0:00:35 > 0:00:38The craggy and dramatic Jurassic Coast
0:00:38 > 0:00:41has hidden secrets for millions of years,
0:00:41 > 0:00:44but one man has made it his life's work to chip his way back
0:00:44 > 0:00:47to the past, with remarkable results.
0:00:47 > 0:00:50Oh, hey! Look at that, behind us.
0:00:50 > 0:00:52- What about that one?- Oh!
0:00:54 > 0:00:57Ellie is meeting the family who, over three generations,
0:00:57 > 0:01:02have captured the essence of their farming life through photography.
0:01:02 > 0:01:05Dare I say, there's more photos of machinery than of the children.
0:01:05 > 0:01:07We like to show off our investments!
0:01:07 > 0:01:09- Yeah. - Yeah, we do. And we still do it.
0:01:11 > 0:01:14With more animals being stolen from farms,
0:01:14 > 0:01:16Tom's investigating what's being done
0:01:16 > 0:01:18to put an end to livestock theft.
0:01:21 > 0:01:24The fact that someone else can benefit out of our hard work,
0:01:24 > 0:01:27I think that's the worst thing.
0:01:27 > 0:01:29And, in the third part of our series of special films,
0:01:29 > 0:01:34Adam's discovering how they farm on the other side of the world,
0:01:34 > 0:01:35in New Zealand.
0:01:36 > 0:01:41I arrived in this field and it was a lovely serene environment
0:01:41 > 0:01:44and now it's all kicked off and they are full at work.
0:01:44 > 0:01:47It's just remarkable. I've never seen anything like it.
0:01:58 > 0:02:01The Jurassic Coast.
0:02:01 > 0:02:0595 miles of shoreline, stretching from Exmouth in Devon
0:02:05 > 0:02:07to Studland in Dorset.
0:02:08 > 0:02:11Its layers can be read like a book,
0:02:11 > 0:02:16to reveal 185 million years of history.
0:02:22 > 0:02:26We're at the eastern end of the coast, in Kimmeridge,
0:02:26 > 0:02:30an area rich in fossilised remains that define a specific time
0:02:30 > 0:02:33in the Jurassic age.
0:02:33 > 0:02:36It's known as the Kimmeridgian period, after the Kimmeridge Clay
0:02:36 > 0:02:40that makes up most of the parish that give the area its name.
0:02:40 > 0:02:44But up until recently, not much was known about this part of history -
0:02:44 > 0:02:46but one man has changed all of that.
0:02:49 > 0:02:52Steve Etches has spent most of his working life
0:02:52 > 0:02:54as a plumber but, somehow,
0:02:54 > 0:02:58in his spare time, he's unearthed a fossil collection from this period
0:02:58 > 0:03:00that is of world significance.
0:03:05 > 0:03:08Steve's collection was deemed so important that, back in October,
0:03:08 > 0:03:14all 2,500 specimens were moved from his garage just down the road
0:03:14 > 0:03:17to this purpose-built £5 million museum.
0:03:32 > 0:03:36Steve's interest in fossils was ignited as a five-year-old,
0:03:36 > 0:03:38with the discovery of a small sea urchin.
0:03:40 > 0:03:44His passion for palaeontology has turned him from novice collector
0:03:44 > 0:03:45to leading expert.
0:03:47 > 0:03:51This rib was the first rib I found from the Kimmeridge Clay
0:03:51 > 0:03:53and realised that, when I researched it,
0:03:53 > 0:03:57there was not a lot of information about this particular formation.
0:03:57 > 0:04:00- And so, I thought, I'm going to fill this gap, you know?- Right.
0:04:00 > 0:04:03I'm going to actually just solely collect Kimmeridgian material.
0:04:03 > 0:04:06And that's what I've done for the last 35, 40 years, I guess.
0:04:09 > 0:04:13Anyone can do it. You haven't got to go to university or do anything like
0:04:13 > 0:04:15that. If I can do it, anyone can do it.
0:04:18 > 0:04:22155 million years ago, Kimmeridge and its shoreline were 200 metres
0:04:22 > 0:04:26down at the bottom of a tropical sea.
0:04:26 > 0:04:30Many of its inhabitants haven't made it easy for Steve to find them.
0:04:30 > 0:04:32How on earth did you get this out?
0:04:32 > 0:04:34This is the lower jaw of a Pliosaur,
0:04:34 > 0:04:38so that's the top of the food chain of the Kimmeridgian.
0:04:38 > 0:04:40This was stuck out of the cliff, actually.
0:04:40 > 0:04:43These back elements fell out in a cliff fall four years prior to me
0:04:43 > 0:04:45getting this. One morning, very early on,
0:04:45 > 0:04:49I went round there and I realised it had fallen and when I just pulled
0:04:49 > 0:04:51the top of the shale back, the tip of this jaw...
0:04:51 > 0:04:55- You're kidding me?- ..stuck up. - It was there for you?- It was there.
0:04:55 > 0:04:56I can't believe this place.
0:04:56 > 0:04:59And all this stuff was in your garage?
0:04:59 > 0:05:01Yeah! No, it was. Well...
0:05:01 > 0:05:03My wife's a very happy woman now.
0:05:06 > 0:05:11This Lottery-funded building holds many world firsts previously unknown
0:05:11 > 0:05:16to science. Once they'd been freed from the ground, the real work
0:05:16 > 0:05:18begins - discovering how the creatures lived and died.
0:05:18 > 0:05:21It gets more exciting. This is the work area.
0:05:21 > 0:05:22Hello, Carla, how are you?
0:05:22 > 0:05:24- Hi! Good, thank you. - Really nice to see you.
0:05:24 > 0:05:28- And you, Matt.- Steve's daughter Carla is by his side, to help.
0:05:28 > 0:05:29It's a real family thing, this...
0:05:29 > 0:05:31- It is now, yes.- It is.
0:05:31 > 0:05:33- After all these years. - Back in the late '70s, early '80s,
0:05:33 > 0:05:35when Dad first started collecting,
0:05:35 > 0:05:38we used to get dragged down the beach, both my brother and I,
0:05:38 > 0:05:41but I've got a new-found respect.
0:05:41 > 0:05:43Just talk us through what we've got here, then.
0:05:43 > 0:05:46It's an ichthyosaur, so this is akin to a modern dolphin.
0:05:46 > 0:05:50It's quite a big ichthyosaur. Can you see how long the snout is?
0:05:50 > 0:05:51That fits on to there, yup.
0:05:51 > 0:05:54OK. Erm...
0:05:54 > 0:05:57You've got all the pectoral girdle here, part of the flipper here...
0:05:57 > 0:06:00- Mm-hm.- ..and then just the ribs, the dorsal ribs running down.
0:06:00 > 0:06:02This is only half of the specimen.
0:06:04 > 0:06:08Steve's ichthyosaur finds have already revealed the same diet
0:06:08 > 0:06:11as modern dolphins, with fish and squid remains
0:06:11 > 0:06:14still clearly visible millions of years later.
0:06:14 > 0:06:16And is it the life story, then,
0:06:16 > 0:06:18of these creatures that fascinates you?
0:06:18 > 0:06:21Well, the story really is, what does it yield?
0:06:21 > 0:06:26What particular aspect does this particular specimen show us that
0:06:26 > 0:06:29- another one doesn't?- And now we've got a chance that we can document
0:06:29 > 0:06:31everything from the moment that it's found,
0:06:31 > 0:06:35we can follow that whole process through and actually have visitors
0:06:35 > 0:06:38that come to the museum see the story unravel and unlock
0:06:38 > 0:06:41those stories from deep time, for everybody to see.
0:06:44 > 0:06:47Only 10% of the collection is actually on display.
0:06:47 > 0:06:50Many more fossils fill drawer upon drawer
0:06:50 > 0:06:53in temperature-controlled storage.
0:06:53 > 0:06:55Oh, hey! Look at that behind us!
0:06:55 > 0:07:00The fine Kimmeridge Clay may preserved specimens well,
0:07:00 > 0:07:03but it's Steve's incredible skill at cleaning them that really brings
0:07:03 > 0:07:05them back to life.
0:07:05 > 0:07:08Oh, right, so what's going on in here? It's basically a fish, is it?
0:07:08 > 0:07:11It is a fish, yeah. Species unknown at the moment.
0:07:11 > 0:07:12You can start off with an air pen,
0:07:12 > 0:07:16which actually can actually just chip away the...
0:07:17 > 0:07:20- ..stone, sort of, quite easily.- Yup.
0:07:20 > 0:07:22Then, we'll perhaps use a diamond grinder...
0:07:25 > 0:07:27Just grind that just above the bone...
0:07:28 > 0:07:31So, you're about 5mm above it?
0:07:31 > 0:07:36When, I guess, you think about how raw the process is and then how fine
0:07:36 > 0:07:38it becomes. You're out there with your rucksack, obviously,
0:07:38 > 0:07:42hauling it all here and then you're chipping away for a bit and it gets
0:07:42 > 0:07:44- more and more fine.- It's quite brutal. More and more refined, yeah,
0:07:44 > 0:07:46until we get to this sort of stage, yeah.
0:07:46 > 0:07:48The softer clay is cleaned away,
0:07:48 > 0:07:51revealing the harder fossil in all its glory.
0:07:52 > 0:07:55We're using sodium bicarbonate, which is quite sharp, but soft.
0:07:55 > 0:07:58Sometimes, though, Matt, you're cleaning just that
0:07:58 > 0:08:01particular element, you're spending all day doing this,
0:08:01 > 0:08:03but don't look at it in an overall view and then stand back
0:08:03 > 0:08:07and think, "My God!" You suddenly realise what the whole thing
0:08:07 > 0:08:09- reveals, you know?- Yeah. - It's quite a...
0:08:09 > 0:08:12Extremely satisfying job.
0:08:12 > 0:08:14You see all the fin just being revealed.
0:08:14 > 0:08:15OK, beautiful.
0:08:18 > 0:08:22Steve has opened the door to a little-known time in our history.
0:08:22 > 0:08:27His collection is a remarkable asset for both the public and experts.
0:08:27 > 0:08:30And all from this quiet corner of our beautiful country.
0:08:36 > 0:08:37Now, for farmers,
0:08:37 > 0:08:41losing animals to thieves has become an increasingly common problem over
0:08:41 > 0:08:43the last few years,
0:08:43 > 0:08:47so what is being done to fight back against the livestock rustlers?
0:08:47 > 0:08:48Here's Tom.
0:08:52 > 0:08:55Some crimes, it seems, are as old as time.
0:08:57 > 0:09:01Humans started farming animals around 10,000 years ago.
0:09:01 > 0:09:06From the moment we figured out the value of their meat, milk or eggs,
0:09:06 > 0:09:09we placed a price tag on livestock.
0:09:11 > 0:09:14And anything worth a lot of money, for some, is worth stealing.
0:09:16 > 0:09:19Livestock rustling is an ancient crime.
0:09:22 > 0:09:27Sports cars or smartphones may be more obvious targets these days,
0:09:27 > 0:09:31but livestock rustling still happens and more often than you might think.
0:09:31 > 0:09:35ENGINE REVS
0:09:37 > 0:09:41Four years ago, there was an unusual spike in livestock theft,
0:09:41 > 0:09:44driven by high market values.
0:09:44 > 0:09:49Stock prices have since fallen, but the thefts keep on happening.
0:09:49 > 0:09:51Since 2013,
0:09:51 > 0:09:53it's estimated a further 300,000 animals
0:09:53 > 0:09:56have vanished from farms across the UK,
0:09:56 > 0:10:01at a cost of more than £20 million to the industry.
0:10:04 > 0:10:09There are 180 lambs in this pen and you wouldn't have thought they were
0:10:09 > 0:10:14as easy to steal as a car, or as valuable, but last summer,
0:10:14 > 0:10:20a flock of 220 sheep, worth £20,000, disappeared overnight
0:10:20 > 0:10:22from this very farm.
0:10:22 > 0:10:26They belonged to Somerset farmer John Vigar.
0:10:26 > 0:10:30His family have raised sheep on this land for four generations
0:10:30 > 0:10:34but nothing could have prepared John for what happened last summer.
0:10:38 > 0:10:41Well, it was the early hours of Monday, the 25th of July...
0:10:43 > 0:10:46It looked as though they were hunted down the road a couple of hundred
0:10:46 > 0:10:49metres and loaded up in a neighbouring gateway.
0:10:52 > 0:10:54Nobody heard or saw anything.
0:11:05 > 0:11:07Eight o'clock the following morning,
0:11:07 > 0:11:09the field was empty and all the sheep gone.
0:11:09 > 0:11:13John lost a third of his flock that night -
0:11:13 > 0:11:1580 ewes and 140 fat lambs,
0:11:15 > 0:11:20ready for market. And he wasn't the only farmer to be targeted.
0:11:20 > 0:11:23600 sheep disappeared from the local area in the same month.
0:11:24 > 0:11:27What was that impact on your business?
0:11:27 > 0:11:31We valued them straight away at £20,000.
0:11:31 > 0:11:35The 80 ewes were a big part of our breeding flock.
0:11:35 > 0:11:39That was a major headache, of where to get the replacement ewes.
0:11:39 > 0:11:43And what about the impact on you and your family?
0:11:43 > 0:11:45Gutted. We began to feel mad.
0:11:45 > 0:11:48I think that's the best way to describe it and I think I've been
0:11:48 > 0:11:51livid ever since. The fact that someone else can benefit out of our
0:11:51 > 0:11:54hard work, I think that's the worst thing.
0:11:54 > 0:11:56What do you think happened to them?
0:11:56 > 0:11:59We've got no inkling, really, no trace at all.
0:12:01 > 0:12:05It's not the first time I've tried to find out what happens to stolen
0:12:05 > 0:12:09livestock. Four years ago, I asked the same question.
0:12:10 > 0:12:12We haven't really got an idea at the moment.
0:12:12 > 0:12:16I think in many cases, the evidence has literally been eaten by the time
0:12:16 > 0:12:19the investigation gets underway.
0:12:19 > 0:12:23The insurance company Tim represents, NFU Mutual,
0:12:23 > 0:12:28has paid out another £7 million in claims for stolen livestock since he
0:12:28 > 0:12:29and I last spoke.
0:12:30 > 0:12:32Good morning, Tim.
0:12:32 > 0:12:34Good morning. How are you, this fine morning?
0:12:34 > 0:12:35Not too bad at all. So what have you seen?
0:12:35 > 0:12:40Well, the big thing we've noticed is that, after the very big jump
0:12:40 > 0:12:45in livestock theft in 2013, it hasn't really gone down very much.
0:12:45 > 0:12:50Nobody is sure quite how sheep are disappearing and where the meat is
0:12:50 > 0:12:53ending up. It does seem clear that the majority are getting into
0:12:53 > 0:12:57the meat trade, simply because so few are recovered alive.
0:12:58 > 0:13:02Every animal that goes through the slaughter system is identified
0:13:02 > 0:13:04by its ear tag and paperwork.
0:13:04 > 0:13:09This ensures the meat we eat is safe and traceable, but illegal meat
0:13:09 > 0:13:13from stolen animals bypasses all those checks.
0:13:13 > 0:13:18That risk to public health means livestock theft is being taken
0:13:18 > 0:13:20seriously by the police. More so than four years ago.
0:13:22 > 0:13:24So how much has changed since we last spoke?
0:13:24 > 0:13:28The massive change is that three years ago, there was simply
0:13:28 > 0:13:31no effective solution to livestock theft out there.
0:13:31 > 0:13:33Now, there are some really encouraging schemes
0:13:33 > 0:13:36coming from police in different parts of the country.
0:13:36 > 0:13:37- So the fight-back is on? - The fight is on.
0:13:41 > 0:13:45Indeed, the first force to fight back was Lancashire Police.
0:13:45 > 0:13:49They've teamed up with local farmers, like John Taylor,
0:13:49 > 0:13:51in a livestock-theft prevention initiative.
0:13:52 > 0:13:55Just like our control, if you
0:13:55 > 0:13:59get into that space and they'll get upset and start to move...
0:13:59 > 0:14:02You come back out again, they'll stay there.
0:14:02 > 0:14:06'John hosts police workshops on his farm near Lancaster.
0:14:06 > 0:14:08'Officers learn how to identify,
0:14:08 > 0:14:10'tag and handle sheep, in case
0:14:10 > 0:14:13'they ever have to deal with live evidence.
0:14:13 > 0:14:17'It's a challenge if you're used to working in an urban environment.'
0:14:17 > 0:14:19Go on, Carl, you can do better than that.
0:14:21 > 0:14:23That's it.
0:14:23 > 0:14:26Livestock theft in Lancashire has more than halved in the last
0:14:26 > 0:14:29two years, so the regional approach is working.
0:14:32 > 0:14:34But this is a national problem.
0:14:34 > 0:14:38We know stolen animals could turn up anywhere in the country,
0:14:38 > 0:14:40so do the police have a national strategy?
0:14:43 > 0:14:44They're working on one.
0:14:44 > 0:14:49The National Police Chief's Council says they want every single force
0:14:49 > 0:14:50to build intelligence,
0:14:50 > 0:14:56coordinate joint operations and share best practice across the UK.
0:14:56 > 0:14:58In a nutshell, that means working together.
0:15:05 > 0:15:08Back in Somerset, local police are on John Vigar's farm.
0:15:08 > 0:15:10- How are you? - Good to see you again.- And you, too.
0:15:10 > 0:15:13Now, you were going to tell me what progress you're making on trying
0:15:13 > 0:15:17- to find our sheep.- Well, the investigation is still ongoing...
0:15:17 > 0:15:20Somerset has been hard-hit by livestock thieves.
0:15:21 > 0:15:26Since 2011, 3,720 animals, mainly sheep,
0:15:26 > 0:15:29have been reported stolen in Somerset alone
0:15:29 > 0:15:33and only 248 have ended up being returned to their owners.
0:15:33 > 0:15:37It sounds like this force could benefit from a few ideas from around
0:15:37 > 0:15:38the country.
0:15:42 > 0:15:44In the spirit of collaboration,
0:15:44 > 0:15:47Countryfile has invited the Lancashire team to compare notes
0:15:47 > 0:15:51with Avon and Somerset police, along with our two farmers.
0:15:53 > 0:15:57Lancashire's rural crime coordinator kicks off the discussion.
0:15:57 > 0:16:00We started off by training the officers in the basics.
0:16:00 > 0:16:02What sheep do we have in Lancashire?
0:16:02 > 0:16:04If you stop a trailer or a vehicle carrying livestock,
0:16:04 > 0:16:06what questions should you be asking?
0:16:06 > 0:16:07What documents should you be looking for?
0:16:07 > 0:16:10If you do believe they're stolen, what are you going to do with them?
0:16:10 > 0:16:13How are you going to move a trailer full of sheep at two o'clock
0:16:13 > 0:16:17in the morning, which is invariably when these things happen?
0:16:17 > 0:16:20Avon and Somerset police are interested in the practical advice
0:16:20 > 0:16:23from Lancashire farmer John Taylor.
0:16:23 > 0:16:25Hang on a minute, are these sheep or livestock,
0:16:25 > 0:16:27are they reasonably disease-free?
0:16:27 > 0:16:29Do we have to isolate them? What do we have to do?
0:16:29 > 0:16:32You're obviously part of that farming network, John.
0:16:32 > 0:16:34- Yeah.- If we set something up in our area,
0:16:34 > 0:16:36is that something you'd be interested in, John, or not?
0:16:36 > 0:16:40Yes, it would. When I lost my 220 back in the summer,
0:16:40 > 0:16:42I expected an immediate response then,
0:16:42 > 0:16:47so I think it's only fair to offer that facility.
0:16:47 > 0:16:48You're all at it already!
0:16:48 > 0:16:50It's like some sort of police outreach conference here!
0:16:50 > 0:16:52I'm thoroughly redundant,
0:16:52 > 0:16:54but you seem to be learning a lot from each other.
0:16:54 > 0:16:58But can Avon and Somerset help with that one question I keep asking?
0:16:58 > 0:17:01Where do you think this stolen livestock is ending up?
0:17:01 > 0:17:06It does appear that some of it at least is going to abattoirs that may
0:17:06 > 0:17:10be working illegally out of hours or, indeed, illegal abattoirs,
0:17:10 > 0:17:12and we think that's a nationwide issue.
0:17:12 > 0:17:14This is organised criminality.
0:17:14 > 0:17:16And they are looking to cutting-edge
0:17:16 > 0:17:19technology to beat these organised criminals.
0:17:19 > 0:17:22The industry are developing small tagging devices,
0:17:22 > 0:17:24which would end up in the sheep's stomach.
0:17:24 > 0:17:25You'd know remotely where that she was?
0:17:25 > 0:17:28There's a potential to put a tracker into the bolus, as well,
0:17:28 > 0:17:30that could send a text message to your mobile phone, so, yes,
0:17:30 > 0:17:32if your sheep were on the move,
0:17:32 > 0:17:34you could find out, potentially, where they were.
0:17:34 > 0:17:36How does that idea strike you as a farmer?
0:17:36 > 0:17:42The bolus with a tracker that emits a signal, that would be ideal.
0:17:42 > 0:17:44But, obviously, there's a lot of work to be done on that.
0:17:44 > 0:17:47How useful has exercise been for you in Somerset?
0:17:47 > 0:17:49It's been absolutely fantastic.
0:17:49 > 0:17:52We've had the opportunity to meet the Lancashire team,
0:17:52 > 0:17:53not just have to pick up the phone to them.
0:17:53 > 0:17:57We've spent several hours already picking their brains on some
0:17:57 > 0:17:59challenges that we've come across.
0:17:59 > 0:18:01It's great we've got Lancashire here today,
0:18:01 > 0:18:03taking rural crime so much more seriously,
0:18:03 > 0:18:07because the impact on, whether it's farmers or the rural community,
0:18:07 > 0:18:09is really significant.
0:18:09 > 0:18:13John has been a relatively recent victim of one of these crimes.
0:18:13 > 0:18:15What does all this make you feel?
0:18:15 > 0:18:18It felt like a real local problem, as if it was just happening to me.
0:18:18 > 0:18:23So it is quite refreshing today to know that it is a national problem
0:18:23 > 0:18:26and it's trying to be treated with a national solution.
0:18:27 > 0:18:31It's a troubling fact that thieves are still getting away
0:18:31 > 0:18:35with this terrible crime. Farmers' prized animals driven away
0:18:35 > 0:18:38in darkness and never seen again.
0:18:40 > 0:18:43Livestock thieves have no regard for animal welfare,
0:18:43 > 0:18:47the traceability of our food or the livelihoods of farmers,
0:18:47 > 0:18:51but at least, now the industry is fighting back.
0:18:51 > 0:18:55Farmers and police forces getting together, to try and outsmart
0:18:55 > 0:18:58the criminals. Let's hope it gets results across the country.
0:19:05 > 0:19:11For me, the brightest jewels that crown Dorset's majestic coastline
0:19:11 > 0:19:13lie here, on the Isle of Purbeck.
0:19:17 > 0:19:20And from this magnificent vantage point,
0:19:20 > 0:19:23it's hard to imagine a more beautiful,
0:19:23 > 0:19:25or rural place, to live and work.
0:19:31 > 0:19:36For one typically tight-knit farming family, this is home.
0:19:36 > 0:19:39What makes them special is that, for more than 50 years,
0:19:39 > 0:19:43their life here has been documented through snapshots and slides,
0:19:43 > 0:19:46creating an exceptional record of Dorset farming through the decades.
0:19:48 > 0:19:50Meet the Holes.
0:19:50 > 0:19:53To help you - and me - get a handle on who's who,
0:19:53 > 0:19:55here's a quick guide to the family tree.
0:19:55 > 0:19:58Guy is the head of the family.
0:19:58 > 0:20:01Brothers John, Andy and Jerry share the farm tenancy.
0:20:01 > 0:20:02The grandchildren, Mark,
0:20:02 > 0:20:06Liz and Ben are carrying on the family farming tradition.
0:20:07 > 0:20:09Every morning, all year round,
0:20:09 > 0:20:13the family will gather for a pre-breakfast pow-wow,
0:20:13 > 0:20:16to discuss who's doing what and, on a mixed arable, sheep,
0:20:16 > 0:20:19dairy and beef farm of more than 2,000 acres,
0:20:19 > 0:20:21there's always plenty going on.
0:20:21 > 0:20:24Morning, everybody. Hi, John, all right?
0:20:24 > 0:20:25- How are you doing?- Good, morning.
0:20:25 > 0:20:28On a farm this size, sharing out the work is vital.
0:20:28 > 0:20:32I'm responsible for the dairy and accounts.
0:20:33 > 0:20:37Andy has responsibility for the arable and the sheep.
0:20:37 > 0:20:40Jerry does all the young stock - the beef cattle, the dairy heifers.
0:20:46 > 0:20:49As the younger members of the family head off to tackle another day
0:20:49 > 0:20:51on the farm, John's introducing me to
0:20:51 > 0:20:55the man who got things up and running more than 60 years ago -
0:20:55 > 0:20:58his 93-year-old dad, Guy Hole.
0:20:59 > 0:21:02So, here we go, Ellie. This is my father.
0:21:02 > 0:21:03Dad, this is Ellie.
0:21:03 > 0:21:06Hello! Hi, Guy, it's lovely to meet you.
0:21:06 > 0:21:07Nice to meet you.
0:21:07 > 0:21:12Now, Guy isn't a native of Purbeck, or Dorset...
0:21:12 > 0:21:14or even the UK.
0:21:14 > 0:21:19In fact, he comes from more than 11,000 miles away - New Zealand.
0:21:19 > 0:21:22In 1941, aged just 18,
0:21:22 > 0:21:25he was conscripted into the New Zealand Army.
0:21:25 > 0:21:28But a severe lack of farm workers
0:21:28 > 0:21:31meant Guy had to swap pistols for ploughs.
0:21:31 > 0:21:34After two years of vital farming to feed his homeland,
0:21:34 > 0:21:39Guy went on to see military service in Italy and post-war Japan.
0:21:39 > 0:21:44At 25, Guy was demobbed, hoping to secure a farm of his own.
0:21:44 > 0:21:46But with opportunities scarce in New Zealand at the time,
0:21:46 > 0:21:50he decided to take a chance on the other side of the world.
0:21:50 > 0:21:54Did you know anyone in the UK when you made your journey over?
0:21:54 > 0:21:56I had no-one.
0:21:56 > 0:22:00And so, I wrote to Lord Bledisloe,
0:22:00 > 0:22:04who was a past governor of New Zealand
0:22:04 > 0:22:08and he wrote back and said, "Thank you for your letter,
0:22:08 > 0:22:16"I will pass it on to the Young Farmers' Federation in London".
0:22:17 > 0:22:19Thanks to this contact at the Young Farmers',
0:22:19 > 0:22:22Guy was able to find his first job.
0:22:22 > 0:22:24Just as a farm labourer,
0:22:24 > 0:22:28at 90 shillings a week, um...
0:22:29 > 0:22:32He found me digs at £2 a week.
0:22:32 > 0:22:34And that was enough to get you started.
0:22:34 > 0:22:39It...was enough to get me started.
0:22:39 > 0:22:41Guy was on his way.
0:22:41 > 0:22:44Following a few more lucky breaks of his own making,
0:22:44 > 0:22:48he eventually settled in Dorset, marrying local girl Mary Ellen.
0:22:48 > 0:22:51And now, here you are on this farm.
0:22:51 > 0:22:55It's grown to be a fantastic size and your family are all around you.
0:22:55 > 0:22:57It must be a great feeling to see this.
0:22:57 > 0:23:00Extraordinary. Extraordinary.
0:23:00 > 0:23:02I'm very proud.
0:23:03 > 0:23:04And rightly so.
0:23:04 > 0:23:07The family have come a long way
0:23:07 > 0:23:09since Guy first landed on these shores.
0:23:10 > 0:23:15And thanks to an almost continuous series of candid photos and slides
0:23:15 > 0:23:19from the family album, we can trace not just the family's history,
0:23:19 > 0:23:20but also that of modern farming,
0:23:20 > 0:23:25so we've popped next door to the dining room to have a look at a few of them.
0:23:25 > 0:23:27Spanning more than a half-century,
0:23:27 > 0:23:29these photographs and slides of
0:23:29 > 0:23:32the whole family are a priceless personal archive
0:23:32 > 0:23:36that richly illustrates just how much things have changed.
0:23:38 > 0:23:40This picture was taken in 1958.
0:23:40 > 0:23:45It actually depicts Dad's purchase of a brand-new cab to go on top.
0:23:45 > 0:23:49He's written on the back of the slide, "£40 I paid, good value."
0:23:49 > 0:23:51Aw! Couple of lambs!
0:23:51 > 0:23:55That's me on the left and Andy on the right feeding a couple of orphan
0:23:55 > 0:23:58lambs. Mum and Dad on the steps of the house.
0:23:58 > 0:23:59Love it.
0:24:02 > 0:24:03This is feeding the calves.
0:24:03 > 0:24:06Again, it's me and Mother, feeding the calves.
0:24:06 > 0:24:09Father had made up an outside pen where we could put them in to feed them.
0:24:09 > 0:24:14She's... Strangely enough, Dad is actually allergic to cattle.
0:24:14 > 0:24:17Too much close handling of cattle and he reacts to it.
0:24:17 > 0:24:18That's no good for a farmer!
0:24:18 > 0:24:20- No, I know!- So that was your job and your mother's job?
0:24:20 > 0:24:22Yep, feeding the calves.
0:24:25 > 0:24:28Dare I say, there's more photos of machinery than there are the children.
0:24:28 > 0:24:29We like to show off our investments.
0:24:29 > 0:24:32- Yeah.- Yeah, we do. And we still do it.
0:24:33 > 0:24:36Right, this was February 1979.
0:24:36 > 0:24:38- Deep in a snowdrift!- We were completely snowed in.
0:24:38 > 0:24:40My mum talks about this winter,
0:24:40 > 0:24:42about the snowdrifts being as high as this.
0:24:42 > 0:24:43I think it's probably stuck in the memory.
0:24:43 > 0:24:46We had no snowploughs. The council couldn't cope with it,
0:24:46 > 0:24:49so we were left with our really rather small tractors
0:24:49 > 0:24:51to dig our way out.
0:24:53 > 0:24:57What a fashion statement, John! Want to talk me through this?
0:24:57 > 0:25:00I'm slightly embarrassed that this one has got put in!
0:25:00 > 0:25:03That's feeding the cattle, and it has to be done properly.
0:25:03 > 0:25:05With a cowboy outfit on?
0:25:05 > 0:25:06It's the only way to feed the cattle!
0:25:06 > 0:25:09And a six-shooter at his hip.
0:25:11 > 0:25:13And that's the end of the little sideshow.
0:25:13 > 0:25:15That's good, what a show.
0:25:17 > 0:25:20Today, it's not just John and his brothers keeping the show on
0:25:20 > 0:25:22the road, but the whole family.
0:25:22 > 0:25:26And to ensure the farm that their intrepid grandparents established
0:25:26 > 0:25:29more than 50 years ago survives for another half-century,
0:25:29 > 0:25:34the family are continuing to diversify, and in some quite unexpected ways.
0:25:37 > 0:25:41Later, I'll discover how the tradition of family photography is
0:25:41 > 0:25:44being used to jump-start a business plan that's far from woolly.
0:25:54 > 0:25:56MATT: Now it's time for our winter warmer.
0:25:57 > 0:26:02Last autumn, we asked some well-known faces, from DJs to comedians...
0:26:02 > 0:26:05It's a seal! False alarm, everyone, it was a seal.
0:26:05 > 0:26:07..chefs to singers...
0:26:07 > 0:26:11# My old man said follow the van... #
0:26:11 > 0:26:15..which part of our magnificent countryside was special to them.
0:26:21 > 0:26:25This week, comedian Susan Calman voyages across the Firth of Clyde to
0:26:25 > 0:26:27the beautiful Isle of Arran.
0:26:36 > 0:26:39I've been coming to the island of Arran since I was five.
0:26:41 > 0:26:45We came here for summer holidays every year and we've been coming
0:26:45 > 0:26:48back ever since, so this place is really...
0:26:48 > 0:26:49It's just part of me.
0:26:52 > 0:26:55When we got on that CalMac ferry at Ardrossan,
0:26:55 > 0:26:57it felt like holiday had started.
0:27:01 > 0:27:04I always used to come up and stand on the front of the deck, here,
0:27:04 > 0:27:07so I could see how close we were getting to the island.
0:27:08 > 0:27:11Scotland in miniature, they call it, and it really is,
0:27:11 > 0:27:16cos it has the lowlands, beautiful scenery, the mountain ranges,
0:27:16 > 0:27:17and it's just extraordinary,
0:27:17 > 0:27:21because everything that you can find across there is here.
0:27:31 > 0:27:32This particular beach,
0:27:32 > 0:27:35Blackwaterfoot beach, is where we spent most of our time.
0:27:36 > 0:27:40We're Scottish - even if it was raining, we were on this beach.
0:27:42 > 0:27:45There's a lot of wind coming along here
0:27:45 > 0:27:47but you're not going to let a gale-force wind spoil a summer holiday,
0:27:47 > 0:27:51so we'd put up the windbreak and we'd go swimming in that sea.
0:27:51 > 0:27:56The temperature would vary from frozen to very frozen.
0:27:56 > 0:27:57But do you know what?
0:27:58 > 0:28:00It makes you hardy for life
0:28:00 > 0:28:04having to smile for a photograph whilst freezing.
0:28:07 > 0:28:08SHE CHUCKLES
0:28:10 > 0:28:12I'm not going in again!
0:28:16 > 0:28:21One of the reasons why I find this place so peaceful is...
0:28:23 > 0:28:26..you can go for a walk for 5 or 10 minutes, 20 minutes,
0:28:26 > 0:28:29and you find the most extraordinary things.
0:28:33 > 0:28:37The Machrie standing stones is in the middle of this beautiful...
0:28:37 > 0:28:38valley.
0:28:41 > 0:28:45This feels like the heart of the island and, I mean,
0:28:45 > 0:28:49they think these were probably erected about 2000 BC.
0:28:49 > 0:28:54No-one quite knows why they're here, there's a theory about midsummer, but...
0:28:54 > 0:28:55you can just feel the history that,
0:28:55 > 0:28:58for thousands and thousands of years,
0:28:58 > 0:29:01people have been coming and living and working on the land.
0:29:04 > 0:29:06I brought my wife here and she said, "Oh, what's it like?"
0:29:06 > 0:29:09And I said, "Oh, it's like Stonehenge!"
0:29:09 > 0:29:12When she arrived, it's fair to say she was slightly disappointed.
0:29:12 > 0:29:16But when you come and stand in this stone circle,
0:29:16 > 0:29:19it's a slightly spiritual place and, for me,
0:29:19 > 0:29:24this is one of the places that makes me come back again and again, and
0:29:24 > 0:29:27I think it made her realise why it was so special, as well.
0:29:39 > 0:29:41The wildlife on this island is just...
0:29:41 > 0:29:43It is spectacular.
0:29:45 > 0:29:47When we stay here,
0:29:47 > 0:29:49we have a map of the island on the wall
0:29:49 > 0:29:51and when you come to the island,
0:29:51 > 0:29:54you note down where you've seen such magnificent animals.
0:29:57 > 0:30:03I've seen lots of beautiful things - seals, sharks, birds, red squirrels,
0:30:03 > 0:30:07but I've never seen an otter, and I understand this is the place where
0:30:07 > 0:30:10the otters hang out. I'm going to speak to Lucy Wallace,
0:30:10 > 0:30:13who lives on the island, who's a bona fide otter expert.
0:30:14 > 0:30:18- Hello!- Hi, Susan.- Nice to see you. Beautiful morning.
0:30:18 > 0:30:20This is the place to be for otters, is that right?
0:30:20 > 0:30:22It's a good place for spotting otters, yes.
0:30:22 > 0:30:24It's a rocky shore,
0:30:24 > 0:30:26it's quite shallow.
0:30:26 > 0:30:28We've got a lot of kelp beds out there,
0:30:28 > 0:30:30stuffed with the kind of things that otters like to eat.
0:30:31 > 0:30:34While we're waiting for the otters...
0:30:34 > 0:30:38Please come out, I've never seen an otter! Please!
0:30:38 > 0:30:39Right over there...
0:30:39 > 0:30:42- Yeah.- ..are some rather happy seals.
0:30:42 > 0:30:44Stunning common seals.
0:30:44 > 0:30:46At this time of year,
0:30:46 > 0:30:53they're moulting into their winter coats and that happens best on land.
0:30:53 > 0:30:55I think there's one lying on his back.
0:30:55 > 0:30:57That's wonderful!
0:30:57 > 0:31:00My cats do that - they just lie on their back on the sofa,
0:31:00 > 0:31:01just enjoying themselves.
0:31:01 > 0:31:03That's a tummy that needs tickling, isn't it?!
0:31:03 > 0:31:06I don't know if I would! What else is out there?
0:31:06 > 0:31:10There's a little oystercatcher down on the shore.
0:31:11 > 0:31:14And a lovely heron fishing amongst the kelp.
0:31:14 > 0:31:17So all you need to do now...
0:31:17 > 0:31:18is find me an otter!
0:31:27 > 0:31:29Oh! No, it's a seal, it's a seal.
0:31:29 > 0:31:30It's a seal.
0:31:30 > 0:31:32False alarm, everyone. It was a seal.
0:31:34 > 0:31:37It would be a good call, I think, if we were to pack up and move along
0:31:37 > 0:31:40- the coast a bit. - OK. Right, let's do it.
0:31:40 > 0:31:43There are otters to find.
0:31:43 > 0:31:45Marching away as quick as we can!
0:31:45 > 0:31:47I know!
0:31:47 > 0:31:49It's exciting.
0:31:51 > 0:31:54On the covered rocks, there, waves breaking,
0:31:54 > 0:31:57otter just came out onto those rocks, went back in again.
0:31:57 > 0:32:00- So straight in line with the lighthouse?- Straight line with the lighthouse.
0:32:00 > 0:32:02There's loads of sort of spray and surf.
0:32:04 > 0:32:06Right on the top, and he's eating a fish.
0:32:06 > 0:32:07Oh, yeah!
0:32:08 > 0:32:09Wow!
0:32:10 > 0:32:12Wow! He's loving that!
0:32:17 > 0:32:19It's quite far out, isn't it, actually?
0:32:19 > 0:32:21- Yeah.- It's quite far out.
0:32:21 > 0:32:25- We think it's a he?- Looks quite big from here.
0:32:25 > 0:32:26It's a long way off, can't be sure,
0:32:26 > 0:32:29but looks like quite a big individual and
0:32:29 > 0:32:31my gut feeling is that that's a dog otter.
0:32:33 > 0:32:35That's my first otter!
0:32:35 > 0:32:36I'm so thrilled!
0:32:36 > 0:32:39Thank you very much! I've been wanting to see an otter for years
0:32:39 > 0:32:40and I've finally seen one...
0:32:40 > 0:32:44sitting, bold as you like, having lunch.
0:32:44 > 0:32:47- Oh, he's shaking - on to the next rock.- On the next rock along.
0:32:48 > 0:32:50Thank you so much.
0:32:50 > 0:32:51Oh, that's grand!
0:32:56 > 0:32:57There we go.
0:33:00 > 0:33:02This place just makes me feel...
0:33:03 > 0:33:07..at peace. I mean, you're surrounded by somewhere this
0:33:07 > 0:33:09beautiful, you can't help but be happy.
0:33:13 > 0:33:14This is October.
0:33:15 > 0:33:17It's not always like this.
0:33:19 > 0:33:22I could go for a swim. I'm not going to go for a swim.
0:33:33 > 0:33:37Now Adam's in New Zealand, continuing his incredible journey.
0:33:37 > 0:33:41This week, he's helping muster sheep on some pretty extreme terrain and
0:33:41 > 0:33:44finding out how they keep these mountains looking so green.
0:33:53 > 0:33:58I first visited New Zealand 30 years ago with my now business partner,
0:33:58 > 0:33:59Duncan.
0:33:59 > 0:34:02But a lot has changed since that trip.
0:34:02 > 0:34:03When I arrived this time,
0:34:03 > 0:34:07there were several farms I was hoping to visit across this vast landscape
0:34:07 > 0:34:11but a natural disaster had struck the country and I was forced
0:34:11 > 0:34:12to change my plans.
0:34:16 > 0:34:19An earthquake had devastated parts of the South Island.
0:34:19 > 0:34:21It caused mass destruction.
0:34:25 > 0:34:26My plans have changed a bit,
0:34:26 > 0:34:29because I was supposed to be heading down to a farm near Kaikoura,
0:34:29 > 0:34:32but that's where the earthquake hit recently and there's a lot of
0:34:32 > 0:34:33damage to the buildings and roads,
0:34:33 > 0:34:36so now I'm heading to a sheep farm where things are supposed to be
0:34:36 > 0:34:40a bit safer. But just take a look at this - this is evidence of
0:34:40 > 0:34:43the earthquake where the road has collapsed and there's been a landslip.
0:34:43 > 0:34:47Also, they're now talking about more aftershock quakes.
0:34:47 > 0:34:49It's all a bit worrying, really.
0:34:53 > 0:34:56I'm heading to a farm near the small coastal village of Havelock in the
0:34:56 > 0:34:57Marlborough region.
0:35:05 > 0:35:07Romney sheep thrive in this area.
0:35:07 > 0:35:09It's a breed I farm at home
0:35:09 > 0:35:12but the New Zealand Romneys are renowned for being a better
0:35:12 > 0:35:15all-round sheep. I'm getting involved in a sheep muster
0:35:15 > 0:35:19and hoping to find out what they do differently.
0:35:19 > 0:35:21All right, Bill? Good to see you.
0:35:21 > 0:35:25Bill Brownlee and his family have always farmed this breed.
0:35:25 > 0:35:28- It's not a bad spot, is it? - No, no, it's not a bad spot, here.
0:35:28 > 0:35:31- I'd have to say that.- And did you feel the earthquakes recently?
0:35:31 > 0:35:35Certainly did, the first one was probably the strongest I had felt.
0:35:35 > 0:35:40- Is it scary?- It makes you wonder when it's going to stop, yes.
0:35:40 > 0:35:42And if you're out in the fields, say, working on the farm,
0:35:42 > 0:35:44can you feel it out here?
0:35:44 > 0:35:46I can't say I have, but if you're in
0:35:46 > 0:35:48a vehicle and stopped, or in a house,
0:35:48 > 0:35:52- you certainly do.- And how long have your family farmed around here, then?
0:35:52 > 0:35:54We've been here for over 100 years.
0:35:54 > 0:35:59- Really?- Mm.- I understand that pretty much half of the sheep in New Zealand
0:35:59 > 0:36:01- are Romneys, now.- That's right, yes.
0:36:01 > 0:36:03Cos of their versatility, I guess.
0:36:03 > 0:36:06I mean, back home, they obviously come from the Romney marshes and
0:36:06 > 0:36:07they're fondly known as the Kent sheep.
0:36:07 > 0:36:11It's flat land, very marshy, and here they are in New Zealand,
0:36:11 > 0:36:12roaming around up on the mountains.
0:36:12 > 0:36:14- Mm!- But this isn't your farm, is it?
0:36:14 > 0:36:19No, it's not. This belongs to Paul and Muff Newton, who are away, and
0:36:19 > 0:36:21Grant, the stockman, wondered if
0:36:21 > 0:36:23I could come over and give him a hand to shift some of them.
0:36:23 > 0:36:25- So, can I give you a hand? - You certainly can.
0:36:25 > 0:36:28A bit of free labour from the other side of the world?!
0:36:35 > 0:36:38We head into the mountains, where the muster is well under way.
0:36:38 > 0:36:39Go on, ewes and lambs.
0:36:39 > 0:36:40HE WHISTLES
0:36:40 > 0:36:43We need to move the flock to another hillside,
0:36:43 > 0:36:45where there's plenty of fresh pasture.
0:36:46 > 0:36:50Back home, our average flock size would be a lot smaller than here in
0:36:50 > 0:36:53New Zealand. What sort of numbers are we talking about on this farm?
0:36:53 > 0:36:565,000 breeding ewes on this property.
0:36:56 > 0:36:59Some of the farms are bigger, you've got 10,000, 15,000.
0:36:59 > 0:37:00Wow, that's a lot of sheep to look after!
0:37:00 > 0:37:03- It is.- Makes my 700 look like peanuts!
0:37:03 > 0:37:04Goodness me!
0:37:05 > 0:37:06It's just small-time for you.
0:37:06 > 0:37:08I know! We're just playing at it.
0:37:08 > 0:37:12- That's right.- And it is about those economies of scale, isn't it?
0:37:12 > 0:37:14That's why you can produce lamb so cheaply.
0:37:14 > 0:37:17- That's right.- But my lamb would still taste nicer, wouldn't it?
0:37:17 > 0:37:18Ah, no, I don't think so.
0:37:20 > 0:37:22And what makes these Romneys so suitable to New Zealand?
0:37:22 > 0:37:25Good wool, good lambs.
0:37:25 > 0:37:28And is that something that's been developed through selection,
0:37:28 > 0:37:30the way the New Zealanders farm?
0:37:30 > 0:37:33I guess, over the years, the genetics have improved.
0:37:33 > 0:37:36So you've selectively bred for sheep that can survive,
0:37:36 > 0:37:38- that look after themselves. - They do, yeah.
0:37:38 > 0:37:41They're not mollycoddled like the ones in the UK.
0:37:41 > 0:37:42They live off this green stuff,
0:37:42 > 0:37:45- rather than feeding them sheep nuts and grain.- Correct, yeah.
0:37:47 > 0:37:50Goodness me, Bill, is this earthquake damage?
0:37:50 > 0:37:54I guess it's had a bit of a shake and the water's got in behind it.
0:37:54 > 0:37:56- And caused the slip?- And caused the slip, yes.
0:37:56 > 0:38:00I remember seeing that bit on the news with those Hereford cattle caught on the top of that landslip.
0:38:00 > 0:38:04Yes, they were very lucky.
0:38:05 > 0:38:09Well, I think they all look very happy out on that fresh pasture,
0:38:09 > 0:38:11- Bill.- I think they'll appreciate that, all right.
0:38:11 > 0:38:16And this grassland management over here is very particular, isn't it?
0:38:16 > 0:38:18Yes, you've got to keep it
0:38:18 > 0:38:20under control, stop it getting too long.
0:38:20 > 0:38:23When the grass is shorter, it's full of sugars, isn't it?
0:38:23 > 0:38:25- It is, yes.- More palatable and more nutritious for the sheep.
0:38:25 > 0:38:29I notice you've got the hill here blocked up so you can keep moving
0:38:29 > 0:38:31them around. The same with the dairy cattle in these paddocks,
0:38:31 > 0:38:34- managing the grass. - Yes.- Incredible, really.
0:38:38 > 0:38:42One thing I've learned on my journey so far is that New Zealanders don't
0:38:42 > 0:38:44do things by halves.
0:38:44 > 0:38:46Down on Bill's farm, his fertiliser pile is...
0:38:46 > 0:38:49well, pretty substantial.
0:38:51 > 0:38:54Well, this is one of the secrets of keeping the countryside green.
0:38:54 > 0:38:56- What is it, then, Bill?- It's mussel shells.
0:38:57 > 0:38:59This is the... When they arrive here,
0:38:59 > 0:39:02they're the mussel shell, the green-lipped mussel shell...
0:39:02 > 0:39:06- Oh, yes.- ..and then we crush it up into, like, a lime product.
0:39:06 > 0:39:10And so the lime is crushed and produces nutrients for the soil, does it?
0:39:10 > 0:39:12- It does.- Helps the grass grow?
0:39:12 > 0:39:14It does, yeah, and it's got a lot of nutrients in the shell.
0:39:14 > 0:39:17- Amazing.- Especially in the membrane alone.
0:39:17 > 0:39:19And how do you spread it on top of those hills?
0:39:19 > 0:39:20You can't get a tractor up there.
0:39:20 > 0:39:22It's a bit of a secret, we can't really tell you that!
0:39:22 > 0:39:24I'm going to push you for an answer!
0:39:24 > 0:39:25THEY LAUGH
0:39:32 > 0:39:34Luckily, Bill agrees to tell me.
0:39:34 > 0:39:35So I'm off to a nearby farm.
0:39:38 > 0:39:40I've been told to bring my earplugs and expect mayhem.
0:39:42 > 0:39:45But when I arrive, the setting couldn't be more tranquil.
0:39:45 > 0:39:47I'm not sure I'm in the right place.
0:39:48 > 0:39:49But all of a sudden...
0:40:00 > 0:40:04This process, called top dressing, was started in the 1940s.
0:40:04 > 0:40:08Returning World War II fighter pilots, who were keen to keep flying,
0:40:08 > 0:40:12developed ways to fertilise steep and inaccessible hillsides using
0:40:12 > 0:40:14small aircraft.
0:40:16 > 0:40:20I arrived in this field and it was a lovely, serene environment,
0:40:20 > 0:40:22with bees and skylarks singing
0:40:22 > 0:40:24and then the plane turned up and a loader
0:40:24 > 0:40:28turned up and now it's all kicked off and they are full at work.
0:40:28 > 0:40:31It's just remarkable, I've never seen anything like it.
0:40:32 > 0:40:35The plane comes in, the hatch opens on top of the plane,
0:40:35 > 0:40:40the loader goes in, the fertiliser is dumped into the top of the plane
0:40:40 > 0:40:43and away it goes again. There's no messing around here.
0:40:47 > 0:40:50That's it, he's fully loaded. Takeoff.
0:40:59 > 0:41:02The turnaround - comes in, lands, loads and gone - matter of minutes,
0:41:02 > 0:41:06- isn't it?- Yeah, well, when you're paying an amount of money that we charge,
0:41:06 > 0:41:08it needs to be done fairly quickly.
0:41:10 > 0:41:13Terry Nuttall has worked in this industry for more than 20 years.
0:41:15 > 0:41:18- We are a grass-growing country. - Yeah.
0:41:18 > 0:41:23Our meat and wool guys wholly and solely, really, rely on growing grass.
0:41:23 > 0:41:27And by fertilising it, we get grass growth pretty well all year round.
0:41:27 > 0:41:29I suppose you can use tractors down on the flat land like here,
0:41:29 > 0:41:32but it needs a plane to be able to get that fertiliser onto
0:41:32 > 0:41:34the hills, which there's a lot of in New Zealand.
0:41:34 > 0:41:35There are a lot of hills.
0:41:35 > 0:41:38That's why we have a lot of aeroplanes putting fertiliser on them.
0:41:38 > 0:41:40Pretty scary, being up in that plane.
0:41:40 > 0:41:42How long has the pilot been flying?
0:41:42 > 0:41:45I think he started flying in 1966.
0:41:45 > 0:41:47- So about 50 years of experience. - About 50 years.- Goodness me.
0:41:47 > 0:41:49So he knows what he's doing.
0:41:49 > 0:41:52He's still doing it, so obviously he does!
0:41:52 > 0:41:54Looking at the landing strip here,
0:41:54 > 0:41:57I imagined it to be like a bowling green -
0:41:57 > 0:41:59mown and clean and marked out.
0:41:59 > 0:42:01- It's just a field.- It is.
0:42:01 > 0:42:05When he comes in, he bounces in and then comes in to the loader.
0:42:06 > 0:42:08That was a pretty smooth landing, that one.
0:42:08 > 0:42:10You know, one in ten is not too bad, is it?
0:42:10 > 0:42:12ADAM LAUGHS
0:42:23 > 0:42:28In my visit here, it's just reminded me of that New Zealand attitude of
0:42:28 > 0:42:30can-do, go get it, push on.
0:42:30 > 0:42:33It's like you're still breaking the country in.
0:42:33 > 0:42:35We've always been a nation of can-dos.
0:42:35 > 0:42:38And I suppose that freedom from legislation has allowed you to
0:42:38 > 0:42:40really get on and develop areas for agriculture.
0:42:40 > 0:42:42We've been extremely fortunate, I suppose,
0:42:42 > 0:42:47that it has been recognised that we need to have the freedom to develop.
0:42:49 > 0:42:50And we still do, probably,
0:42:50 > 0:42:53have a lot more freedom than lots of countries do.
0:42:53 > 0:42:55Which is a good thing.
0:42:55 > 0:42:58I mean, it's the only way that we probably survive.
0:43:00 > 0:43:02And it does look beautifully green. There's a lot of grass growing
0:43:02 > 0:43:05- right up on the tops.- It's been a good spring for us for growing
0:43:05 > 0:43:09grass, it really has. You look up there on the hill and watch what's going on and you
0:43:09 > 0:43:12think, "My God, there will be some fat animals coming off there."
0:43:12 > 0:43:15Yeah. You'll be sending them all the way over to my supermarket shelves.
0:43:15 > 0:43:16Absolutely!
0:43:17 > 0:43:20- Can't be doing with that!- The best meat that you'll ever have.
0:43:20 > 0:43:24Well, we'll have to agree to disagree on that one.
0:43:26 > 0:43:30Next week is the grand finale of my trip and I'll be helping muster some
0:43:30 > 0:43:34cattle with an inspirational character - Ian Brickell.
0:43:34 > 0:43:37Well, that's the young cattle through the first gateway, there's
0:43:37 > 0:43:39still quite a long way to go and I said to Ian,
0:43:39 > 0:43:41"Shall I go back and get the buggy?"
0:43:41 > 0:43:44And he said, "No, no, I'll go. I'll just run down." This guy is 78!
0:43:44 > 0:43:46It's quite remarkable.
0:43:57 > 0:44:02ELLIE: I've been meeting three generations of farmers who've made their home
0:44:02 > 0:44:04in Dorset's Isle of Purbeck,
0:44:04 > 0:44:08grandfather Guy, who hails from New Zealand, and his three sons and
0:44:08 > 0:44:09grandchildren.
0:44:12 > 0:44:16A few years ago, the family began taking photos of daily life on
0:44:16 > 0:44:20the farm and posting them online, simply to share with friends.
0:44:20 > 0:44:23But so captivating were the images that soon,
0:44:23 > 0:44:26the account attracted more than 160,000 followers.
0:44:30 > 0:44:34With such a huge interest being taken in the family farm
0:44:34 > 0:44:39online, photography has become the ideal tool to spin success for
0:44:39 > 0:44:43the family's latest business venture - selling wool direct to customers.
0:44:43 > 0:44:46Even those on the other side of the world.
0:44:48 > 0:44:52In charge of the wool business is photographer-in-chief Sue Hole.
0:44:56 > 0:44:58It's amazing watching this process, isn't it?
0:44:58 > 0:45:01Getting them scanned. This fleece looks incredible.
0:45:01 > 0:45:05- Talk to me about that.- The fleeces that we use for the knitting wool
0:45:05 > 0:45:08are the Dorsets and the Dorset crosses.
0:45:08 > 0:45:11They've got a down's type of fleece, which is very dense and springy.
0:45:13 > 0:45:16And it's got a definite crimp to it, which is like a natural wave.
0:45:16 > 0:45:20- OK.- It takes dye really well and it makes a very good-quality knitting
0:45:20 > 0:45:22- wool.- So when will these come off, then?
0:45:22 > 0:45:25How long until they'll have their fleeces shorn off?
0:45:25 > 0:45:27These ones actually get sheared in a month's time.
0:45:27 > 0:45:29OK, so not long. Little bit more growing time.
0:45:29 > 0:45:30- Yeah.- Oh, fantastic.
0:45:35 > 0:45:38To process and dye the fleeces on a commercial scale,
0:45:38 > 0:45:40they're sent off to a specialist woollen mill in Cornwall.
0:45:42 > 0:45:44Here, the fleece is processed by scouring,
0:45:44 > 0:45:46removing dirt and natural oils through washing,
0:45:46 > 0:45:49before being carded - a form of brushing
0:45:49 > 0:45:51that turns the fleece fibres into manageable strands
0:45:51 > 0:45:53for spinning.
0:45:54 > 0:45:57The finished yarn is proving popular with knitwear designers
0:45:57 > 0:45:59like Sarah Hazell.
0:46:01 > 0:46:03- Hi, Sarah. - Hi!- I'm Ellie, nice to meet you.
0:46:03 > 0:46:06- Nice to meet you, Ellie.- So you're knitting away feverishly
0:46:06 > 0:46:08with this beautiful wool!
0:46:08 > 0:46:11Goodness, so it goes from this and then we've got the finished product.
0:46:11 > 0:46:14- Yes, that's right.- What lovely colours!
0:46:14 > 0:46:18Thank you. So, getting the colours right has been a real challenge.
0:46:18 > 0:46:21What we found was that the Dorset wool is so white
0:46:21 > 0:46:23that when you dye on top of it,
0:46:23 > 0:46:27it takes the colour almost too well and it makes it quite flat.
0:46:27 > 0:46:32So the mill did some experimenting and they actually added a percentage
0:46:32 > 0:46:35of black first and then the main colour on top.
0:46:35 > 0:46:37So, if you look carefully, you can see...
0:46:37 > 0:46:39- Oh, yes, two tones. - Yes, it's got a fleck in it.
0:46:39 > 0:46:41- I see.- It gives it more depth.
0:46:41 > 0:46:44And how did you choose the kind of tones of colours that you've got here?
0:46:44 > 0:46:47We wanted to reflect the colours of the countryside in our area,
0:46:47 > 0:46:50so it's another connection for customers to make with the sheep,
0:46:50 > 0:46:52but also with the colours, and we're
0:46:52 > 0:46:54very lucky there are so many beautiful
0:46:54 > 0:46:56colours near where we are with the sea, as well.
0:46:56 > 0:46:57And you use this wool quite a lot, then?
0:46:57 > 0:47:00- Yes.- Why do you choose it, what's good about it for you?
0:47:00 > 0:47:03I chose the yarn because...
0:47:03 > 0:47:04obviously the colours are beautiful,
0:47:04 > 0:47:09but also the quality of the yarn and the fact that the yarn is traceable
0:47:09 > 0:47:11back to a farm.
0:47:11 > 0:47:16It's becoming really important for knitters to know that the yarn
0:47:16 > 0:47:19has been produced ethically nowadays.
0:47:19 > 0:47:20What's the map over there?
0:47:20 > 0:47:23- Oh, right...- Pins, is this your travelling?
0:47:23 > 0:47:25I'd like to think so!
0:47:25 > 0:47:27No, actually, what it is...
0:47:27 > 0:47:32We put pins in the map wherever we've got customers, so you can see,
0:47:32 > 0:47:35we cover this country, we've got also in Europe, but...
0:47:35 > 0:47:36we go right across America...
0:47:36 > 0:47:38Yeah! Into Canada.
0:47:38 > 0:47:40There's a couple here in Australia.
0:47:40 > 0:47:45Yes. We communicate with our customers through social media mainly and we
0:47:45 > 0:47:48found that's been the best way to find our market.
0:47:48 > 0:47:50That's where the photos have come in?
0:47:50 > 0:47:54Exactly. They follow us on Instagram and other types of social media and
0:47:54 > 0:47:56they're following the story, really.
0:47:56 > 0:47:59I don't think there's any other way we would have found customers
0:47:59 > 0:48:01thousands of miles away than that.
0:48:03 > 0:48:06While I've been admiring the family's latest enterprise,
0:48:06 > 0:48:09over in the lambing shed, the youngest member of this farming
0:48:09 > 0:48:14dynasty, Liz, is helping the latest arrivals settle in just as her grandfather
0:48:14 > 0:48:15did more than 50 years ago.
0:48:17 > 0:48:19These two are REALLY new.
0:48:19 > 0:48:20Yeah, they were born this morning.
0:48:20 > 0:48:22So what's the plan for them now?
0:48:22 > 0:48:26In a minute, we'll move them from this pen into an individual pen and
0:48:26 > 0:48:29then we can get some milk off of her and feed the lambs.
0:48:36 > 0:48:38Good girl!
0:48:40 > 0:48:41Good girl.
0:48:43 > 0:48:46So you've only just graduated from agricultural college.
0:48:46 > 0:48:48Hitting the ground running, this, isn't it?
0:48:48 > 0:48:51Yeah, well, I'm used to it. I enjoy it, so it's OK, I don't mind.
0:48:51 > 0:48:53Have you been doing this kind of farmwork since young, then?
0:48:53 > 0:48:57Yes, since probably about four years old, I've been helping,
0:48:57 > 0:49:00coming over in the evening and lambing. Absolutely love it.
0:49:00 > 0:49:01So this is your territory, right here.
0:49:01 > 0:49:04- Definitely.- What's the next big challenge for you, then?
0:49:04 > 0:49:07So, through the National Federation of Young Farmers,
0:49:07 > 0:49:12I applied for a scholarship, which is the C Alma Baker Trust.
0:49:12 > 0:49:15You can apply for a scholarship where you work in New Zealand for
0:49:15 > 0:49:19three months and then you have another month out there travelling.
0:49:19 > 0:49:23So, yeah, I get to work on a dairy, beef and sheep farm, which...
0:49:23 > 0:49:26I can't wait. ..in the North Island. I'm really excited.
0:49:26 > 0:49:29There's something really lovely about going back full circle like
0:49:29 > 0:49:31your grandfather, who started out in New Zealand.
0:49:31 > 0:49:35Yeah, no, he's really happy that I'm going over and I'll only be an hour or two
0:49:35 > 0:49:37away from my uncle that's out there now, so really close to family,
0:49:37 > 0:49:40- which will be really good fun. - There's also parallels about history
0:49:40 > 0:49:42repeating itself in reverse, there.
0:49:42 > 0:49:43- That's amazing.- Yeah.
0:49:48 > 0:49:50She's actually being incredibly modest,
0:49:50 > 0:49:53because in order to get that bursary to the land of the long white cloud,
0:49:53 > 0:49:57Lizzie had to beat 120 other people.
0:49:57 > 0:49:59She's clearly going places in farming, that one.
0:50:02 > 0:50:05With such an impressive and enterprising generation ready to
0:50:05 > 0:50:08take the reins, I think it's safe to say that
0:50:08 > 0:50:11Guy's legacy is in very capable hands.
0:50:13 > 0:50:16Well, are we going to continue to need hats and scarves?
0:50:16 > 0:50:19Here's the Countryfile forecast to tell us what the weather is going to
0:50:19 > 0:50:21be doing this week.
0:51:11 > 0:51:14MATT: Along more than 90 miles of shoreline,
0:51:14 > 0:51:17the craggy Jurassic Coast reveals the mysteries of our past.
0:51:21 > 0:51:24We've been exploring its ancient landscape,
0:51:24 > 0:51:28where flying reptiles and land-dwelling giants lived.
0:51:28 > 0:51:32Today, the landscape is rich with their fossilised remains.
0:51:36 > 0:51:40But there's one particular creature that's leaving its mark in a more
0:51:40 > 0:51:44unusual way. Geologist Paddy Howe is going to tell me more.
0:51:46 > 0:51:48Right then, Paddy, what have we got here?
0:51:48 > 0:51:50Right, this is part of a creature called a Phragmoteuthid.
0:51:51 > 0:51:56So, not a squid, not a cuttlefish, but sharing characteristics of both.
0:51:56 > 0:51:59They don't have a high preservation potential.
0:51:59 > 0:52:03Things with harder parts to their bodies tend to preserve better than
0:52:03 > 0:52:06- these.- Are we talking 200 million years old?
0:52:06 > 0:52:08- Give or take a week, yes.- Yeah!
0:52:11 > 0:52:13As a squid-like creature,
0:52:13 > 0:52:17the Phragmoteuthid would have defended itself from predators in the same way,
0:52:17 > 0:52:18by shooting out ink.
0:52:19 > 0:52:25Remarkably, 200 million years later, the ink can still be found.
0:52:25 > 0:52:26But it's extremely rare.
0:52:27 > 0:52:29This is fossilised ink
0:52:29 > 0:52:32from a Phragmoteuthid. That's the ink sac itself.
0:52:32 > 0:52:37The mind boggles how that hasn't kind of turned into stone or rock
0:52:37 > 0:52:40and that it's kind of in the form that it would have been in so, so long ago.
0:52:40 > 0:52:43You've got muscle fibres running across it there.
0:52:43 > 0:52:45It contains a lot of the original constituents.
0:52:45 > 0:52:47It contains melanin, very often.
0:52:47 > 0:52:51You know, these have been analysed by various people and we do get
0:52:51 > 0:52:53the original pigments still inside.
0:52:53 > 0:52:54And what's special about this one?
0:52:54 > 0:52:58In this rock I can see the ink sac has become detached from the rest of
0:52:58 > 0:52:59the creature in some way,
0:52:59 > 0:53:03shape or form, and when you get a piece like this,
0:53:03 > 0:53:06what we can do is actually powder this stuff up and do something a bit
0:53:06 > 0:53:07special with that.
0:53:10 > 0:53:14This 200-million-year-old ink isn't being used for self-defence, though.
0:53:14 > 0:53:19It's on the tip of the paintbrush of Paddy's wife Ricky.
0:53:19 > 0:53:21Are you all right? Nice to see you.
0:53:21 > 0:53:23- Good to see you.- We come bearing gifts.
0:53:23 > 0:53:27- Fantastic.- Ricky is an artist who uses the fossilised ink to create
0:53:27 > 0:53:31beautiful images of the creatures that lived here millions of years ago.
0:53:35 > 0:53:38Only a handful of her paintings
0:53:38 > 0:53:40exist, due to the scarcity of the ink,
0:53:40 > 0:53:42one of which belongs to Sir David Attenborough.
0:53:44 > 0:53:46How are you actually making paint from this, then?
0:53:46 > 0:53:48What are you actually mixing it with?
0:53:48 > 0:53:51Well, Paddy will take me a little bit out with a scalpel.
0:53:51 > 0:53:54A tiny bit of water in there.
0:53:54 > 0:53:57It's nice here, because we've got puddles with a bit of salt,
0:53:57 > 0:53:59- a bit of sand... - Oh, so you're using seawater?
0:53:59 > 0:54:01Use a bit of seawater and, again, it adds to it.
0:54:02 > 0:54:06And what could be more fitting in this Jurassic coastal landscape than
0:54:06 > 0:54:11to recreate a Phragmoteuthid with its very own, very rare ink?
0:54:11 > 0:54:14This is my interpretation.
0:54:14 > 0:54:15Oh, isn't that something?
0:54:15 > 0:54:17- That is lovely.- Thank you.
0:54:17 > 0:54:18Very, very nice.
0:54:20 > 0:54:21There we are.
0:54:22 > 0:54:24- Is this all right for you?- That's good, it's good.
0:54:24 > 0:54:26You don't know how it's been formed,
0:54:26 > 0:54:30so you don't know how it's going to react to being ground up and how
0:54:30 > 0:54:32the colour's going to come out.
0:54:32 > 0:54:33Here I am using a bit of artistic licence
0:54:33 > 0:54:36but what do you know about what it would have looked like?
0:54:36 > 0:54:39If you see on the picture, there are ten tentacles.
0:54:39 > 0:54:42- Yeah.- And although the tentacles themselves aren't preserved,
0:54:42 > 0:54:46the tentacles had pairs of hooks all the way along and they'd use those
0:54:46 > 0:54:47hooks to catch their prey.
0:54:48 > 0:54:52Using this material really does give us a wonderful connection to a
0:54:52 > 0:54:53long-lost, ancient creature.
0:54:55 > 0:54:56Well, do you know what, Ricky?
0:54:56 > 0:54:59I have thoroughly enjoyed this, thank you so much for
0:54:59 > 0:55:00- the opportunity. - That's beautiful!
0:55:00 > 0:55:02- Hi, Ellie!- That's amazing!
0:55:02 > 0:55:05- Is that colour by numbers?- Well, I tell you what this is.
0:55:05 > 0:55:08This is a Phragmoteuthid.
0:55:08 > 0:55:09Is it, now?
0:55:09 > 0:55:12It's a bit soggy at the moment, because obviously it's raining here,
0:55:12 > 0:55:15but Ricky has said I can take the Phragmoteuthid ink home,
0:55:15 > 0:55:17because that's what it's painted with.
0:55:17 > 0:55:19- Wow!- 200 million years old, this ink.
0:55:19 > 0:55:22You can't put a price tag on that, that is an amazing gift.
0:55:22 > 0:55:25Wonderful. Well, listen, that's all we've got time for this week,
0:55:25 > 0:55:26from the Jurassic Coast.
0:55:26 > 0:55:28Next week, we're going to be up in the Peak District.
0:55:28 > 0:55:30We'll see you then. Bye-bye!
0:55:30 > 0:55:32I'll bring my picture next week so you can see it all finished.
0:55:32 > 0:55:34You should sign that, it's amazing.