0:00:31 > 0:00:35JOHN CRAVEN: A wild, rugged heath, with a beauty all of its own.
0:00:40 > 0:00:43Beneath it, scenery that seems hardly touched by time.
0:00:43 > 0:00:50I'm in Thomas Hardy country, the landscape that inspired the novelist
0:00:50 > 0:00:55to create his partly real, partly dreamed fictional county of Wessex.
0:00:56 > 0:00:58Tourists flock to Dorset
0:00:58 > 0:01:01from all over the world to walk in Hardy's footsteps.
0:01:01 > 0:01:03But we're hoping to discover, with the help
0:01:03 > 0:01:06of some newly-discovered paintings,
0:01:06 > 0:01:09just how much of his countryside remains today.
0:01:11 > 0:01:14And while I'm on land, Matt's braving the waves.
0:01:15 > 0:01:17I'll be finding out what happens
0:01:17 > 0:01:21when 1,900 yachts set a course around the Isle of Wight.
0:01:23 > 0:01:25Back on dry land, Adam's got work to do.
0:01:25 > 0:01:30It's harvest time on the farm, and after a dry spring,
0:01:30 > 0:01:33we're keen to find out how well our crops have fared.
0:01:34 > 0:01:38And he's not the only one looking to the future.
0:01:38 > 0:01:39I'll be asking
0:01:39 > 0:01:42whether we should continue to subsidise British farmers.
0:01:42 > 0:01:44And James has been to Somerset
0:01:44 > 0:01:48to catch up with some of our best photographers.
0:01:48 > 0:01:52He's learning why we need their 2020VISION to reconnect us to nature.
0:01:52 > 0:01:56I'm looking at the animal instead of the plant. That's great.
0:02:10 > 0:02:14Dorset, the place where Thomas Hardy lived and died.
0:02:14 > 0:02:16It was the inspiration for his greatest writing.
0:02:19 > 0:02:23Hardy wrote from what he saw - the places he'd known,
0:02:23 > 0:02:25the people he met.
0:02:25 > 0:02:28Many of his characters were often beset by tragedy,
0:02:28 > 0:02:33and behind it all, a brooding presence. The landscape.
0:02:37 > 0:02:40This is Thomas Hardy in middle-age.
0:02:40 > 0:02:43He was born in 1840 in Higher Bockhampton in Dorset,
0:02:43 > 0:02:47the county which lay at the heart of his fictional Wessex,
0:02:47 > 0:02:48and was the setting
0:02:48 > 0:02:52for one of his greatest novels, The Return Of The Native.
0:02:55 > 0:02:58"The sea changed,
0:02:58 > 0:03:03"the fields changed, the rivers, "the village and the people changed.
0:03:03 > 0:03:04"Yet Egdon remained."
0:03:06 > 0:03:09The Egdon that Hardy is writing about is made up,
0:03:09 > 0:03:14a fictional heath that stretched all the way down to Poole on the coast.
0:03:16 > 0:03:19This is just part of that imaginary heath.
0:03:19 > 0:03:21Its real name is Black Heath,
0:03:21 > 0:03:24and it's only a few yards from the cottage where Hardy was born.
0:03:26 > 0:03:30He spent his childhood in this house and on the sprawling heath behind.
0:03:30 > 0:03:32We've a new view of Hardy's world
0:03:32 > 0:03:36in these recently discovered paintings
0:03:36 > 0:03:38by 19th century artist John Everett.
0:03:38 > 0:03:41They've now been put on public display for the first time
0:03:41 > 0:03:44in more than 80 years.
0:03:44 > 0:03:47Here's Mike Bowman, a modern-day artist
0:03:47 > 0:03:49interpreting Everett's landscape.
0:03:50 > 0:03:57So how much do Everett's paintings tell us about his time, his days?
0:03:57 > 0:03:59I think they're a good snapshot
0:03:59 > 0:04:02of the simple way the landscape was like
0:04:02 > 0:04:05and the immediate locations around Hardy's own home.
0:04:05 > 0:04:09He was clearly interested in portraying those.
0:04:09 > 0:04:10In the absence of the camera,
0:04:10 > 0:04:13it was a good way of recording their appearance.
0:04:13 > 0:04:17And of course, Hardy was painting the landscape as well with words,
0:04:17 > 0:04:22- and this was one of his favourite locations?- Yes, indeed.
0:04:22 > 0:04:25It's right at the centre of his physical life.
0:04:25 > 0:04:27He was a stone's throw from his own cottage,
0:04:27 > 0:04:30and a lot of his novels begin and end in this area,
0:04:30 > 0:04:33so you're right slap in the middle of it.
0:04:35 > 0:04:39It was Hardy's whole world, and he saw it in the raw.
0:04:43 > 0:04:46As a young lad, Thomas came here one day to Rushy Pond
0:04:46 > 0:04:51with his telescope, but it wasn't wildlife that he saw through his lens,
0:04:51 > 0:04:54it was a public execution going on three miles away.
0:04:54 > 0:04:57It was a sight that shocked and appalled him,
0:04:57 > 0:05:00and left him in no doubt as to the cruelties of life.
0:05:00 > 0:05:04A grim episode, at odds with the beauty all around him.
0:05:04 > 0:05:08The place where the young Hardy sat that day has hardly changed.
0:05:08 > 0:05:12But pine plantations have been choking his beloved heath,
0:05:12 > 0:05:14until now.
0:05:19 > 0:05:24A major project to clear the heath of trees is well under way.
0:05:24 > 0:05:27The idea is to get the land back to how it was in Hardy's time.
0:05:27 > 0:05:30But when you've got a big job like this to do,
0:05:30 > 0:05:32you have to call in the experts.
0:05:34 > 0:05:36Come on!
0:05:37 > 0:05:39Ah. There they go.
0:05:42 > 0:05:48These are Dartmoor ponies, wild animals who love this terrain.
0:05:48 > 0:05:53- This is a special treat, so we can examine them.- Here you are. Come on.
0:05:53 > 0:05:58Dartmoor ponies, here on Hardy's mythical moor. Why?
0:05:58 > 0:06:01These ponies were made available to us, and have been ideal.
0:06:01 > 0:06:04They're good at eating a whole variety of scrub.
0:06:04 > 0:06:07They don't just eat the grasses - they'll eat gorse,
0:06:07 > 0:06:11bracken and birch, so they've been fabulous on the site for us.
0:06:11 > 0:06:16This encourages traditional plants of the heath to flourish.
0:06:16 > 0:06:19- Would there have been ponies here in Hardy's time?- That's right.
0:06:19 > 0:06:23He describes in The Return Of The Native, the novel set here on this site,
0:06:23 > 0:06:26that heath croppers were abundant on the heathland.
0:06:26 > 0:06:28- And by that he meant ponies?- He did.
0:06:28 > 0:06:30And as you can see, they are cropping the heath.
0:06:30 > 0:06:34So it's clear why they were called that.
0:06:34 > 0:06:37There's still plenty of work to do here.
0:06:37 > 0:06:41But in time, it's hoped that this landscape will evoke once more
0:06:41 > 0:06:44the great Egdon Heath of Hardy's imagination.
0:06:46 > 0:06:48Over the past couple of weeks,
0:06:48 > 0:06:53we've been looking at some of the biggest issues facing the future of food production here in Britain.
0:06:53 > 0:06:58Tonight, Tom tackles one of the most controversial questions of all.
0:06:58 > 0:07:00Should farming be subsidised?
0:07:04 > 0:07:06Farmers have a vital role in the UK.
0:07:06 > 0:07:12They look after the land and produce our food, but that doesn't come for free.
0:07:12 > 0:07:17I'm arriving at a business that's given around £40,000 of taxpayers' money -
0:07:17 > 0:07:20your money - every year.
0:07:20 > 0:07:21That's enough to pay for this car.
0:07:21 > 0:07:26But instead, that's money being spent here, a farm in the Lincolnshire breadbasket,
0:07:26 > 0:07:30and we pay towards every field.
0:07:30 > 0:07:32So how did we get here?
0:07:35 > 0:07:38REPORTER: 'Ashford market last week.
0:07:38 > 0:07:42'If the government didn't help farmers, we could all have a shilling off our income tax.
0:07:42 > 0:07:47'State aid costs nearly £300 million a year.'
0:07:47 > 0:07:50British farmers have had subsidies since the early 1900s,
0:07:50 > 0:07:55but in 1962, it was the Common Agricultural Policy, or CAP,
0:07:55 > 0:07:57that really kick-started the system.
0:07:57 > 0:08:00Its key purpose was to increase food production
0:08:00 > 0:08:04and support struggling family farms across Europe.
0:08:04 > 0:08:10Every year, farmers were guaranteed a healthy price for their crop.
0:08:10 > 0:08:14So, in this case for wheat, the more they grew, quite simply,
0:08:14 > 0:08:16the more money they made.
0:08:16 > 0:08:21It was popular at first, but public opinion seemed to turn against it
0:08:21 > 0:08:25when in the 1970s and '80s, we started producing too much food.
0:08:25 > 0:08:28'Latest figures confirm Britain, like Europe,
0:08:28 > 0:08:32'has a food mountain out of control.'
0:08:32 > 0:08:35Local produce started to pile up across the country,
0:08:35 > 0:08:40and so from the '90s onwards, CAP payments began to change.
0:08:40 > 0:08:43Subsidies were now on offer to improve food safety
0:08:43 > 0:08:48and look after the environment, but most still went to growing food.
0:08:48 > 0:08:52Today, £50 billion pounds are spent subsidising farms across Europe,
0:08:52 > 0:08:56of which around £4 billion comes to the UK.
0:08:56 > 0:08:58For taxpayers like you or I,
0:08:58 > 0:09:04we pay about £110 every year. But is that contribution worth it?
0:09:04 > 0:09:07We'll hear your views in a moment, but first,
0:09:07 > 0:09:10some want subsidies scrapped altogether.
0:09:10 > 0:09:13These days with these subsidies,
0:09:13 > 0:09:17they're keeping in business many farms who are relatively inefficient,
0:09:17 > 0:09:21not very profitable and certainly can't afford to invest in the future.
0:09:21 > 0:09:23So if you had your fingers
0:09:23 > 0:09:26on the buttons of the subsidy, what would you do tomorrow?
0:09:26 > 0:09:31To be practical, I'd give people a period of time, say five years.
0:09:31 > 0:09:34In five years' time, they'd be phased out.
0:09:34 > 0:09:37The smaller, inefficient, less profitable farms would go.
0:09:37 > 0:09:39The larger farmers who had been held back,
0:09:39 > 0:09:42who had money to invest in the future,
0:09:42 > 0:09:45- they would see their opportunities and go ahead.- If we took away
0:09:45 > 0:09:49farming subsidies, wouldn't people start having to pay the real price for food,
0:09:49 > 0:09:51and that would push prices up?
0:09:51 > 0:09:53Aha! Here's the beauty.
0:09:53 > 0:09:57If you put farming in the hands of more efficient, productive farmers,
0:09:57 > 0:10:01the price of food will be lower than it otherwise would be going forward.
0:10:01 > 0:10:03We face an era where food will rise
0:10:03 > 0:10:07at at least the same rate as other prices in the economy,
0:10:07 > 0:10:10something we haven't seen for about 30 years.
0:10:10 > 0:10:12If we are to counteract that
0:10:12 > 0:10:15and provide affordable food not just for people in this country,
0:10:15 > 0:10:16but throughout the world,
0:10:16 > 0:10:22we need to encourage hi-tech, highly efficient, well managed farming.
0:10:22 > 0:10:26And we don't do that by subsidising the inefficient.
0:10:27 > 0:10:30Though if our Countryfile survey is anything to go by,
0:10:30 > 0:10:32Sean is in a minority.
0:10:32 > 0:10:37Almost 50 years after the Common Agricultural Policy
0:10:37 > 0:10:40began in the UK, it appears very popular.
0:10:40 > 0:10:43In our survey, as many as 86% of you
0:10:43 > 0:10:46felt that farmers deserved some form of subsidy.
0:10:46 > 0:10:49But how do you think they should use it?
0:10:49 > 0:10:5363% of you felt the money should be used for food production
0:10:53 > 0:10:55and supporting wildlife.
0:10:55 > 0:11:0015% said it should only be used on wildlife and the environment.
0:11:00 > 0:11:01As little as 8% thought
0:11:01 > 0:11:04the money should be used only for producing food,
0:11:04 > 0:11:08and a surprisingly slight 9% felt
0:11:08 > 0:11:10there shouldn't be any farm subsidy at all.
0:11:10 > 0:11:13But how much are they actually getting? Despite some farms
0:11:13 > 0:11:19being paid over £1 million a year, the average farmer gets between £10,000 and £20,000.
0:11:19 > 0:11:24Mark runs a 600-acre wheat and veg farm in Lincolnshire.
0:11:24 > 0:11:29As we heard earlier, he gets an annual subsidy of £40,000.
0:11:29 > 0:11:31Mark, what are you spending your money on?
0:11:31 > 0:11:35Basically, it goes on all the inputs we need for a farming business.
0:11:35 > 0:11:37Fertilisers went up 50% in a year.
0:11:37 > 0:11:41To change this tractor for another second-hand tractor
0:11:41 > 0:11:44would be £30,000 to change, on a written quote.
0:11:44 > 0:11:47- And I bet fuel doesn't come cheap. - It doesn't.
0:11:47 > 0:11:49It's up five-fold in about six years.
0:11:49 > 0:11:53Used to pay ten pence a litre. We now pay 63p. A new sprayer
0:11:53 > 0:11:56would be £20,000. Tractor on the front, another £40,000.
0:11:56 > 0:12:03So you're saying all the kit you need to produce food is going up in price rapidly?
0:12:03 > 0:12:05It is, so support is essential
0:12:05 > 0:12:09to maintain a viable, up-to-date business.
0:12:09 > 0:12:12But I can hear other businessmen saying, "My inputs are going up.
0:12:12 > 0:12:15"I produce things down the road.
0:12:15 > 0:12:18"I have to incorporate that in my business.
0:12:18 > 0:12:21"I have to get more efficient." Why can't you do that?
0:12:21 > 0:12:23Because we can't dictate the price.
0:12:23 > 0:12:25A manufacturer of nuts or bolts or nails can say,
0:12:25 > 0:12:28"If you want those nails, it's that price."
0:12:28 > 0:12:31We don't have that option because we're in a world market situation.
0:12:31 > 0:12:35Flour commodities are traded globally and prices are set globally,
0:12:35 > 0:12:37not at my cost of production plus a profit
0:12:37 > 0:12:41out of the farm gate. So we're at the mercy of the world markets.
0:12:41 > 0:12:44But looked at another way, isn't it just the fact that a subsidy
0:12:44 > 0:12:49enables businesses to carry on being less efficient?
0:12:49 > 0:12:52Subsidies can make businesses lazy, but the margins are so slim
0:12:52 > 0:12:57and the distinction between success and failure is so acute at the moment
0:12:57 > 0:12:58that I can assure you,
0:12:58 > 0:13:02most businesses do not wallow in the luxury of fancy cars
0:13:02 > 0:13:04as a result of the subsidy.
0:13:04 > 0:13:09In some years, it's essential as a tool to maintain the survival of our business.
0:13:09 > 0:13:12Whatever Mark thinks, things are going to change.
0:13:12 > 0:13:16The CAP is about to be reformed, and that's likely to mean
0:13:16 > 0:13:19he'll get less money in the future. So later on,
0:13:19 > 0:13:22I'll be asking the Agriculture Minister
0:13:22 > 0:13:25about why he thinks these changes are vital.
0:13:27 > 0:13:32Just why have 20 of our top photographers and camera people
0:13:32 > 0:13:35got together to record memorable images of the countryside?
0:13:35 > 0:13:38That's what James wanted to know when he met up with them.
0:13:39 > 0:13:43The low-lying pastures and gently sloping hills
0:13:43 > 0:13:44of the Somerset Levels.
0:13:44 > 0:13:50Man's influence on this countryside is plain to see.
0:13:50 > 0:13:52But I'm here to find out about a national project
0:13:52 > 0:13:55that aims to wake us up to how the countryside influences us.
0:13:57 > 0:13:592020VISION, as it's called,
0:13:59 > 0:14:03is using photography to document Britain's wild spaces.
0:14:03 > 0:14:08We sent two of their crack team, Andy Rouse and Guy Edwards,
0:14:08 > 0:14:12out at dawn to see what they could turn up with in just a few hours.
0:14:12 > 0:14:13But before I catch up with them,
0:14:13 > 0:14:17I've come to meet project co-ordinator Peter Kearns to find out more.
0:14:17 > 0:14:19So Peter, what's this project about?
0:14:19 > 0:14:25For the first time, we've brought 20 of the country's top nature photographers together,
0:14:25 > 0:14:28and their job is to tell the story
0:14:28 > 0:14:31of ecosystems that are being revitalised. For years,
0:14:31 > 0:14:34we've had this idea of nature only existing in nature reserves,
0:14:34 > 0:14:37these designated areas to protect
0:14:37 > 0:14:40birds, bats or butterflies or whatever.
0:14:40 > 0:14:43Science is now telling us that that's no longer enough,
0:14:43 > 0:14:47so we need to think more ambitiously on a bigger and longer-term scale.
0:14:49 > 0:14:52And it's with images like this that they hope to wow us
0:14:52 > 0:14:55into caring about the nature that surrounds us,
0:14:55 > 0:14:59and show us what's being done to preserve it.
0:14:59 > 0:15:01Like here, on the Somerset Levels.
0:15:03 > 0:15:06Local wildlife groups are hard at work
0:15:06 > 0:15:12restoring these wetlands for our native species. And where there's wildlife, there's photographers.
0:15:12 > 0:15:15Remember our crack team? They've been out for hours
0:15:15 > 0:15:18trying to capture life on the Levels,
0:15:18 > 0:15:21no mean feat on a drizzly day like today.
0:15:21 > 0:15:24Andy's recorded his thoughts for us.
0:15:24 > 0:15:27It's really grim. It's raining, grey skies.
0:15:28 > 0:15:30I've just had a text from Guy,
0:15:30 > 0:15:33who said it was the same. He's working down the road.
0:15:33 > 0:15:35You can't help the weather,
0:15:35 > 0:15:38but when you have such a nice view, who cares?
0:15:38 > 0:15:40Let's see how they got on.
0:15:40 > 0:15:44Andy's at Shapwick Heath Nature Reserve,
0:15:44 > 0:15:48hoping to add to his already extensive otter portfolio.
0:15:52 > 0:15:57- Hi, Andy.- How are you doing?- Not bad. I have sustenance. Here you go.
0:15:57 > 0:15:59I've already scoffed mine.
0:15:59 > 0:16:04- How's it going? I see a few bits and pieces.- You have the cormorants in the trees,
0:16:04 > 0:16:08swans all around. Closer in, we have the heron fishing around here.
0:16:08 > 0:16:11- Want to see a picture?- Fantastic. Go ahead.
0:16:11 > 0:16:15He basically took off and flew right at me. I'll show you its head, look.
0:16:15 > 0:16:17That was pretty cool.
0:16:17 > 0:16:20He was fishing here. Then some swans came along.
0:16:20 > 0:16:24Little babies, really nice. The cob went to sleep down here.
0:16:24 > 0:16:28Some more artistic ones with the reflection of the reeds and him asleep.
0:16:28 > 0:16:32And then I did some very wide-angled landscapes of it.
0:16:32 > 0:16:36The whole thing about 2020VISION is we want to show the ecosystem
0:16:36 > 0:16:40- as it is when I take the picture. I want to show the habitat.- In context.
0:16:40 > 0:16:42- Fantastic.- No otters, unfortunately.
0:16:42 > 0:16:44That is frustrating,
0:16:44 > 0:16:48because I can photograph it. I've just got to find it.
0:16:48 > 0:16:51My ideal picture would be right here like I showed you with the swan.
0:16:51 > 0:16:56I could take it wide angle with him swimming and looking up, they always do that,
0:16:56 > 0:16:59with all of the habitat and maybe a storm cloud in the background.
0:16:59 > 0:17:03- What do you feel like when you suddenly get that image? - I feel fantastic.
0:17:03 > 0:17:06Especially things like otters, where you have to work so hard,
0:17:06 > 0:17:09and they give you a tiny glimpse of their life.
0:17:09 > 0:17:12It's my job to record that for everyone else to see.
0:17:15 > 0:17:19A couple of miles of the road is a site that still has some way to go
0:17:19 > 0:17:21before it looks like Andy's wildlife haven.
0:17:21 > 0:17:24Just five years ago, though, this was all woodland.
0:17:24 > 0:17:29Volunteers are working to transform it back into a mire,
0:17:29 > 0:17:31and it's already showing signs of life.
0:17:32 > 0:17:37Guy Edwards is no stranger to sunrise on the Somerset Levels.
0:17:41 > 0:17:44- Hi, James. - How long have you been out here for?
0:17:44 > 0:17:46Since four o'clock this morning.
0:17:46 > 0:17:48That is serious dedication. What have you taken?
0:17:48 > 0:17:52I started off hoping to get some landscapes with the nice sunrise.
0:17:52 > 0:17:54Unfortunately, that didn't materialise.
0:17:54 > 0:17:57The sun came up behind a bank of cloud.
0:17:57 > 0:18:00For shooting landscapes, you want nice, warm sunlight.
0:18:00 > 0:18:04So I didn't get much, a few reflections in the water.
0:18:04 > 0:18:05Then it clouded over
0:18:05 > 0:18:08and started raining, but the air was perfectly still,
0:18:08 > 0:18:11ideal conditions for photographing dragonflies.
0:18:11 > 0:18:15Here's a few of the dragonfly shots I got this morning.
0:18:15 > 0:18:18It's amazing, the kind of reflections of light
0:18:18 > 0:18:20you get on their wings.
0:18:20 > 0:18:23Because it was raining this morning, light rain settles on their wings,
0:18:23 > 0:18:26and that makes the structure of the wings stand out.
0:18:26 > 0:18:30There's a few different species there, all taken in this area.
0:18:30 > 0:18:32There's nothing here now, cos the sun came up
0:18:32 > 0:18:35and the dragonflies warmed up and they're off hunting.
0:18:35 > 0:18:38So you need to be an early riser.
0:18:38 > 0:18:39It's a rare moment
0:18:39 > 0:18:44where I'm looking at the animal instead of the plant. That's great.
0:18:44 > 0:18:47There's one subject that's a sure bet,
0:18:47 > 0:18:48no matter what the weather.
0:18:48 > 0:18:51As this site evolves into a fertile bog,
0:18:51 > 0:18:53a hidden gem is emerging -
0:18:53 > 0:18:54this rare sundew plant.
0:18:54 > 0:18:56What's cool about it?
0:18:56 > 0:19:00It's a carnivore, and it's my first glimpse of one in Britain.
0:19:00 > 0:19:04Gosh, I can see why I haven't seen them before. They're tiny.
0:19:04 > 0:19:08- Tricky to spot from a distance.- Yes. - Are they tricky to photograph?
0:19:08 > 0:19:10In this light, in these conditions,
0:19:10 > 0:19:13it's a fairly easy plant to photograph.
0:19:13 > 0:19:17Cos it grows so low to the ground, it's not affected by the breeze so you don't get it blurred.
0:19:17 > 0:19:21I'm going to shoot from a low angle, because the lower you shoot,
0:19:21 > 0:19:23the more you throw the background out of focus.
0:19:23 > 0:19:28It really makes the plant stand out from the surroundings.
0:19:28 > 0:19:31So if you take a look at that one.
0:19:33 > 0:19:35Images like this wake us up
0:19:35 > 0:19:38to the glories of the wilderness around us,
0:19:38 > 0:19:42and make us realise how important it is to protect the natural world.
0:19:46 > 0:19:50Later on, harvest is in full swing on Adam's farm.
0:19:50 > 0:19:54Matt will be catching up with the competitors who are all at sea
0:19:54 > 0:19:58in the Isle of Wight's 80th Round The Island Yacht race.
0:19:58 > 0:20:02It's incredible how close they're getting to each other.
0:20:02 > 0:20:06And if you're at sea or on land in the week ahead,
0:20:06 > 0:20:09you want the Countryfile forecast.
0:20:18 > 0:20:22Dorset is a patchwork of green fields,
0:20:22 > 0:20:26small farms and winding lanes, much as it was in Hardy's day.
0:20:28 > 0:20:32There are no motorways, and though far fewer people work the land
0:20:32 > 0:20:34than did in Hardy's time, if you're lucky,
0:20:34 > 0:20:38you might catch a glimpse of the world he would have known,
0:20:38 > 0:20:41and this would have been part of it.
0:20:41 > 0:20:45This is a shepherd's hut, a mobile hut which a shepherd would stay in
0:20:45 > 0:20:51for much of the year as he moved from field to field, tending his flock.
0:20:51 > 0:20:54A hut like this features in a famous scene
0:20:54 > 0:20:58in Far From The Madding Crowd, the book that made Hardy's name.
0:20:58 > 0:21:02"How long he remained unconscious, Gabriel never knew.
0:21:02 > 0:21:07"His dog was howling, his head was aching fearfully.
0:21:07 > 0:21:09"Somebody was pulling him about.
0:21:09 > 0:21:12"Hands were loosening his neckerchief."
0:21:12 > 0:21:17That passage describes the rescue of Gabriel Oak from a blazing shepherd's hut,
0:21:17 > 0:21:21but his would have looked different from the one I'm in.
0:21:21 > 0:21:22The hut would have had
0:21:22 > 0:21:25a rough bed to sleep on, a stove for warmth.
0:21:25 > 0:21:30This one's been restored. Gabriel's would have been much more basic.
0:21:30 > 0:21:33And of course, this doesn't have a cage for lambs to sleep in.
0:21:34 > 0:21:38Shepherds continued to use these huts long after Hardy's time.
0:21:38 > 0:21:43- Eileen, your dad had one of these? - Yes.- When are we talking about? What era would that be?
0:21:43 > 0:21:46- In the '20s, when he left school. - That's him there, is it?- Yes.
0:21:46 > 0:21:49- Was he always a shepherd? - Yes, always.
0:21:49 > 0:21:55This is a wonderful photo of your father, on the steps.
0:21:55 > 0:21:56Yeah. That was in the '50s.
0:21:56 > 0:22:01- But it is exactly the same design as this one.- Oh, yes, exactly.
0:22:01 > 0:22:04- And at lambing time? - Yes, the stove would be lit
0:22:04 > 0:22:09and he would sometimes stay in there. It depends on the situation.
0:22:09 > 0:22:12Lambs were nearly dead,
0:22:12 > 0:22:17and he'd bring them in and revive them round the fire, and they'd just lie around.
0:22:17 > 0:22:19As soon as they started running about,
0:22:19 > 0:22:22he'd have a little pen outside for them to come out,
0:22:22 > 0:22:24and then bring them back in in the evening.
0:22:24 > 0:22:27We had lambs at home, running about the kitchen.
0:22:27 > 0:22:32It was just one of the things shepherds did with lambs in those days if they were poorly.
0:22:32 > 0:22:36The old ways of shepherding gradually went into decline,
0:22:36 > 0:22:39and with them went the shepherd's hut.
0:22:39 > 0:22:40But all is not lost.
0:22:41 > 0:22:44Here in this workshop in south Dorset,
0:22:44 > 0:22:48these icons of Hardy's era are getting a new lease of life.
0:22:49 > 0:22:51Richard Lee and Jane Denison
0:22:51 > 0:22:54are in the business of bringing them back to use.
0:22:54 > 0:22:57It must be hard to find old huts these days.
0:22:57 > 0:23:02It's becoming harder and harder, because ten years ago,
0:23:02 > 0:23:04people didn't see their worth.
0:23:04 > 0:23:06But now they do, so they're harder to get hold of.
0:23:06 > 0:23:09Richard copied the designs of these old huts
0:23:09 > 0:23:12in his workshop, but then came the chance discovery
0:23:12 > 0:23:15of a blueprint from a century ago.
0:23:15 > 0:23:19- What was your reaction when you came across this?- We couldn't believe it.
0:23:19 > 0:23:20It was great to see.
0:23:20 > 0:23:24They called it a portable house, which is a shepherd's hut.
0:23:24 > 0:23:28As well as restoring them, you build new ones as well, don't you?
0:23:28 > 0:23:31- So this must be useful.- Absolutely.
0:23:31 > 0:23:36It was great to see that the way we do our ironwork, the proportions,
0:23:36 > 0:23:41the length, the width, the height, is all how we do our new-build huts.
0:23:41 > 0:23:45These new huts are the ultimate in chic sheds.
0:23:45 > 0:23:48Built mostly for leisure and pleasure,
0:23:48 > 0:23:50this one's even getting a sauna.
0:23:50 > 0:23:53All a far cry from the harsh realities
0:23:53 > 0:23:55facing those shepherds long ago.
0:23:55 > 0:23:58And we know something of their lives,
0:23:58 > 0:24:02thanks to a remarkable find in one of the huts brought in for restoration.
0:24:02 > 0:24:07Just look over here. The shepherds were writing on the walls.
0:24:07 > 0:24:12- This dates right back to the end of the 19th century.- We've got...
0:24:12 > 0:24:18- All kinds of graffiti.- That the shepherds would have written.
0:24:18 > 0:24:21"February 19th, 1903. New boots."
0:24:21 > 0:24:25There's one here that says "cold enough to kill the devil."
0:24:25 > 0:24:31Here's a drawing. He's drawn a shepherd and his dog, yeah.
0:24:31 > 0:24:35There's a lovely one of a carthorse here,
0:24:35 > 0:24:39with the accurate collar and the harness pad and everything.
0:24:39 > 0:24:41But most of the writing is around here.
0:24:41 > 0:24:47So you can imagine them being in their beds, a bit bored,
0:24:47 > 0:24:50- and scribbling on the walls.- Yeah.
0:24:54 > 0:24:58"March 2nd, 1903. Rough and wet."
0:25:01 > 0:25:05"Snow, the first of the snow and hailstorms..."
0:25:08 > 0:25:14"March 1903. 1st March stormy, 2nd, wet, 3rd, fine..."
0:25:15 > 0:25:19Simple words capturing the everyday life of shepherds
0:25:19 > 0:25:20in the time of Thomas Hardy.
0:25:23 > 0:25:27Earlier, we heard that according to our Countryfile survey,
0:25:27 > 0:25:30most of those questioned agreed with the idea
0:25:30 > 0:25:32of farmers being paid subsidies.
0:25:32 > 0:25:36But what does the future hold for the people who actually rely on them?
0:25:36 > 0:25:37Here's Tom again.
0:25:40 > 0:25:43Every year, British taxpayers
0:25:43 > 0:25:46contribute an average of £110 each towards farming.
0:25:46 > 0:25:49I've been finding out how that money is spent and asking
0:25:49 > 0:25:53if we should continue supporting our farmers.
0:25:53 > 0:25:58At the moment, European money ensures that every farmer can get paid for his crop,
0:25:58 > 0:26:00no matter what he produces.
0:26:00 > 0:26:03In this case, juicy raspberries.
0:26:03 > 0:26:06Currently, farmers get paid by the acre,
0:26:06 > 0:26:09but for how much longer? New proposals
0:26:09 > 0:26:12could mean big changes to our subsidy system,
0:26:12 > 0:26:15the Common Agricultural Policy, by 2013.
0:26:17 > 0:26:21So far, several options have been put forward.
0:26:21 > 0:26:25One of those is a greener system which ensures that more of the money
0:26:25 > 0:26:28that farmers receive is focused on the environment.
0:26:28 > 0:26:31But is that really the best option for Britain?
0:26:31 > 0:26:34The UK Agriculture Minister, Jim Paice,
0:26:34 > 0:26:36says that changes to the CAP
0:26:36 > 0:26:40are vital to safeguard the future of farming.
0:26:40 > 0:26:44Many couldn't survive today without subsidy.
0:26:44 > 0:26:48We're not calling for abolition of subsidy, but we do think
0:26:48 > 0:26:51that over the period of the next seven years of the CAP
0:26:51 > 0:26:55and probably beyond that, we should set a trajectory so that farmers know
0:26:55 > 0:26:58that the single farm payment is in decline over that period,
0:26:58 > 0:27:01and they need to work more to generate income
0:27:01 > 0:27:04from selling their excellent products.
0:27:04 > 0:27:08Looking forward, how will the structure of the subsidy change?
0:27:08 > 0:27:12In the long term, we think it has to reduce in total cost altogether.
0:27:12 > 0:27:14It's taxpayers' money, after all.
0:27:14 > 0:27:18But there also needs to be a shift from supporting production
0:27:18 > 0:27:21in one way or another towards paying for the environment
0:27:21 > 0:27:24and paying for farmers to look after our landscape,
0:27:24 > 0:27:26biodiversity and countryside,
0:27:26 > 0:27:28things that the public expect,
0:27:28 > 0:27:31but for which there is no obvious cash income
0:27:31 > 0:27:32and it costs them to do it.
0:27:32 > 0:27:34So it's fair enough to spend more on that,
0:27:34 > 0:27:36but with an overall reduction in total.
0:27:38 > 0:27:41Greening up the subsidy sounds all well and good,
0:27:41 > 0:27:44but the core purpose of farming remains food production
0:27:44 > 0:27:49and that means a lot of this - fertiliser, machinery, fuel.
0:27:49 > 0:27:51All that's expensive,
0:27:51 > 0:27:55so does spending more on wildlife mean growing less food?
0:27:56 > 0:28:00Earlier on, I spoke to Lincolnshire farmer Mark Leggett,
0:28:00 > 0:28:03who relies on subsidies to keep his business afloat.
0:28:03 > 0:28:08He's already put 4% of his land aside to help the environment,
0:28:08 > 0:28:11so how does he feel about the proposed changes?
0:28:11 > 0:28:14We must not lose sight of the fact that food production
0:28:14 > 0:28:17is what we ought to concentrate the bulk of the payment on.
0:28:17 > 0:28:19But surely the market should pay for that
0:28:19 > 0:28:21and the taxpayer should pay
0:28:21 > 0:28:23for things the market doesn't want to pay for -
0:28:23 > 0:28:25birds, bees, butterflies?
0:28:25 > 0:28:27It would be lovely if the market did pay for that,
0:28:27 > 0:28:30but in recent years, for instance,
0:28:30 > 0:28:31we've been producing cereals,
0:28:31 > 0:28:33putting them into the world marketplace,
0:28:33 > 0:28:37at less than the cost of production. The market would not pay for those.
0:28:37 > 0:28:40But at the moment you're getting a good price for cereals,
0:28:40 > 0:28:41so why do you need subsidy?
0:28:41 > 0:28:44Well, this is the one good year in ten, Tom,
0:28:44 > 0:28:48and I need this year to re-equip, to reinvest in the business.
0:28:48 > 0:28:51Previous years, the payment has paid solely for wages,
0:28:51 > 0:28:55it's paid for spares and repairs and to keep us afloat as a business.
0:28:55 > 0:28:58But, there are others in the food industry
0:28:58 > 0:29:00who welcome the likely new measures.
0:29:00 > 0:29:03Alongside more money for the environment,
0:29:03 > 0:29:07the new policy could also support more sustainable business.
0:29:07 > 0:29:12- So, I grab one of these?- Yeah, grab one of those. Yeah, that's perfect.
0:29:12 > 0:29:16This herb producer in Lincolnshire has recently received a grant,
0:29:16 > 0:29:21not for producing food, but for growing his company long-term.
0:29:21 > 0:29:23You've recently had a subsidy from Europe.
0:29:23 > 0:29:26Tell me how much that was and what it was for?
0:29:26 > 0:29:31The subsidy was £400,000 and it was for a new packing facility
0:29:31 > 0:29:33and new robots and mechanisation
0:29:33 > 0:29:36- to go within that facility. - Why did you need that?
0:29:36 > 0:29:38We've doubled in size in the last 14 years. We're soon to go
0:29:38 > 0:29:42to another two acres, so the packing facility is just too small.
0:29:42 > 0:29:45And, also, we want to improve the quality of our plants
0:29:45 > 0:29:47and the new facility will allow us to do that.
0:29:47 > 0:29:50Now, some of the changes in the Common Agricultural Policy
0:29:50 > 0:29:53could mean more money for this kind of development
0:29:53 > 0:29:55and less going straight to farmers,
0:29:55 > 0:29:57so you would think that's a good thing.
0:29:57 > 0:30:00Well, horticulture in general gets very little funding.
0:30:00 > 0:30:02We've never had any funding before,
0:30:02 > 0:30:04this is the first money we've received,
0:30:04 > 0:30:05so, I think it's really good
0:30:05 > 0:30:07and it's certainly helping us to expand,
0:30:07 > 0:30:10which is great in a very difficult financial climate.
0:30:12 > 0:30:15Under the new proposals there will be more money
0:30:15 > 0:30:18to develop efficient and sustainable business,
0:30:18 > 0:30:20but less to spend on growing food.
0:30:20 > 0:30:23For the agriculture minister, that is the way forward.
0:30:23 > 0:30:27In some countries, the French particularly, have said the prospects
0:30:27 > 0:30:31of global food shortages means we should protect our farmers even more.
0:30:31 > 0:30:34I don't agree with that because our position is,
0:30:34 > 0:30:36if there's going to be a shortage of food,
0:30:36 > 0:30:39you're going to see prices rise. That is the law of supply and demand.
0:30:39 > 0:30:43And if prices rise then that's where farmers should get their income -
0:30:43 > 0:30:44from selling their product.
0:30:44 > 0:30:48And I think it's right that we should be saying go to the marketplace,
0:30:48 > 0:30:52that is your primary area where you're going to earn your money,
0:30:52 > 0:30:56by selling your wheat or your sugar beet or your milk or whatever it is.
0:30:56 > 0:30:58But there are things we expect farmers to be doing
0:30:58 > 0:31:00and we'll support them for that.
0:31:00 > 0:31:04But the changes will be controversial,
0:31:04 > 0:31:07either because they go too far or because they don't go far enough.
0:31:07 > 0:31:12The debate over subsidies is certainly not over yet.
0:31:12 > 0:31:16Next week we'll be looking at the issue of food waste.
0:31:16 > 0:31:18If you want to hear more about farm subsidies,
0:31:18 > 0:31:20then tune in to Farming Today
0:31:20 > 0:31:25on Radio 4 every morning next week at 5.45am.
0:31:25 > 0:31:29The Round The Island Boat Race is an annual 50-mile jaunt
0:31:29 > 0:31:30around the Isle of Wight
0:31:30 > 0:31:34and it pitches the world's best sailors against total amateurs.
0:31:34 > 0:31:36Last week I caught up with first-timers
0:31:36 > 0:31:38from Tonbridge School in Kent.
0:31:38 > 0:31:41Hello to the Old Boys from Tonbridge School!
0:31:41 > 0:31:45- Countryfile calling.- Hey!
0:31:45 > 0:31:48The Old Boys are competing against pupils and parents,
0:31:48 > 0:31:50all three eager to take the top spot.
0:31:50 > 0:31:52I think probably the first of the three boats,
0:31:52 > 0:31:55of our three boats, will start finishing around 4.30pm.
0:31:57 > 0:31:59And I was put through my paces
0:31:59 > 0:32:02by three times Olympic gold medal-winning yachtsman
0:32:02 > 0:32:04Ben Ainslie.
0:32:04 > 0:32:07If we turn tack in 50 seconds we're going to run aground
0:32:07 > 0:32:10- and we won't be racing tomorrow!- Yes, right, fair enough! Let's do it.
0:32:15 > 0:32:16The Round The Island Race
0:32:16 > 0:32:19is one of the most prestigious yacht races in the world.
0:32:19 > 0:32:23It was first staged here on the Isle of Wight back in the 1930s.
0:32:23 > 0:32:29This is the race's 80th anniversary and there's a record 1,900 entrants.
0:32:32 > 0:32:33It's race day.
0:32:33 > 0:32:36Crews have been setting off at staggered ten minute intervals
0:32:36 > 0:32:38since 6.00 this morning.
0:32:43 > 0:32:47Ben Ainslie's team were amongst the first away
0:32:47 > 0:32:49and they're straight into the teeth of the weather.
0:32:49 > 0:32:54It's rough, much worse than expected, and if the professionals
0:32:54 > 0:32:59are finding the going tough, spare a thought for the amateurs.
0:32:59 > 0:33:02At just after 7.00 the Tonbridge teams line up at the start.
0:33:02 > 0:33:06The pupils look apprehensive and, even before they begin,
0:33:06 > 0:33:08the parents get buffeting.
0:33:08 > 0:33:13As for the Old Boys, well, they're out there somewhere.
0:33:18 > 0:33:23And, they're away! But with so many starters it's bound to get bumpy.
0:33:25 > 0:33:27Well, they're well underway now.
0:33:27 > 0:33:30It's just minutes since the start and already these boats
0:33:30 > 0:33:32are catching us up, and we've actually got an engine!
0:33:32 > 0:33:33This is incredible!
0:33:33 > 0:33:37But they are fighting for water. They keep changing direction,
0:33:37 > 0:33:38they're tacking and jibing
0:33:38 > 0:33:41to get the best wind to get round the island as quick as possible.
0:33:41 > 0:33:45You know, it's incredible how close they're getting to each other.
0:33:45 > 0:33:49You can hear the occasional clash of masts. Absolutely ridiculous!
0:33:49 > 0:33:51Whoa!
0:33:52 > 0:33:54Wow!
0:33:54 > 0:33:55Now, that was a close one!
0:33:55 > 0:33:57Plenty of water over here.
0:33:57 > 0:34:00You can have as much of it as you want.
0:34:00 > 0:34:03The first part of the race is all about position
0:34:03 > 0:34:05and getting the best of the wind.
0:34:05 > 0:34:09The thing is, it's blowing down the Solent at more than 20 knots,
0:34:09 > 0:34:11and that's creating quite a chop.
0:34:13 > 0:34:17It's not quite what the pupils from Tonbridge expected,
0:34:17 > 0:34:18but they seem to be coping.
0:34:21 > 0:34:23Just a little bit behind them,
0:34:23 > 0:34:26the parents' boat is still getting buffeted.
0:34:26 > 0:34:30And nearer the English Channel, the rougher it's going to be.
0:34:30 > 0:34:34But one of the Tonbridge boats seems to be missing.
0:34:35 > 0:34:38Anybody seen a yacht from Tonbridge?
0:34:38 > 0:34:39A yacht from Tonbridge?
0:34:39 > 0:34:42'We know the OTs' sail number is 7898,
0:34:42 > 0:34:47'but try spotting that amongst 1,900 others.'
0:34:47 > 0:34:51You haven't seen 7898 by any chance, have you?
0:34:52 > 0:34:54I'll take that as a "no".
0:34:57 > 0:34:58Any sign of the OTs?
0:35:02 > 0:35:04It is impossible.
0:35:04 > 0:35:06It is impossible to find them.
0:35:06 > 0:35:09I'm not giving up yet, but these conditions
0:35:09 > 0:35:11are getting worse by the minute.
0:35:11 > 0:35:15Time to find the Old Tonbridgians is slipping away.
0:35:16 > 0:35:19'Boats are jostling and nearly coming to grief
0:35:19 > 0:35:21'as the channel narrows.'
0:35:21 > 0:35:22Close, close, close, close, close!
0:35:22 > 0:35:25Wow, that was a close one.
0:35:26 > 0:35:29'But who's that just sailing on oblivious?
0:35:29 > 0:35:32'Why, it's the Old Tonbridgians!'
0:35:32 > 0:35:34Now then, now then, how are we doing?
0:35:34 > 0:35:36CHEERING
0:35:36 > 0:35:37Looking good!
0:35:40 > 0:35:44Well, I tell you what, you didn't half take some finding!
0:35:44 > 0:35:46- Have you seen the others, at all? - No.
0:35:46 > 0:35:47- Away back there!- Back there!
0:35:47 > 0:35:49I think they're that way.
0:35:49 > 0:35:51I don't think so!
0:35:51 > 0:35:53Oh, no, they're not!
0:35:53 > 0:35:55Oh, yes, they are!
0:35:55 > 0:35:58We had a call from Ben Ainslie earlier on
0:35:58 > 0:36:01and he said he was doing his best to try and catch them!
0:36:06 > 0:36:08Now, though, it gets serious.
0:36:08 > 0:36:12These are The Needles at the western edge of the island.
0:36:12 > 0:36:15It's where the Solent meets the English Channel.
0:36:15 > 0:36:18Rough enough on calm days, but on days like this?
0:36:18 > 0:36:20well, see for yourself.
0:36:23 > 0:36:26It's a little bit choppy for us to head off around there,
0:36:26 > 0:36:28so I'm going to head back to dry land.
0:36:28 > 0:36:31From here on in, the sailors are on their own.
0:36:33 > 0:36:36Wind speeds at The Needles are up around 30 knots.
0:36:36 > 0:36:40There are 20-foot waves and boats are coming to grief.
0:36:44 > 0:36:48Race Control is taking mayday call after mayday call.
0:36:48 > 0:36:50We've had quite a few people overboard,
0:36:50 > 0:36:54unfortunately, but everybody is back on board, everybody is safe.
0:36:54 > 0:36:56- Right.- We've had the helicopter called out,
0:36:56 > 0:36:58we've got quite a few boats upside down.
0:36:58 > 0:37:00We were just talking about...
0:37:00 > 0:37:03We've got a trimaran upside down off St Catherine.
0:37:03 > 0:37:08- Right.- So, anything that comes in from our spotters is relayed here.
0:37:08 > 0:37:09They deal with it.
0:37:09 > 0:37:14I'm checking into the Bunker. It's where the latest GPS technology
0:37:14 > 0:37:15is being used to keep an eye on things.
0:37:15 > 0:37:17Andrew Rayner's in charge.
0:37:17 > 0:37:22Hopefully, he'll be able to tell me if the Tonbridge boats are OK.
0:37:22 > 0:37:24I've got three members here, Andrew,
0:37:24 > 0:37:27so I don't know if we could track these.
0:37:27 > 0:37:30- We've got 7898, which are the old timers.- Yeah.
0:37:30 > 0:37:32- OK.- Old Tonbridgians.
0:37:32 > 0:37:36Now, they haven't got their tracker switched on, by the looks of it.
0:37:36 > 0:37:39Classic! Yeah, that doesn't surprise me.
0:37:39 > 0:37:41But the other two are almost on top of each other,
0:37:41 > 0:37:43they've come round Bembridge Ledge.
0:37:43 > 0:37:47- Wow!- They're about three quarters of the way and they're neck and neck.
0:37:49 > 0:37:53Good news, the pupils are OK, the parents are OK.
0:37:53 > 0:37:56We haven't heard anything bad about the Old Tonbridgians,
0:37:56 > 0:37:58so they must be OK, too.
0:37:58 > 0:38:00A different story for Ben Ainslie.
0:38:00 > 0:38:04Finishing in six hours, he's ahead of most of the boats in his class,
0:38:04 > 0:38:05but he's paid a price.
0:38:05 > 0:38:08- It was really rough, yeah. - Was it?- Yeah.
0:38:08 > 0:38:12Pretty tough conditions, so it was hard for everybody.
0:38:12 > 0:38:15- So, you broke three sails? - Yeah, we ripped three spinnakers.
0:38:15 > 0:38:18- And you got towed in at the end! - Then ran aground.
0:38:18 > 0:38:20It's all happened today, a great day.
0:38:22 > 0:38:24By the time the wind's blown itself out,
0:38:24 > 0:38:29more than 400 of the original 1,900 starters have abandoned the race.
0:38:29 > 0:38:32For those left, the weather takes a turn for the better.
0:38:37 > 0:38:41These yachts have survived the tempest and, I'm glad to say,
0:38:41 > 0:38:44all three Tonbridge boats have made it home safely.
0:38:46 > 0:38:49The pupils are the last of the three to finish.
0:38:49 > 0:38:52The parents came in half an hour ago,
0:38:52 > 0:38:54which means the OTs,
0:38:54 > 0:38:58the Old Tonbridgians, took the honours in a mere eight hours.
0:39:02 > 0:39:05It's been a heck of a day.
0:39:05 > 0:39:08The 80th Round The Island Race was one for the history books,
0:39:08 > 0:39:10and I'm glad I was part of it.
0:39:20 > 0:39:23Still to come, we recreate Weyhill Fair,
0:39:23 > 0:39:26where even the wives were up for sale.
0:39:26 > 0:39:28I'll sell her for five guineas.
0:39:28 > 0:39:33And will the weather be set fair where you are in the week ahead?
0:39:33 > 0:39:36We'll have the detailed Countryfile forecast.
0:39:44 > 0:39:47But, first, it's all hands on deck on Adam's farm.
0:39:47 > 0:39:50As the harvest gets underway,
0:39:50 > 0:39:53there's a rush to get it done while the sun shines.
0:39:59 > 0:40:01Spring was a pretty tough time for us on the farm
0:40:01 > 0:40:04because it was the driest it's been for years
0:40:04 > 0:40:06and lots of farmers were seriously concerned
0:40:06 > 0:40:10that it would have a detrimental effect on our wheat harvest.
0:40:10 > 0:40:12Predictions a couple of months ago
0:40:12 > 0:40:15were the yield would be down between 10% or 15%.
0:40:15 > 0:40:18Now, this winter wheat is a couple of weeks off harvest,
0:40:18 > 0:40:20but today, we're hoping to start our winter barley.
0:40:20 > 0:40:23And once the combine rolls into the field,
0:40:23 > 0:40:25we'll know how well our crops have fared.
0:40:27 > 0:40:30This year we've grown a variety of barley called Maris Otter
0:40:30 > 0:40:33that will be used to make real ale.
0:40:33 > 0:40:35When the combine comes into the field,
0:40:35 > 0:40:39it has a cutter bar and it cuts the stalks of the barley.
0:40:39 > 0:40:42And what it's doing is cutting it off, and then,
0:40:42 > 0:40:45this goes up inside the combine and it thrashes out the grain.
0:40:45 > 0:40:49So, what you want to do is end up with these seeds in the tank.
0:40:49 > 0:40:54Now, if it's too wet, it ends up in a great big mush inside the combine,
0:40:54 > 0:40:57but also, then you have to spend a fortune drying this grain
0:40:57 > 0:41:00before it goes in the shed because if it goes in wet it will rot.
0:41:00 > 0:41:05And, at the moment, it's pretty dry, but it's getting wet on the surface
0:41:05 > 0:41:07as it's starting to drizzle.
0:41:07 > 0:41:10I just hope it's a quick shower and then the sun comes out again.
0:41:19 > 0:41:22This new combine costs around £200,000 to buy,
0:41:22 > 0:41:27so we have it on a lease deal and when it works it needs to work hard.
0:41:27 > 0:41:28The first day of harvest
0:41:28 > 0:41:31is a big moment for my arable manager, Martin.
0:41:31 > 0:41:33Ready to rock and roll, Martin?
0:41:33 > 0:41:35Yeah, we're off, aren't we?
0:41:35 > 0:41:39- It's pretty fit, isn't it?- Yes, it's really good, it's really good.
0:41:39 > 0:41:42I mean, it doesn't seem five minutes ago since we were planting it.
0:41:42 > 0:41:46- 12th September when we planted this. - Amazing, isn't it?
0:41:46 > 0:41:48In the brashy bits where the land's stonier,
0:41:48 > 0:41:51- that drought hit pretty hard. - It did, yeah.
0:41:51 > 0:41:54You can see it's thick on this side, but when you get over on the stone,
0:41:54 > 0:41:58it's not going to be as good, but hopefully, we'll get a good average.
0:41:58 > 0:42:02- Good enough to go for malting?- I hope so. There are some nice grains.
0:42:02 > 0:42:05- It was trying to rain earlier. - Yeah, I think the sun will win today.
0:42:05 > 0:42:06I hope so.
0:42:20 > 0:42:23What I just need to check here is that there's no grain
0:42:23 > 0:42:25spilling over the back of the combine.
0:42:25 > 0:42:28The grain goes into a thrashing mechanism
0:42:28 > 0:42:31and some of it sometimes falls over the back into the straw.
0:42:31 > 0:42:34You always lose a little bit.
0:42:34 > 0:42:36It's doing a really good job.
0:42:39 > 0:42:41The straw has become a really valuable by-product.
0:42:41 > 0:42:43We'll bale it and use it to supplement
0:42:43 > 0:42:46our animal feed in the winter.
0:42:46 > 0:42:49With a combine like this, harvesting the barley should be easy,
0:42:49 > 0:42:50but we've spotted a problem.
0:42:50 > 0:42:54If you go into it and grab some up,
0:42:54 > 0:42:58I mean, a third of it is bright green. Look at that.
0:42:58 > 0:42:59Yeah, you can see
0:42:59 > 0:43:02that's just one of the secondary tillers that's coming through
0:43:02 > 0:43:05It's come through late.
0:43:05 > 0:43:08But, unfortunately,
0:43:08 > 0:43:11they've all got a bit of grain on, which is no use to nobody, really.
0:43:11 > 0:43:14- No, it's just going to get in the way, isn't it?- Yeah.
0:43:14 > 0:43:17And you can't wait for it to dry out, can you?
0:43:17 > 0:43:18You'd lose the good stuff.
0:43:21 > 0:43:23Martin and I have got a bit of a dilemma.
0:43:23 > 0:43:25This crop is only partly ripe.
0:43:25 > 0:43:29You can see these wispy bits that are still bright green,
0:43:29 > 0:43:31so if you pull up a plant,
0:43:31 > 0:43:34what happened was, the drought that we got in May
0:43:34 > 0:43:38meant that the plant started to close down and die off.
0:43:38 > 0:43:40And then the rain came
0:43:40 > 0:43:42and it suddenly went, whay-hey, let's grow again!
0:43:42 > 0:43:44And it shot out these tillers.
0:43:44 > 0:43:50And we've got bright green shoots that are very young,
0:43:50 > 0:43:54and then the older original grain that's now fit and ready to combine.
0:43:54 > 0:43:59So we got a mixture going into the tank of very dry grain
0:43:59 > 0:44:03and bright green grain, which is a serious problem.
0:44:06 > 0:44:09We're going to have to leave this field for now
0:44:09 > 0:44:12and hope that the green shoots dry out soon.
0:44:12 > 0:44:13In the meantime,
0:44:13 > 0:44:16we're going to see what the crop is like in another part of the farm.
0:44:16 > 0:44:20We really want to make some progress while the sun's shining.
0:44:20 > 0:44:23This straw is looking drier and yellower and, hopefully,
0:44:23 > 0:44:25we'll be able to carry on in here
0:44:25 > 0:44:28and in a day or two, if the sun stays with us,
0:44:28 > 0:44:30we'll carry on next door.
0:44:34 > 0:44:36Although this field is OK,
0:44:36 > 0:44:39our overall yield is around 20% down on last year.
0:44:41 > 0:44:44After the problems that the dry spring has caused,
0:44:44 > 0:44:47I'm keen to find crops that are better at coping with drought.
0:44:47 > 0:44:49I'm on my way
0:44:49 > 0:44:52to a state of the art plant breeding centre near Cambridge,
0:44:52 > 0:44:55where they're working on producing wheat
0:44:55 > 0:44:57that can withstand all sorts of conditions.
0:45:05 > 0:45:08This site is owned by one of Europe's largest plant breeders
0:45:08 > 0:45:12and I've arranged to meet managing director Simon Howell.
0:45:12 > 0:45:13Simon, hi!
0:45:13 > 0:45:14Adam, good to see you.
0:45:14 > 0:45:18- Looks like there's a lot going on here!- An awful lot going on.
0:45:18 > 0:45:20This is our cereal breeding centre,
0:45:20 > 0:45:22trying to breed new varieties for you, the farmer.
0:45:22 > 0:45:25One of the problems we've had this year, not only disease,
0:45:25 > 0:45:27but drought with that dry spring.
0:45:27 > 0:45:29- Is that something you could help with?- I think so, Adam.
0:45:29 > 0:45:33I've got the variety over there for you to have a look at.
0:45:33 > 0:45:36It's a cross between two varieties and one of the varieties
0:45:36 > 0:45:38has a really good tillering action
0:45:38 > 0:45:41and that seems to really help cope with the drought we've had.
0:45:47 > 0:45:49That's thick, isn't it?
0:45:49 > 0:45:52Even though it's been really stressful this year,
0:45:52 > 0:45:54this has coped with it really well.
0:45:54 > 0:45:57That stress with the drought, it seemed to bring a lot of disease
0:45:57 > 0:45:59into the crop. How did this cope with that?
0:45:59 > 0:46:03It seems to have coped with everything thrown at it.
0:46:03 > 0:46:05By crossing just two varieties of wheat,
0:46:05 > 0:46:08millions of variations are produced.
0:46:08 > 0:46:11The tricky part is identifying the good ones
0:46:11 > 0:46:13and Simon wants to test me out.
0:46:13 > 0:46:16This is a fantasy breeding competition.
0:46:16 > 0:46:21We've got 49 plots and all of these plots have the same parents.
0:46:21 > 0:46:24You need to use your eye and pick what you think is going
0:46:24 > 0:46:26to be the best variety here.
0:46:28 > 0:46:30Too tall, reject. Too thin.
0:46:32 > 0:46:35Oh, yeah, look at that! No, I like that.
0:46:37 > 0:46:39No, 48, you're no good.
0:46:39 > 0:46:41I think...24.
0:46:41 > 0:46:4524, right. I'll make a note of that.
0:46:45 > 0:46:48I won't know the result until they harvest their wheat,
0:46:48 > 0:46:51but there is a serious side to this game.
0:46:51 > 0:46:53The global demand for food is growing,
0:46:53 > 0:46:56so producing the best yielding crops is vital.
0:46:56 > 0:46:59Here, the crops don't all have to be planted in the field to be assessed.
0:46:59 > 0:47:03Much of the work can be done in the lab, led by Peter Jack.
0:47:03 > 0:47:06One of the classic situations a breeder's faced with
0:47:06 > 0:47:09is where they may have a high yielding variety,
0:47:09 > 0:47:11but it then succumbs to a particular disease.
0:47:11 > 0:47:16The breeder may have another variety which is resistant to that disease,
0:47:16 > 0:47:18but, unfortunately, its yield is lower,
0:47:18 > 0:47:20so he would like to inter-cross those,
0:47:20 > 0:47:23produce large numbers of offspring,
0:47:23 > 0:47:25and then identify the very small proportion of offspring
0:47:25 > 0:47:27which have the best of both worlds,
0:47:27 > 0:47:29high yields and are disease resistant.
0:47:29 > 0:47:31In the lab they use a robot
0:47:31 > 0:47:35to sample thousands of new varieties of wheat a day.
0:47:35 > 0:47:40By reading DNA, they can identify the characteristics of each plant.
0:47:40 > 0:47:41So, what you're trying to do
0:47:41 > 0:47:44is spot the plant that's resistant to a disease
0:47:44 > 0:47:46or to a drought or whatever it may be.
0:47:46 > 0:47:51And then once you've chosen them, how do you then multiply them
0:47:51 > 0:47:54so I've got a bag full of seed to plant in my field?
0:47:54 > 0:47:57We make that pre-selection, then it goes into the field.
0:47:57 > 0:48:00Our breeding colleagues then check to make sure that it's robust,
0:48:00 > 0:48:04in terms of yield. We've got to make sure it's genetically stable,
0:48:04 > 0:48:06and that's a long process.
0:48:06 > 0:48:09Going from a cross to a variety which you can buy
0:48:09 > 0:48:11might be seven, eight or nine years.
0:48:11 > 0:48:15I had no idea the amount of work that went into it
0:48:15 > 0:48:19to produce seeds for me as a farmer. Just incredible. I'm blown away.
0:48:24 > 0:48:27It's fascinating seeing some of the science and technology
0:48:27 > 0:48:30that's going into plant breeding. And, as a farmer,
0:48:30 > 0:48:33the weather is one of the things I'm always battling against,
0:48:33 > 0:48:36so if they can come up with drought-resistant plants
0:48:36 > 0:48:38then that's got to be a good thing for me
0:48:38 > 0:48:40and well worth trying them out on the farm.
0:48:40 > 0:48:45Next week, time to test the market as I try and sell some of my sheep
0:48:45 > 0:48:48and we'll be harvesting our oilseed rape.
0:48:48 > 0:48:50I just hope it's fared better than my winter barley.
0:48:53 > 0:48:58Well, in a moment we'll be reliving a country fair as it would have been
0:48:58 > 0:49:00in the days of Thomas Hardy's Wessex,
0:49:00 > 0:49:02but, first, let's get bang up to date
0:49:02 > 0:49:05with the Countryfile forecast for the week ahead.
0:51:49 > 0:51:56.
0:52:10 > 0:52:14The Wessex of Thomas Hardy's novels is an imaginary county,
0:52:14 > 0:52:16but as I found out earlier on,
0:52:16 > 0:52:19he took his inspiration from real places.
0:52:19 > 0:52:22He wrote about the things that were all around him, the sights,
0:52:22 > 0:52:24the sounds, the people, the landscapes
0:52:24 > 0:52:27and, of course, the old country fairs.
0:52:27 > 0:52:29In Hardy's time the annual fairs
0:52:29 > 0:52:31were the highlight of the rural calendar.
0:52:31 > 0:52:34It was a chance for people far and wide
0:52:34 > 0:52:37to get together and enjoy themselves.
0:52:37 > 0:52:42Inside this pub is a clue to what these fairs were once like.
0:52:42 > 0:52:45One of the greatest was the Weyhill Fair,
0:52:45 > 0:52:48claimed to be the biggest in the country. It's long gone now,
0:52:48 > 0:52:52but in the pub that still bears its name is this tableau,
0:52:52 > 0:52:54which gives a vivid illustration of what it must have been like.
0:52:54 > 0:52:58And it's just possible that Thomas Hardy was here
0:52:58 > 0:53:01and heard about an incident which he later turned
0:53:01 > 0:53:05into one of the most famous scenes in The Mayor of Casterbridge.
0:53:05 > 0:53:10I'll sell her for five guineas to any man who'll pay...
0:53:10 > 0:53:13In this scene, acted here by the New Hardy Players,
0:53:13 > 0:53:17a drunken Henchard, later to become Mayor of Casterbridge,
0:53:17 > 0:53:19auctions off his wife and child.
0:53:19 > 0:53:24- Five guineas or she'll be withdrawn. Final offer. Yes or no?- Yes.
0:53:24 > 0:53:26You say you do?
0:53:26 > 0:53:28I say so.
0:53:28 > 0:53:34Saying's one thing and paying's another. Where's the money?
0:53:36 > 0:53:39You are a scoundrel, sir. You're a scoundrel!
0:53:39 > 0:53:40I know I'm a scoundrel.
0:53:40 > 0:53:43And that actually happened, didn't it, that scene?
0:53:43 > 0:53:46It did. 1832, I'm told.
0:53:46 > 0:53:49A man sold his wife for 20 shillings
0:53:49 > 0:53:52and part exchange for a Newfoundland dog.
0:53:52 > 0:53:54A good deal, do you think?
0:53:54 > 0:53:56I'm not partial to dogs myself.
0:53:56 > 0:54:01If it's a famous scene, but how much truth is there in it?
0:54:01 > 0:54:03Could it well have been that Hardy
0:54:03 > 0:54:06would have regularly gone to fairs like this
0:54:06 > 0:54:09and heard that kind of story to base his novels on?
0:54:09 > 0:54:12Well, he did, but he also read the newspapers of that era,
0:54:12 > 0:54:16because The Mayor Of Casterbridge, while it was written in the 1880s,
0:54:16 > 0:54:20was actually in the 1830s and he picked up stories of people
0:54:20 > 0:54:23actually selling their wives, so it wasn't totally unheard of.
0:54:23 > 0:54:26It wasn't just imagination, it actually happened.
0:54:28 > 0:54:33In its day, Weyhill was reckoned to be the finest fair in all the land.
0:54:33 > 0:54:36It took place on this same site in Hampshire
0:54:36 > 0:54:39every year until the 1950s.
0:54:40 > 0:54:43It's said that the crowds were so thick
0:54:43 > 0:54:46that you could walk from one end of the fair to the other
0:54:46 > 0:54:47on people's shoulders.
0:54:47 > 0:54:49All that remains today
0:54:49 > 0:54:52are these huts where the traders sell their wares.
0:54:56 > 0:54:59But, with the help of the dozen latter day stallholders, 200 locals
0:54:59 > 0:55:04and a carthorse, Countryfile is rekindling the spirit
0:55:04 > 0:55:06of this once famous fair.
0:55:07 > 0:55:10Can I just ask you an impertinent question?
0:55:10 > 0:55:13Are you old enough to remember the original Weyhill Fair?
0:55:13 > 0:55:16Cheeky thing!
0:55:16 > 0:55:20Weyhill School always had the day off for the Weyhill Fair.
0:55:20 > 0:55:22I can remember seeing the pens
0:55:22 > 0:55:26with various sheep in them going from stall to stall, so that's...
0:55:26 > 0:55:29I wasn't very old then!
0:55:29 > 0:55:33- Flat hand like that. - That's it.
0:55:35 > 0:55:39Their fair was rightly renowned for the sale of sheep, hops and cheese,
0:55:39 > 0:55:42but it was also a great hiring place,
0:55:42 > 0:55:45where rural folk came looking for work.
0:55:45 > 0:55:47You could hire people.
0:55:47 > 0:55:49The thresher would have an ear of wheat in his collar,
0:55:49 > 0:55:53the carter would have a piece of whipcord
0:55:53 > 0:55:55and the shepherds would either carry a crook
0:55:55 > 0:55:58or they would carry, in their lapels,
0:55:58 > 0:56:00a piece of wool or something of that nature.
0:56:00 > 0:56:04- And they were symbols to say that they were available for hire.- Yeah.
0:56:04 > 0:56:10So, a kind of Job Centre and supermarket all rolled into one.
0:56:10 > 0:56:14It's said that so many hops and sheep and cheeses were traded here
0:56:14 > 0:56:18that it set the price for these goods throughout the country.
0:56:20 > 0:56:22Now, let me guess what you're selling!
0:56:25 > 0:56:28- What are these burgers, then? - These are watercress burgers.
0:56:28 > 0:56:31Meat-free burgers, made with watercress, cheese,
0:56:31 > 0:56:33breadcrumbs and seasoning.
0:56:33 > 0:56:37That's the best thing about these items, you get to taste things!
0:56:39 > 0:56:42Hot chilli! I wonder if they had that in Hardy's day?
0:56:45 > 0:56:48There's little doubt that Thomas Hardy visited Weyhill Fair.
0:56:48 > 0:56:51What's not known is if he ever took part
0:56:51 > 0:56:54in the fair's legendary initiation ceremony.
0:56:54 > 0:56:57It was called the Horning of the Colts
0:56:57 > 0:57:01and it involved this old set of ram's horns.
0:57:01 > 0:57:04Any young men who came along to the fair was called a colt.
0:57:04 > 0:57:09He was a newcomer and so the first thing they did with the newcomers
0:57:09 > 0:57:13was they got out the set of horns, they put a cap on his head
0:57:13 > 0:57:17and raised this to the top of his head, filled it with beer
0:57:17 > 0:57:20and then the locals would jostle him,
0:57:20 > 0:57:22push him and sang a song at the same time.
0:57:22 > 0:57:25And if spilt one tiny drop of the beer,
0:57:25 > 0:57:27he had to buy beer for everybody in the pub.
0:57:27 > 0:57:30So, I suppose he bought a lot of beer, that man that day!
0:57:30 > 0:57:33He certainly did. They made absolutely certain of it.
0:57:33 > 0:57:36Well, thank you very much, Tony. And that's it.
0:57:36 > 0:57:39Next week we're going to be in the county of Devon,
0:57:39 > 0:57:40exploring it by land and by sea,
0:57:40 > 0:57:43but, for now, from our little reconstruction
0:57:43 > 0:57:45of the old Weyhill Fair, it's goodbye
0:57:45 > 0:57:48and hope to see you next week. Goodbye!
0:57:48 > 0:57:49ALL: Bye!
0:58:09 > 0:58:12Subtitles by Red Bee Media Ltd
0:58:12 > 0:58:15E-mail subtitling@bbc.co.uk