Young Farmer of the Year Young Talent of the Year

The show that searches for the best

in young, hard-working British talent is back.

Some of this!

This year, with a whole new crop of trades, from tailors to farmers,

carpenters to bakers.

If you cut me through, it would say "Bread" on the inside.

These grafters are used to being the very best in their business.

Winning is like a drug. The adrenaline is phenomenal.

There's nothing like the feeling that you're a winner.

You get a bit addicted to it at times.

But over a series of gruelling rounds, our judges will decide

whose talent really shines out,

as they push them to breaking point.

I just can't do it.

Come on, show us passion.

I'm passionate. Sorry.

It's hardly chopped the teat off.

I don't think it's quite that dashed, eh?

He wants to be put back in his place.

At the end of the day, we're the judges.

With bigger, more extreme challenges than ever before,

this is there chance to prove themselves.

-To add nutrients, or...?

-You tell me.

It's one of the basics of gardening. If you don't get that right, "Oh!"

This is horrible.

Lots of arithmetic going on, not much action.

You looked like you were in a maths A Level.

This is really, really bad.

I'm disappointed in myself. I know I can do better.

If he'd spoke to me like that on my farm, I'd have sent him away.

Each of them desperate to convince the experts

they're worthy of that title.

Competition's on. Game on!

Tonight, it's the turn of the young farmers.

I am going to show the judges what I'm made of.

They'll be shearing for their place in the final.

Poor things. They look like lions!

Four talented farmers, but only one winner.

Hello, I'm George Lamb and welcome to the show.

Over the last couple of weeks, we've seen Britain's young talent

battle it out to prove they were the very best.

This year, we're back with a whole new crop of professions.

And tonight, the unsung heroes who feed the nation fight

to prove that they deserve the title of Young Farmer Of The Year.

We've climbed the highest mountains and scoured the lowest valleys

in our search to find the cream of the crop

of 16- to 25-year-old farmers.

I won this last month.

I'm always around farming people.

That's just one of the sashes.

Hundreds applied and the 20 finest young farmers

were invited back to impress our judges, as they took part

in a nerve-wracking practical challenge against the clock.

It's a big honour to be narrowed down from 100 to the final 20.

It feels amazing.

APPLAUSE

It was a tough decision, but eventually the judges decided

on the four who shone out.

I can't believe I got through. I'm pretty chuffed.

I feel pretty amazed right now.

Over the moon. I can't believe how well I've done so far.

To win Young Farmer Of The Year would be a dream come true.

Now that final four must battle it out

to become our first ever Young Farmer Of The Year.

But who will be crowned the ultimate winner?

It's time to meet the farmers.

Finalist number one, it's our competitive 19-year-old

from Buckinghamshire, William Ives.

'Winning is like a drug.'

The adrenaline it gives you is just phenomenal. You get a bit addicted.

Our second finalist is feisty farmer,

21-year-old Robynne Strawbridge from Devon.

I put 100% into everything I do.

This is my passion. I wouldn't do anything else.

Finalist number three is quietly confident 24-year-old

Rhys Lewis from Neath in Wales.

'I may come across as quiet,'

but I've an inner confidence and I really want to win.

The fourth finalist, from Clitheroe in Lancashire,

is our youngest,

the forward-thinking 18-year-old, Seth Blakey.

'I got my own sheep at 11.'

I guess that's when I could say I started farming.

I'm quite passionate about farming.

I couldn't imagine doing anything else.

All right, guys? Congratulations for making it this far.

However, it's now time for the hard work to begin.

These are the guys who are going to be putting you through your paces.

It's Gareth Wyn Jones.

Gareth's family have been farming

the same Welsh mountain range for 350 years.

Farming is very physical.

It needs strong people, strong-minded and strong-willed.

He lives, breathes,

but hopefully doesn't sleep, with his herd of over 4,000 beasts.

'This is not a job. It's a way of life.'

When you take something on like this, it's forever.

'You need to be multi-tasking in farming.

'You need to be a vet,

'you need to be a mechanic,

'you need to be a tractor driver.'

In this job, you don't get second chances.

And what's more he's desperate to ensure

there will be farmers in another 350 years.

It's a tough industry, a tough life.

He's at the top of his game, supplying food to the nation.

Dave Finkle.

Dave manages the world renowned Jimmy's Farm.

The future of agriculture at the moment is in the balance.

There's a severe lack of youth coming through the ranks.

We need the youth of today

to actually stand up and be counted.

He's also mentor to a legion of young farmers

and he's the man who believes in bringing home the bacon.

'The four young farmers are going to absolutely get grilled.'

I'm going to tear them to pieces.

I need to get to the core of their ability.

I don't want any moans or complaints.

I just want them to show us that they have that can-do approach.

It's almost time to get things started.

Four of you will begin, but only two of you will be going head to head

in the final challenge.

Only one of you will be leaving with the title

of Young Farmer Of The Year.

This competition is going to be fierce.

Think of your hardest day on the farm and then triple it.

This first task is all about shearing.

It's a basic skill,

but it improves the health of the animal.

A healthy sheep is a happy sheep.

-Absolutely.

-That's good for business.

OK, guys. You've all been given five lambs. Your first challenge

is to give them a health check and haircut in farming terms.

That's a hoofing, worming and shearing.

They're fragile little things, so careful how you go.

We don't want any claret on the studio floor, all right?

You've got 45 minutes.

That's 20 for the health check and 25 to shear.

Get to it, guys. Good luck.

In the first part of the challenge, our finalists have to perform

a health check on our furry friends.

LAMBS BLEAT

This involves clipping their hooves

and giving them a dose of worming treatment.

Sheep are very prone to foot problems, so hoofing is essential.

The ideal way is the restrain the sheep by sitting it

on its backside and hoofing slowly,

removing just small amounts at a time to prevent overtrimming

and nicking the sensitive areas of the foot.

The key to worming is not to overdose, which can be fatal.

Are we fluking or worming the sheep?

-Just worming.

-It says 10ml here.

-Is it normal to shear lambs?

-Not normally,

but what we're doing today is all about

presenting the lamb, ready for its show cut for the spring.

What are the difficult aspects of this challenge?

This is a very, very skilful job.

We want to see them taking that wool off so cleanly.

No cuts. It's got to be done properly.

The way they handle it is like handling a lady. Firm, but fair.

Herdswoman Robynne, the only female in the competition,

means business as she begins worming.

-How are we doing, Robynne?

-Getting there.

-Have you done much worming before?

-I've done worming at home with Dad.

Do you find there's a lot of female farmers?

-No. I find a lot of people are prejudiced towards us.

-Right, OK.

They feel we can't do as good a job as anybody else.

From her very first audition,

Robynne stood out as a feisty farmer determined to give the boys

a run for their money.

A lot of people don't accept that females can do it.

All right, we might not be the strongest at times,

but we'll give it a go.

Away, away!

It's that fighting spirit that's made Robynne

a force to be reckoned with, both on the dairy farm where she works

and at her father's livestock farm where she grew up.

Women make better farmers. That's the end of it.

Good girl!

Life can be gruelling on the farm, but Robynne takes it in her stride.

I'm really feisty. I've got a fair temper on me, I know I have.

And that feisty spirit is something that her dad hopes is the key

to Robynne's success in the competition.

Robynne's very passionate about farming, gives it heart and soul.

I would like to think that Robynne could be Young Farmer Of The Year,

make everyone proud in the area.

And by remaining focused,

Robynne is determined to keep her eyes on the prize.

My generation is the face of the farming future.

You know, without us and the next generations,

you won't get anyone else. I want to push that forward.

Robynne might be feisty, but her gentle touch with the animals

has impressed the judges.

Looking at Robynne's foot trimming, it's actually quite tidy work.

-That's showed-clipped feet.

-Yeah.

I like he way she handled the sheep. She didn't rush in.

It's important you're not stressing the sheep out,

or the job out. Once one gets stressed, the lot get stressed.

-She seems to understand the animals.

-Very good.

And Welsh farmer Rhys also seems to have the sheep

in the palm of his hands.

-It's so weird. They're so skittish usually.

-Yeah.

Then you get her on her back, and it's easy.

-Not all sheep are as easy as this though.

-Right, OK.

But unlike Rhys and Robynne, Seth and Will are making an error

by taking a more bullish approach when handling their lambs.

And the duo's heavy-handed approach

hasn't gone unnoticed by the judges.

Will's gone in and rushed the job.

Sometimes you can be too aggressive, too arrogant,

-too sure.

-Yeah, yeah.

Sheep are delicate things.

They've got a natural instinct to survive.

If they have to smash through a pen or jump gates, they'll try.

Five minutes left, guys.

You can hear the sheep racing around, bashing into the pen.

Somebody else wrestling over here as well.

Seth's doing the same.

They've got plenty of time to do the job properly. Why rush?

-GATES BANGING

-Listen! You don't even have to look.

Good lamb.

With time running out, the farmers pick up the pace

but will they successfully complete the task?

All right, guys. Time's up on the first section.

All the farmers have completed the first part of the challenge.

But that was the easy part. The real test is about to begin.

Right, you've health-checked your sheep.

Now it's two at a time to shear your Southdowns.

Robynne, Rhys, you've got 25 minutes. You're up first.

Your time starts now. Get shearing!

The judges are looking for a super shearer with a steady hand.

The key to shearing is to be confident,

maintaining a good control

and a continuous motion, keeping the shearing comb flat to the skin.

The judges are expecting clean shearing

with minimal cuts and no injuries.

On these fragile Southdowns,

the head, feet and teats are the most sensitive areas

In the first part of the challenge, 21-year-old dairy farmer Robynne

impressed the judges with her animal handling skills

and she starts out confidently on her first Southdown lamb.

Rhys has little shearing experience, so he's taking his time

and has decided not to shear the lamb's head or feet

-Robynne is struggling.

-Judge Gareth is concerned

Are you OK, Robynne?

Come on.

Hey? You're stronger than that.

Overcome with emotion, Robynne decides

she no longer wants to take part in the challenge.

You're built of sterner stuff than that.

I've always had Dad or somebody there.

Like, I've seen it done millions of times before,

-but I just couldn't do it.

-Not as easy as it looks?

Do you want another go at it? No?

By choosing not to have a second go at the shearing,

has Robyn jeopardised her place in the competition?

She says she's the feisty farmer.

She wants to live in a man's world, we're in the man's world now.

-So we're ten minutes in and we've had tears?

-Yeah.

Rhys continues with his own unique style of shearing,

but will the finished look of his lambs count against him?

Poor things!

-They look like little lions.

-They do, don't they?!

-What do you think to his technique?

-Never seen anything like it.

I don't know whether to laugh or cry but when you look at them sheep,

they look like Christmas trees with decorations on.

Everything's hanging, from baubles to lights.

Rhys, sterling work, mate!

-Time's up, that's it.

-Whoa.

Seth, William, it's you two up next. Let's get shearing!

A professional shearer can shear a sheep in less than two minutes

and will remove the fleece in one piece.

If taken off correctly, the value of these lambs' fleeces

could fetch between £3 and £5.

It may not sound a lot,

but when you're shearing 250 a day, the income is vital to any farmer.

At just 18, Seth is the youngest contestant,

but he's by no means the least experienced.

He's the only one in the competition who works as a contract shearer.

You'd expect all farmers to have sheared at least once.

We're looking for an all-rounder, somebody with something special.

He's doing a good job.

Will's experience with shearing sheep isn't as advanced,

but he's still off to a promising start,

which is something this competitive 19-year-old is used to.

An award-winning stock judge,

taking part in Young Farmer Of The Year

plays to Will's competitive spirit.

I've had great success in the awards that I've won.

Some are for stock judging, some are for young handling,

and some are for the livestock we breed at the shows

for the best quality livestock.

And when he shows his cattle at competitions,

he really comes into his own.

I love the feeling of winning,

so that's what pushes me on to try and win everything I enter.

-Come by!

-Will's need to win,

combined with his constant search for perfection,

is what sets this 19-year-old farmer apart from the rest.

William, he's far from a bad loser,

but he does get on a high when he wins.

He knows where he wants to be, and winning is his ball.

Winning is like a drug - the adrenaline it gives you is just phenomenal,

and...you get a bit addicted to it at times.

Back in the competition,

and Will's confidence is about to take a nosedive.

You've cut a teat - I'll be honest with you, you didn't have an idea.

You were going from one position to the other.

I was worried for the animal's health, to be honest.

-I know lambs are awkward to shear, I understand your decision.

-Yeah.

Will has no choice but to stand back and watch his rival steam ahead.

Seth...well done, mate, time's up.

With the first challenge done and dusted,

Seth has successfully sheared four of his five lambs.

Having not sheared his first lamb safely,

could Will's mistake cost him his place in the competition?

Time for the judges' inspection.

-How are you doing, Will?

-Not too bad.

Will's heavy handling in the first part of the task unnerved his lambs,

and the judges took away his shears for the safety of the lamb.

How do you think you did with the shearing task?

-Poorly.

-What will happen to that lamb, then?

I think that will go for slaughter, and it's halved its value.

It's hardly chopped the teat off, so it's not that drastic.

What will happen is, because you've nicked the teat,

you'll get scar tissue there.

-Yeah.

-If she tries to rear lambs, she won't let them suckle that teat.

Could do, but on our system we don't fatten lambs till the next spring.

We sell as hoggets, not lambs,

so by then you'd be able to take a second look at it and then decide.

-OK.

-Because I made a fool of myself, I've now got to just prove

that I have got it in me to be Young Farmer Of The Year.

-How are you doing, Robynne?

-Yeah, all right, thank you.

Robynne had a promising start, worming and hoofing her lambs,

but she failed to keep her emotions in check,

and this prevented her from shearing even one lamb completely.

-You let us down on the shearing.

-Yeah.

I was expecting this feisty farmer to give it another go.

I'm disappointed at myself, but I'm glad I tried.

I'm just annoyed that I had to stop, that I couldn't do it.

I'm pleased I had a go,

but at the same time I'm annoyed that I didn't like...do it.

-Rhys!

-Hiya.

-We've got five pretty funky-looking lambs in there.

Rhys tackled both parts of the task in a methodical manner,

and he's the only finalist to shear all five lambs,

but will their strange appearance count against him?

I think you had a very good effort, a bit of a patchwork quilt there.

-Yeah, I like your determination.

-Ta.

-Your handling skills were fantastic.

I think I done pretty good with that but there's room for improvement.

Right, last one, Seth, the shear master.

Seth is the only professional contract shearer in the contest,

and he successfully sheared four of his five lambs.

-Were you happy?

-Yeah, I was happy, yeah.

There weren't time for the fifth, but I was happy with the four I did.

You should stand back sometimes, not be such a bull in a china shop

-and not rush into things.

-Yeah, yeah, definitely.

-But impressed with your shearing.

-Right, right, yeah, yeah.

At the moment, I think they think I'm a bit of a rush.

I'd like to think I did a reasonable job of the shearing,

um...but it's their opinion.

OK, guys, a fairly mixed bag in challenge one.

It's now time for our judges to go off and deliberate.

As the judges decide on the farmers' fate,

some of the contestants have their family on hand to offer support.

-How did you do the sheep? Did they look nice when you finished?

-No.

-They needed some trimming done.

-They needed some trimming.

-Did you shear any?

-Oh, like half and half of one.

Yeah, I didn't even done that.

You haven't seen the complete like feisty me yet.

It's all right.

I got disappointed, a bit thrown.

I am still here, I am going to show the judges what I'm made of.

Let's start with Seth.

His foot-trimming was real, good, tidy work.

His shearing, it was efficient, it was smooth, clean, tidy.

I think he's rushing it. I don't know if it's the pressure.

OK, he's young, he's 18, he's young, but you can't in this industry.

-What's your thoughts and opinions on Rhys?

-A bit of a dark horse.

-His handling skills were good.

-They were, yeah.

He didn't disturb the sheep in the beginning.

His determination, I liked that, he wasn't going to give up.

-Let's go on to Robynne.

-I was so disappointed.

She stood back, she had time to think

and go, "Do you know what? I'm going to have another go."

-That would have made a difference.

-It's like riding a horse.

If you'd been thrown off, if you don't get straight back on,

that's it, confidence gone, everything knocked.

So that leaves us with Will.

He was very heavy-handed with the stock.

What I was really encouraged about

was he actually demonstrated through questioning some depth of knowledge.

Yeah. He stood his ground as well, didn't he?

-Yeah, he did.

-Fair play, you need that determination.

I think he knew he'd absolutely done a disaster.

Right, farmers, nobody is going home after round one.

However, let's find out what our judges thought.

-Let's start off with some feedback for Seth, please.

-Seth?

Good shearing. Rushed into things. I think you want to stand back

-and look at the bigger picture.

-Thank you.

-OK, next up, Robynne, please.

-Robynne, great handling skills,

but you need to show me more of that feisty female.

-Yeah.

-If you want to stay in this competition, she's got to come out.

-Thank you.

-Rhys, please.

-You did show some resilience and determination,

but I think you could just do with standing back a little bit

and thinking about what you're going to do.

-But nice performance.

-Thank you.

-And finally Will.

-Serious problems to start with,

but to be fair, when you were questioned

about the mistake with cutting the lamb's teat,

-you actually demonstrated you've got some depth of knowledge.

-Yeah.

And if you did have to send somebody home now, who would it be?

I'd be sending Will home.

-How about you, Dave?

-I'd completely agree.

All right, Will, the good news is you've got another round at least

-to show the judges what you're made of.

-Yeah.

-OK?

Difficult as that was, it's not going to get easier, guys,

you've got one more chance to show the judges would you can do.

After that, one of you will be eliminated.

Once again, Rhys's family and girlfriend

are waiting outside to offer their support.

-Were you pleased?

-Yeah.

-They weren't grumpy old men?

-No, all right.

-Good, that's the main thing.

You've got to have confidence, haven't you?

A little bit of it, too much and you're cocky.

'I know I did badly, I know I did the worst today,'

and...I'll take it on the chin.

I definitely thought, if somebody was being eliminated, it was going to be me,

because I really disappointed, I didn't go back for a second try.

And Seth's mum is just as keen for some news.

-So we think a fair judgment.

-Yeah, probably a fair judgment.

I thought one guy was a bit harsh, but the other was a fair judgment.

Give him a big hug, oh, my boy!

There's no point in running a farm if it doesn't make money,

so knowing which animal has the best breeding potential is vital

if you want to produce consistently good quality meat for the market,

an essential skill for every farmer.

This task will really test their business skills.

Selecting prime livestock for the future of your enterprise,

it's the key to survival.

And farming is 60% practical, 40% managing the books.

It's so important they get it right.

OK, farmers, challenge number two - we've supplied you with 15 weaners,

and you need to select your best five piglets.

Dave, what are we looking for from these little piggies?

-It's all about being able to select your prime breeding stock.

-Yeah.

Think of it as a family tree, you don't want any bad blood.

Right, OK, thank you, Dave. What's difficult about this, Gareth?

Well, George, if they don't know how to stock judge,

they might as well close their farms down.

If they watch after the stock, the stock will watch after you.

OK, you've got 25 minutes.

Remember, one of you will be leaving at the end of this challenge.

It's swine time!

Once this crucial elimination challenge is completed,

one farmer will leave the competition for good.

A breeding pig can carry up to 18 piglets,

so the farmers should be choosing pigs

with a good strong back to support the weight during pregnancy,

strong shoulders and uniform spacing and number of teats - normally 14.

Judges Gareth and Dave have already selected their own five prime pigs,

and they'll compare their selection with the finalists' later.

Stop kicking, think of your bloody legs!

I'm sure a lot of people would think, "Just get the biggest pig."

-That's not right, I'm assuming.

-No, this isn't all about size.

It's about, has the pig got a good strong back?

If you imagine, in that sow's belly, she has the weight of 16-18 piglets

-and all the fluid and everything - that back takes some strain.

-Yeah.

-Enjoying the challenge, Rhys?

-Yeah. A bit like stock judging.

When you've done this before,

-have you normally been selecting for butchering?

-Yeah, I have, yeah.

-So this is a little bit different.

-You're looking for more breeders.

You want them all the same size if they're going into a unit

so they don't fight with each other and stuff.

Welsh hill farmer Rhys

was dealt a devastating blow with the death of his father.

He recently passed away three years ago,

and I've taken over the farm and run it all by myself.

I had to grow up quite quickly, a lot of weight on my shoulders.

I had to learn everything about the farm.

I had to learn everything from scratch, really.

Taking on the farm has been the biggest challenge of his life.

After losing their dad, Rhys had to take the farm over.

I was very worried about it,

because he was still very young, very quiet and reserved,

and he's grown in the past few years and he's more than capable now.

And he's just been amazing, the work that he's done.

He's out on the farm 24/7, nothing is ever too much for him.

And he never moans.

Thanks to his work on the farm, Rhys keeps the memory of his father alive

and he's now looking forward to a happier future.

It would mean a lot to me to win,

the effort I've put in over the past three years.

I think that if his father was here now,

he would be so proud of him, you know, absolutely.

Back in the competition, Will is lucky to be in the running,

but he's made up some ground

by being the first to have selected his five prime piglets.

-You all right, Will?

-Yeah, very good.

I first drew out seven, the ones I liked the look of,

and turned them all over and looked at the teats.

But I think I've got a good pen of five pigs here, so...

Seth, the youngest finalist in the competition,

was criticised for rushing in the first task

but he's now adopted a more considered approach.

-How's it going then?

-Yeah, I think I've looked at them

-and I've chosen five that I think are the most...

-Right.

..suitable for the job really.

Seth was born and bred on the 450-acre family farm

in Clitheroe in Lancashire.

I first got involved in farming when I was 11. I still love it to this day.

I guess it's in my blood and I'm passionate about it so that's farming for me.

If you want to be a farmer,

you can't really be afraid of hard work.

It's long hours. Sometimes the pay is not as rewarding

but there's a lot of rewarding things about it.

Seth clocks up a massive 75-hour week on the family farm

and his mum is hoping that the back-breaking work will pay off.

Winning, for Seth,

would be the icing on the cake cos he is so passionate about farming.

He lives and breathes it

and probably has done since he was born really.

And Seth's applying the same determined approach to the competition.

To be the youngest in the competition doesn't bother me too much.

It's just a number and I'll still put up a fight so we'll see how it goes.

After failing to shear even one sheep in the first task,

Robynne has stepped it up and has chosen three of her five pigs.

But will her poor performance in the previous round count against her?

-Is this new for you, doing this?

-Yeah.

-Completely new?

-Yeah.

-But you've done a lot of stock judging.

-Yeah.

But not pig stock judging. I've done dairy and beef and sheep.

-So, do you think the principles would be the same?

-I'm hoping.

Three minutes, guys, you've got three minutes.

Then you need all your pigs selected, please. Three minutes.

With just seconds remaining,

Rhys has changed his mind about one of his piglets.

And Robynne also has a change of heart,

but is it a decision she'll come to regret?

But Will and Seth seem confident with their selection.

Right, that's it, guys, time's up. Step away from the weaners.

First to be scrutinised by the judges is Seth.

What were you looking for in your pigs?

I were looking for something with good length, good capacity of body.

The more piglets it can have, the more money you could make.

Also the number of teats because the more pigs it rears,

-the more money you could possibly have.

-Makes sense. OK, and how did we stack up?

15, 14, 6, 9 and 12. How did that go against yours?

Three.

So very good then.

By choosing three of the five pigs that Gareth and Dave had selected

and giving a good account of his other choices,

it's a respectable start from Seth. But can Robynne steal his thunder?

So talk us through your choices.

Well, I didn't really know a lot about pigs

but I've done stock judging of dairy and beef for breeding

and then for the butcher, so I just tried to bring some common sense to it

and hopefully it was, like, the same thing.

OK, so what kind of thing were you looking for in number 14?

Why did you pick number 14, for example.

I liked her length and she's got a bit of stature about her

so that hopefully when she has her piglets

she can go on for a few years and she can look after them properly

and not just collapse.

I'd say well done. You got three out of our five as well.

That's all right then.

The first two are level pegging with their selections

but were the reasons for Robynne's choices as informed as her rivals?

Next up is competitive Will.

-How we doing?

-Not so bad.

-Prefer this challenge to the first one?

-Definitely. Much better challenge for me.

-OK, good.

-You happy with your selection?

-Definitely. Five good pigs in here.

I'd like to say well done...

because you have five out of five. Well done.

-Well done.

-Good stuff.

By selecting the same five pigs as the judges,

Will has overtaken Seth and Robynne

and he's finally shown he's got the skills to match his confidence.

Can Rhys match Will's success?

I picked these five. Tried to get them all basically the same size.

Wanted plenty of length on the pig

and looked for a good back end as well.

OK, and how did we do? We picked 3, 4, 10, 12 and 6.

How did that stack up against you guys?

He's done very well. Same as Robynne. Three out of our five.

Right, OK.

With two challenges completed, it's time for the judges

to send one of the contestants back home to their farm.

-I'm pleased.

-Same.

-Very, very pleased.

I was very confident going into this task

because I've done a lot of stock judging in the past.

I'm very used to doing it.

I'm doing this to prove a point, like. Woman CAN do it.

I think in there I showed a good display of that, like.

I might have been scared but I can be tough and I can do it.

There's a lot of women out there that are exactly the same as me.

Do you think you've done well enough to stick in the top three?

I'm not sure at this point, I'm not sure.

I think I have, but I'm not sure.

Shall we start with Robynne?

I thought her performance on the second task,

it was a total different character to the original task that we had.

I thought her explanation was a little bit disappointing.

-When questioned about what she was looking for?

-Yeah.

-It was a little bit weak. It wasn't feisty.

-No.

She was demonstrating no knowledge there at all.

Seth on the challenge two, he was standing back,

-he was looking with his eyes, he was thinking things through.

-Yeah.

-What about Rhys?

-Mr Steady, isn't he?

He's just doing his work. He gives a good explanation

and his determination on challenge one...

There's some steel in that boy.

With Will, in this challenge, he absolutely excelled.

What were the chances of him getting five out of five

on pig selection?

Yeah, the little blighter upped his game.

OK, Dave, Gareth, you've had a chance to deliberate and discuss.

-We have.

-You've made your final decision?

-Yes.

-Yeah, OK.

I would like some feedback for our finalists.

If we could start with Seth, please, Dave.

Right, Seth, it was really good to see that you'd actually taken

some of our comments on board.

-Some feedback for Will, Gareth.

-Upped your game on challenge two

but disappointed with your handling skills.

OK.

Feedback for Robynne.

What a comeback on the second challenge

but you gave a poor account of yourself

when it came to justifying your decisions on your pig selection.

-And finally Rhys, please, Gareth.

-Mr Steady...

but I want to see tan 'r ddraig.

-Fire in the belly of the dragon.

-Oh.

Right, the first farmer to leave the competition is...

..Robynne.

Although the judges liked Robynne's animal-handling skills,

she struggled to give clear reasons for her pig selections

and, in round one, she failed to shear any sheep completely

so it's game over and she's out of the competition.

With her own family unable to be with her,

the others farmers' relatives are on hand.

You done really well. Really well.

I'm definitely glad I came and I'm glad I took part in it.

You did really well.

At the end of the day,

there's three other farmers that are bloody good at what they do

so I wish them all the best of luck.

I think anyone could've gone today.

We've all made mistakes in what we've done

so it's up to the judges.

I'm very happy that I didn't get eliminated.

I thought I might be on the cutting block

but anyway I'm happy about that. I'm relieved.

I thought I was going, to be fair.

I don't know what I'm going to do to keep myself in the game but I've got the gift of the gab

and I've just got to hope and pray that they are what comes up next and I can shine again.

Well done. It's a relief. See how the next one goes.

Take a seat, please.

Coming up, we crank up the dial and apply the pressure

in the interview from hell.

-One hectare equals how many acres?

-Er...

You should've been born knowing that sort of data.

And for two farmers it's do or die as they go head to head down on the farm.

The first ever Young Farmer Of The Year is...

So, boys, we're down to the final three.

Time now to find out a little bit more about you.

This is your chance to impress the judges with your passion

and knowledge of farming. Off you go to the hush room.

Take a seat, please.

What is an inflammation of the udder called?

Inflammation of the udder - that'd be mastitis.

Mastitis.

-Mastitis.

-Correct.

What breed of sheep has black head and legs?

Suffolk.

Suffolk.

Scottish blackface. No, Suffolk.

Correct. One hectare equals how many acres?

I think it's 1.657.

3.3.

I think it's 3.3. Around there anyway.

-3.3?

-Yeah.

-It's actually 2.48.

-You should've been born knowing that sort of data.

-Right.

Septoria is a major disease of which crop?

Wheat.

Wheat.

Septoria. I believe that is...

oil seed rape.

On this pig carcass, please would you point out for me bacon.

Bacon comes from...that area.

Can you point and show me the loin joint?

The loin is from the front of the ham

which you can see there sort of thing.

And it comes down right into the back of the ribs

which are down here.

Correct.

Why do you think you should be the Young Farmer Of The Year?

I feel that I'm hard working, I'm open to new ideas

to take things to the next level, thinking about tomorrow, not yesterday.

I've got the drive and the willpower.

I've got the passion in what I do.

If I win this competition, I could get more people involved in farming.

I could get people to visit my farm

to see what I've done over the past few years.

-I don't think they've got as much love and passion and drive as I have.

-Thank you.

Thank you.

In the grilling, Rhys scored the highest

by answering eight questions correctly.

Seth scored seven, with Will close behind at six.

But what will the judges think about their performance?

-I think you are safe, you are safe.

-I don't know. I am scared. I'm scared.

I should have known where the bacon came from!

If I was to chose someone to go into this round, I think it would be Rhys.

I just don't think he's got the heart, the soul,

the passion and the drive to go into the final two.

I like to think there's something special about me compared to the others,

but we'll have to wait and see what the judges say.

Dave, I'm disappointed with some of the answers in that grilling.

Yes, it actually exposes who they really are.

-With Will, he can talk the talk.

-But can he walk the walk?

And that's where he worries me.

But on that final couple of questions,

-he's got ambitions, hasn't he?

-He shined there, didn't he?

When we were talking to Rhys,

he's running a farm on his own at the moment,

that's serious mental strain,

but is he standing out? And at the moment, for me personally,

he's not standing there with his arm up saying, "Look at me, come and get me."

When we're looking at Seth as an individual...

I think he's got a lot of passion, a lot of determination, he's 18.

He is a bit younger,

-but his last speech, to me, was just the same old record going round and round.

-Yes.

For me, there's one person in here I'd leave my farm for.

I could trust him in my stock and everything I've got there.

-Really?

-Yeah.

OK, time for some feedback. First up, Rhys, please, Dave.

OK, Rhys, if you want to stay and survive in this competition,

you are going to have to shine.

Seth, you clearly have a passion for farming

and we've seen a spark today,

but you have to light that torch for things to happen.

And finally, William.

We can see your passion, and you can talk the talk,

and it worries me that you're just a bit of a salesman.

All right, guys, only two of you can go through to the final round.

Our judges are looking for the very best.

The next farmer to leave the competition is...

It's Seth.

Seth had a strong first round with his shearing,

but he lost ground to Will in round two by only selecting

three of the five prime pigs and he scored lower than Rhys in the Q&A.

So for Seth it's all over and he's out of the competition.

ALL: Aw, Seth!

I think it was a close call, not being big headed.

All of us had faults and all of us had positive things.

Maybe I didn't have as much to give as the other two.

Right, gentlemen, you're the last two, you're in the final, well done.

Thank you.

At the end of the next challenge one of you will be crowned

Young Farmer Of The Year.

CHEERING

I couldn't believe it, I got through on the skin of my teeth.

Well done, I'm so proud of you.

I'm in my own world at the minute, I don't know what's going on.

Are you OK?

Do you want to talk to me for five minutes?

Overwhelmed by his achievement,

Rhys needs support from his girlfriend,

but will he be able to pull himself together

before the all-important final challenge?

Oh, I think the making of this

would have been that his father was here to have seen it.

This is it.

The final challenge.

And, at stake, the title Young Farmer Of The Year.

With the title so close they can almost touch it,

where better to find our winner than out of the studio

and down on a farm in front of their friends and family?

A farmer needs to be strong mentally and physically,

they need to be able to think laterally,

have good animal handling techniques and great instincts.

This next challenge is going to test all of those skills, and more. To add to the pressure,

our finalists' friends and families have joined us here on the farm to watch over them.

Judges, what have you got in store for our final challenge?

Essentially, you have to select five cows and five calves

and you have to then separate the cows from the calves.

The calves will be sent down the race for a health check.

Gareth, is that all they'll be doing?

No, we'll be looking for handling skills, husbandry skills,

we'll be looking for something special.

OK, guys, your time starts now!

It's the final challenge and their last chance to claim the title

Young Farmer Of The Year.

Will and Rhys have to match five cows and their five offspring

from a pen of 20. They also need to make a note of their breeds.

Once they've selected their ten cows,

they have to separate the mothers from their young

by herding the cows into a newly-constructed pen.

They then have to send the calves down a run

into a cattle-handling system to perform a health check.

Once this is complete, the calves can be released back into the field.

But, like any parent, these cows are very protective over their children,

so Will and Rhys have to tread carefully

whilst also remaining in charge.

He's got 20 cattle in here, they're actually just trying to get away

into corners. Now, you would think that reading an ear tag is simple,

but you have these small ear tags on massive beasts and creatures.

Go on, girl. Go through the arch.

Throughout the competition, Will has maintained a competitive edge,

but will this be enough to see him

through this all-important final challenge?

First impressions, Will, actually is doing

a really good job. He's calm, collected and he's positioning his body

-to turn the cattle without making too much of a fuss.

-Definitely.

In previous rounds, Rhys has been methodical in his approach,

but will his slow and considered nature cost him the title?

-Judges, how are we doing?

-Yes, good.

If you had to say, who has the edge now?

For me, personally, I would say Will.

-Right.

-And me.

With the clock ticking, they must now build a side pen

so they can separate the calves from their mothers

in order to perform the health check.

-What's your game plan?

-Take my time and look after the animals.

Make sure they're nice and quiet.

Cows can be volatile beasts when separated from their children

and they will do anything to protect their calves.

So Will and Rhys need to keep their wits about them.

-That blonde one.

-Well, blondes are renowned!

-They've got a characteristic that they can be quite challenging as a breed to cope with.

-Yes.

-They're feisty actually.

-Yes.

As Rhys is about to find out when he makes a fundamental error

by letting one of his calves back in the pen with its mother.

This could spell trouble.

Rhys is quick to spot the blonde's aggressive behaviour

as she attempts to protects her calf,

so he does the right thing and scarpers out of the pen.

Credit where it's due, Rhys read that cow like a book.

She was there face-to-face. She was waiting for him to step in that pen

-and she was going to clout him.

-Really?

-Oh, she was ready.

He was up and out of that pen, razor sharp.

-It was good work.

-Razor sharp.

Both finalists need to make a note of the breeds of their cows.

But Will has foolishly released his cows without doing this.

Will he notice his mistake before he runs out of time?

Rhys is the first to get a calf down the run and into the crush.

Still not realising his mistake by releasing the cows too early,

Will also sends one of his calves down the run.

The crush system is designed to hold the calf in place

so that a health check can be performed.

This consists of inserting a thermometer up the calf's bum

to check its temperature and also giving it a dose of vitamins.

It's standard practice for farmers wanting to keep a happy and healthy stock.

Guys, just think about what's happening right now.

You've both got a calf there each and they're thrashing around.

How can you try and stop that head flying all over the place?

Once the calf's settled, I'll bring the scoop up.

If I put it up before and the calf goes down, you'll throttle the calf.

-We'll have to see.

-I've seen it done.

-I've seen a beast die in a crush.

-See how it works out.

Although Will does what Dave advises

it appears that he's adopted the same attitude as his feisty cows.

And it's probably not the right kind of impression

he wants to make on the judges.

I noticed Will kind of gave you a bit of lip,

or certainly a bit of backchat.

I was giving him some good advice for his benefit and the calf's.

If he'd have spoken to me like that on my farm,

I'd have sent him straight out of that gate.

He wants to be put back in his place. At the end of the day,

-we're the judges.

-Absolutely.

Although Will's calf has been in the crush for an acceptable amount of time,

it has become distressed

and there's a tense moment when it's finally released.

The calf is soon back on it's feet

and it's on its way to be reunited with its mother.

It's all in a day's work for Rhys and Will,

and they crack on with the task, knowing that the calf is fine.

With the dosing and temperature readings complete,

an exhausted Will finally realises

he hasn't identified the breeds of the cows he released earlier

and so for him, it's a long walk back to the bottom of the field

where his cows have congregated.

Despite the sweltering heat, Rhys is working to a furious pace

and he finishes the health check on his final calf.

So, Team Rhys, how do we think your boy's doing?

-Good.

-I think he's doing really well.

-He's a pretty... He's Steady Eddy, he's a pretty calm guy.

-He is very steady.

-Proud of your grandson?

-Oh, so proud.

-Yeah?

-He's done it for Wales.

-He's done it for Wales, exactly.

-That's enough for me.

Will has identified the breeds of his cows,

but although exhausted, he still needs to get them on the board,

which is at the other end of the field.

Five minutes left, guys! Five minutes to go!

Time is running out, and our farmers are feeling the pressure.

It's been a mammoth task

and they still have to dismantle the pen and load it onto the trailer.

Will and Rhys are locked and loaded.

They must jump onto their tractors and drive down to the finish line.

Will is first past the post, but the judges aren't just looking for the fastest farmer.

APPLAUSE OK, guys, that's it, time's up!

Oh, let's give them a big round of applause, everybody.

Well done, Will.

-Thank you.

-That was hard work, eh?

-That was, yeah. Very hard work.

Well done, Rhys.

-That looked pretty tough, mate?

-Yeah, exhausting.

-Yeah?

-Got through it in the end.

-All right, guys. Judges...

it's the last time for you to go back to the hush room, deliberate

and decide which one of them will be crowned Young Farmer Of The Year.

-I'll ask you two to go off now and we'll meet you at the hangar.

-OK.

-All right, guys.

'Young Farmer Of The Year this year I think could be me'

because I just think I've got the passion, the edge,

and, as I've proved now, I can take it steady, concentrate on what I'm doing and...

hopefully the proof's in the pudding.

'Exhausted after all that.'

Done as well as I could anyway, so...

For Rhys, the intense emotional pressure

of the last 24 hours is too much for him to bear.

Hello, sunshine!

Give me a hug. Oh, come on!

You've done so well.

Come on. Are you fine? All right?

Both of the lads performed remarkably well.

We've got to be proud of both them as young farmers.

-It's very close.

-They weren't the easiest cows and calves to handle.

-They were picked to perfection.

-Exactly! Especially them blondes!

-Yeah.

-There's a big difference...

-Feisty blonde!

We like a bit of feisty blonde! Don't tell the wife!

Actually, Rhys had a real feisty blonde. That can put the fear of God into you,

-a one-tonne cow wanting to literally run you down.

-Yeah.

And credit where it's due,

he managed that situation brilliantly well.

Will decided, once he'd got his cow separated,

he let them out. That made me panic a little bit,

and actually you could see he was having problems with the calves.

-They got twitchy, they were getting feisty...

-Yep.

..whereas Rhys, his calves were laidback

and relatively calm in comparison to Will's.

I didn't expect it to be this hard.

Nor me either. We've got two good finalists.

So, have you reached a decision?

Yes.

OK, it's time to crown the winner. Let's bring back our two finalists!

CHEERING AND APPLAUSE

With a decision made, and in front of a specially invited audience, including family and friends,

it's time for the winner to be announced.

Will, Rhys,

you've both been fantastic contestants

but there can only be one winner.

OK, judges, time for some feedback. If we could start with William, please.

Will, you have great passion.

You are a superb farmer.

And it's brilliant to see the next generation of agriculture

-standing in front of us.

-Thank you.

Rhys, you have shown total resilience

throughout the four challenges.

I'm seriously impressed. You've done it with some quiet confidence

and you should be proud of yourself,

-and I'm sure your family are proud of you.

-Thank you.

OK, guys, it's crunch time.

The first ever Young Farmer Of The Year...

..is...

It's Rhys!

SCREAMING AND CHEERING

APPLAUSE

Congratulations, mate, well done. Well done, mate.

Rhys's superb cattle-handling skills throughout the competition impressed the judges.

He stayed calm under pressure

and it was his attention to detail and methodical approach

that won him the title.

So pleased!

-You're the Young Farmer Of The Year.

-That means a lot.

-Yeah?

-Thank you.

-Well done, mate. Are you proud of yourself?

-I am.

-Yeah?

Well done to Will, also Give him a big round of applause. CHEERING AND APPLAUSE

It's been an incredible contest. Congratulations to Rhys,

our first ever Young Farmer Of The Year.

Good night.

'I think he deserves this trophy more than anything.'

More than any of the others, to be fair.

For what he has done for farming,

I think he definitely deserves it.

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