pay for them,
0:44:02 > 0:44:04sort out haulage and head home, pick some barley.
0:44:14 > 0:44:16In Fife, on the East Coast,
0:44:16 > 0:44:21buffalo farmer Stevie needs to move his old favourite, 007,
0:44:21 > 0:44:22out of the shed.
0:44:24 > 0:44:27Close that. Put they cows in there.
0:44:27 > 0:44:29We'll bring 007 out the other way.
0:44:29 > 0:44:31It's like playing chess.
0:44:31 > 0:44:35You've got to juggle everything around.
0:44:35 > 0:44:39007 only got three out of 50 cows in calf last summer.
0:44:41 > 0:44:46We discovered there was a problem with 007's testicles,
0:44:46 > 0:44:49which meant that one of them was shrunk much smaller than the other,
0:44:49 > 0:44:51a sign of some kind of infection setting in.
0:44:51 > 0:44:55The vet does hope it is the sort of thing that might be able to recover,
0:44:55 > 0:44:59so he is very popular with everybody here at the farm.
0:44:59 > 0:45:02We are giving him as much time to recover as possible.
0:45:02 > 0:45:05We can't afford to have another mistake like last year,
0:45:05 > 0:45:07when we had a whole pile of cows not in calf.
0:45:07 > 0:45:09So hopefully our new bull going in now,
0:45:09 > 0:45:13will make sure that we have plenty of calves come next summer.
0:45:14 > 0:45:19The plan is to put 007 out in the fields with two heifers for company over the winter.
0:45:20 > 0:45:22Come on, boys. Come on, girls.
0:45:22 > 0:45:24Neither are in calf,
0:45:24 > 0:45:28so it is a chance to see if there is life in the old bull yet.
0:45:28 > 0:45:32We are going to give him a wee bit of compassionate grace and keep him on
0:45:32 > 0:45:35just now. We will have to maybe reassess that next year.
0:45:35 > 0:45:36HE WHISTLES
0:45:36 > 0:45:38Come on, girls.
0:45:38 > 0:45:42I really hope that he recovers and can keep on breeding for another few
0:45:42 > 0:45:43years yet.
0:45:47 > 0:45:49With 007 safely out of the way,
0:45:49 > 0:45:53it'S time to bring in the new bull Stevie picked out earlier.
0:45:53 > 0:45:56- Hello, son.- He was imported from Holland,
0:45:56 > 0:45:59providing the inspiration for his name.
0:46:00 > 0:46:02Heineken. Yes, that's your new name.
0:46:02 > 0:46:05Good boy. Up you come. Come on, then.
0:46:07 > 0:46:11Stevie is hoping Heineken can refresh the parts that 007
0:46:11 > 0:46:15couldn't reach.
0:46:16 > 0:46:18Come on, boy.
0:46:18 > 0:46:19Come on.
0:46:19 > 0:46:21Turn around. Come on. Come on.
0:46:21 > 0:46:23That'll do.
0:46:23 > 0:46:25Good boy. Good lad.
0:46:25 > 0:46:28The 23-month-old bull is still only half the weight he'll be
0:46:28 > 0:46:31when he is fully grown.
0:46:31 > 0:46:34The other cows will probably give him a bit of a hard time.
0:46:36 > 0:46:39Most of these guys are actually heifers to be put in with,
0:46:39 > 0:46:42they're all intimidating him a little bit.
0:46:44 > 0:46:45They will settle down.
0:46:47 > 0:46:50He's a virgin. A virgin buffalo.
0:46:52 > 0:46:57So, yeah, no, I imagine he is just a little bit nervous maybe just now.
0:46:57 > 0:47:01You're almost embarrassing me, I'm putting myself back into his mind-set.
0:47:01 > 0:47:06But I certainly didn't get put in a room with 30...
0:47:06 > 0:47:09There's still a lot at stake for Stevie.
0:47:09 > 0:47:14He needs Heineken to do his job - and quickly.
0:47:14 > 0:47:17But poor Heineken's getting pushed around.
0:47:17 > 0:47:19Easy now, easy.
0:47:20 > 0:47:22We need him to hit the ground running,
0:47:22 > 0:47:25because all these guys are basically non-productive at the moment,
0:47:25 > 0:47:26because they are not in calf.
0:47:26 > 0:47:30We just need to hope that he sorts these girls out,
0:47:30 > 0:47:34tells them who's boss, and they make lots of happy babies.
0:47:35 > 0:47:38Easy now.
0:47:38 > 0:47:41HEINEKEN GRUNTS
0:47:49 > 0:47:52On the Isle of Mull, Alistair has had some good news.
0:47:53 > 0:47:59I've got...my certificate here.
0:48:00 > 0:48:04Got that. Nice letter, saying, well done, you passed.
0:48:04 > 0:48:08I've got a wee certificate there.
0:48:09 > 0:48:12And a shiny little badge, you can see that.
0:48:15 > 0:48:19I resat my shooting test, because I messed up my first attempt.
0:48:20 > 0:48:25Yeah, so just looking forward to getting on with the job.
0:48:28 > 0:48:29Now he's got his certificate,
0:48:29 > 0:48:34Alistair can take over contracts worth up to £9,000 a year
0:48:34 > 0:48:36to manage deer on three estates.
0:48:36 > 0:48:40This is just a few little bits and pieces that I take out with me.
0:48:40 > 0:48:43When I go out stalking. So I've got gloves,
0:48:43 > 0:48:46and then I take a wee first-aid kit with me,
0:48:46 > 0:48:49a couple of chocolate bars. Just in case.
0:48:50 > 0:48:52And that is pretty much it.
0:48:52 > 0:48:54See you later.
0:48:54 > 0:48:56Be careful.
0:48:56 > 0:48:58I do worry about him. I definitely worry about him.
0:48:58 > 0:49:02Especially as it's getting sort of an hour before darkness,
0:49:02 > 0:49:03and I haven't heard anything.
0:49:03 > 0:49:07He is quite good, he knows I worry, so the minute he's off the hill,
0:49:07 > 0:49:10he contacts me to let me know everything's fine
0:49:10 > 0:49:15and he has just got to process the deer before he comes back.
0:49:15 > 0:49:17I've got him well-trained.
0:49:17 > 0:49:19So far, we'll see.
0:49:21 > 0:49:26Normally, Driech here would come out with me,
0:49:26 > 0:49:31but he has a little infection on his leg, so he is on vet's rest.
0:49:34 > 0:49:37Deer have been eating new saplings in a managed forest on one of the
0:49:37 > 0:49:42estates. So Alistair's job is to reduce their numbers.
0:49:48 > 0:49:51We are into a forestry section. It's commercial timber and looking to be
0:49:51 > 0:49:55replanted. So the management plan here is to get rid of all the deer,
0:49:55 > 0:49:58because they are eating all the trees that are being planted.
0:49:58 > 0:50:01I think the deer are just up here on the right-hand corner,
0:50:01 > 0:50:05that is where they like to live. So we are going to go up above them and
0:50:05 > 0:50:06then come down onto them.
0:50:09 > 0:50:14The plan is good. There's only one hazard.
0:50:14 > 0:50:17There's a machine working over there with people and things inside it,
0:50:17 > 0:50:20so there's no way I can shoot anything in that direction.
0:50:20 > 0:50:21It's just far too dangerous.
0:50:23 > 0:50:27So we have to keep that in the back of our minds the whole time we're going about.
0:50:29 > 0:50:32Deer are hard to spot at the best of times.
0:50:32 > 0:50:36Without Driech and his acute sense of smell, it's even harder.
0:50:38 > 0:50:41It is just so hard in here, identifying
0:50:41 > 0:50:45what you're looking at. There are so many little bits of wood that have
0:50:45 > 0:50:48got different tones in them and the different shapes in them.
0:50:50 > 0:50:53You can see deer in everything.
0:50:55 > 0:51:00It is quite easy to stroll just past something and not see it until it starts running.
0:51:06 > 0:51:07And then some luck.
0:51:11 > 0:51:15I've got two deer, 200 yards away from us.
0:51:17 > 0:51:18They can see us.
0:51:23 > 0:51:24But they're off.
0:51:27 > 0:51:31It was quite a long way for a standing shot anyway.
0:51:31 > 0:51:35Although it would have been clean enough if she had stood still.
0:51:37 > 0:51:39I'll see if we can't catch her.
0:51:45 > 0:51:48Alistair follows, this time under cover.
0:52:37 > 0:52:39Just up there.
0:52:46 > 0:52:47The hind is down.
0:52:49 > 0:52:51But nowhere to be seen.
0:52:52 > 0:52:55It was a neck-shot, and it dropped instantly to the shot,
0:52:55 > 0:53:00so it's just somewhere, somewhere over here in this general area.
0:53:02 > 0:53:04Alistair must find her before it gets too dark.
0:53:07 > 0:53:10This is where our German Shorthaired Pointer at home
0:53:10 > 0:53:12is very good. He is a blood-tracking dog.
0:53:13 > 0:53:17But without Driech, he has to rely on his own senses,
0:53:17 > 0:53:19and time is running out.
0:53:23 > 0:53:28North of Aberdeen, Martin is also racing against the elements.
0:53:28 > 0:53:30The clouds are rolling in over his barley field.
0:53:31 > 0:53:35So we've raced back from the mart and we have started cutting.
0:53:35 > 0:53:38There is rain coming in tonight, so the combine's going,
0:53:38 > 0:53:39the baler's going.
0:53:39 > 0:53:41With rain on its way,
0:53:41 > 0:53:44Martin and his brother Darren need to pull out all the stops.
0:53:46 > 0:53:51It is coming in at 15.5%, which is exceptional for this part of Scotland at
0:53:51 > 0:53:54this time of year. It's like...
0:53:54 > 0:53:55It's like bullets.
0:53:55 > 0:53:58So I'm not even going to have to spend any more money on drying it,
0:53:58 > 0:54:02because it's dry enough. We'll get it into the shed.
0:54:02 > 0:54:04Barley is a valuable crop.
0:54:04 > 0:54:08Martin will use the straw to bed and feed his animals over the winter.
0:54:08 > 0:54:11The grain he can sell as animal feed to other farmers.
0:54:11 > 0:54:14So the straw is here,
0:54:14 > 0:54:17the grain then comes out the spout into the tractor and trailer,
0:54:17 > 0:54:18we'll take it back to the shed.
0:54:23 > 0:54:26Darren, he is baling, which is bunching up all this into a bale,
0:54:26 > 0:54:28for bedding for later.
0:54:33 > 0:54:36This crop today is very important.
0:54:36 > 0:54:38There's not going to be a massive profit made off the barley,
0:54:38 > 0:54:43but we will have some feed for the calves for the winter,
0:54:43 > 0:54:45good straw for feeding and bedding.
0:54:45 > 0:54:48It's cost us £240 an acre to get it this far,
0:54:48 > 0:54:51and it just makes a difference if you get the weather,
0:54:51 > 0:54:52the conditions to cut it.
0:54:52 > 0:54:54Get it in in good conditions.
0:54:59 > 0:55:03Despite working against the clock, and the weather,
0:55:03 > 0:55:06Martin's big gamble finally pays off.
0:55:10 > 0:55:14It is a bumper crop of 50 tonnes of grain, brought in just in time.
0:55:16 > 0:55:20I don't know if you can hear it, but it has just started raining.
0:55:22 > 0:55:25So we couldn't have timed that any better.
0:55:25 > 0:55:29Just as I was baling the last ten bales, it started spitting,
0:55:29 > 0:55:32so it wasn't far away, but we're in the shed, we're dry.
0:55:32 > 0:55:33It's cut, it's bailed.
0:55:33 > 0:55:36Can't ask for any more than that.
0:55:36 > 0:55:40Lucky. But, again, 15.5%.
0:55:40 > 0:55:42I won't have to spend no money in drying it.
0:55:42 > 0:55:45Couldn't get any better. At this time of year,
0:55:45 > 0:55:47I think we're punching beyond our weight, really.
0:55:47 > 0:55:49Good. Happy, happy.
0:55:56 > 0:56:00In the west, on Mull, Alistair is searching for the deer he's shot.
0:56:02 > 0:56:06- Too deep.- He has no dog and it's nearly dark.
0:56:06 > 0:56:10But he's in luck.
0:56:10 > 0:56:11There she is.
0:56:11 > 0:56:13Straight there.
0:56:19 > 0:56:22I mean, it's a job, it's a job like any other.
0:56:22 > 0:56:25It's hard shooting them unless you've got, in your mind,
0:56:25 > 0:56:27the clear reasons that you're doing it.
0:56:27 > 0:56:31So, in this case, it's for a management situation with the trees
0:56:31 > 0:56:36where they are planting trees and we can see, right next to her,
0:56:36 > 0:56:38there are trees that are being planted and being eaten off by,
0:56:38 > 0:56:44probably by her, and that is the problem with her being here.
0:56:44 > 0:56:46So that's why we are removing them.
0:56:46 > 0:56:48Open her up like a zipper.
0:56:48 > 0:56:51Alistair is paid a flat fee to control deer in the forest.
0:56:51 > 0:56:54But the venison is valuable to the estate.
0:56:54 > 0:56:56Come on, my girl.
0:56:56 > 0:56:58He must now process the carcass so that the meat
0:56:58 > 0:57:01can go into the food chain.
0:57:02 > 0:57:03At the larder...
0:57:03 > 0:57:06Help clean her off.
0:57:06 > 0:57:09Alistair can check on the all-important weight.
0:57:09 > 0:57:1242...
0:57:12 > 0:57:13..and a half.
0:57:13 > 0:57:15Well, they'll hang in the larder here till they go away,
0:57:15 > 0:57:17then they'll go to another larder and hang,
0:57:17 > 0:57:20and then they will be re-weighed again, and in that time,
0:57:20 > 0:57:24just through dehydration and things, they'll lose a bit of weight.
0:57:24 > 0:57:28So she'll be lighter by the time they weigh her to pay for her.
0:57:29 > 0:57:33It's taken Alistair eight hours to deliver just 40 kilos of venison
0:57:33 > 0:57:38into the food chain - and reduce the number of deer on the forestry land by one.
0:57:39 > 0:57:42He will make £2,000 a year from this contract.
0:57:42 > 0:57:46A much-needed boost to the farm's economy.
0:57:46 > 0:57:49All in a day's work for someone who does too many things.
0:57:49 > 0:57:52Hopefully, Janet's got dinner on for me and that's it.
0:58:00 > 0:58:01Next time...
0:58:03 > 0:58:06Stevie's buffalo show their wild side.
0:58:06 > 0:58:08Hey! Get back!
0:58:08 > 0:58:11The joys of working with an animal that's got such a weapon.
0:58:12 > 0:58:16It's the dating season at Janet and Alistair's.
0:58:16 > 0:58:18Very much matchmaking.
0:58:18 > 0:58:21Choosing the right yow for the right tups.
0:58:22 > 0:58:24And David is searching for his sheep,
0:58:24 > 0:58:26but takes a moment to reflect.
0:58:26 > 0:58:29There's not many views like that.
0:58:29 > 0:58:30It's absolutely stunning.
0:58:37 > 0:58:40Subtitles by Ericsson