0:00:30 > 0:00:32The open-skied landscape of the Humber
0:00:32 > 0:00:35on the east coast of Yorkshire is a bird's paradise.
0:00:39 > 0:00:43Its lush pastoral countryside takes in the Rivers Ouse and Trent
0:00:43 > 0:00:45as they flood into the North Sea.
0:00:46 > 0:00:49For centuries, people here have been defending the flatlands
0:00:49 > 0:00:51against an encroaching tide.
0:01:00 > 0:01:03And now it's home to another form of defence.
0:01:03 > 0:01:05This is MoD Leconfield,
0:01:05 > 0:01:08the UK's only defence school of transport
0:01:08 > 0:01:11and it's where every military driver must come to train
0:01:11 > 0:01:13before they head off for active service.
0:01:27 > 0:01:29Lying deep within the Humber countryside,
0:01:29 > 0:01:33the MoD's taken advantage of this secluded and malleable landscape
0:01:33 > 0:01:37to carve out a playground for vehicles big and small.
0:01:37 > 0:01:39There are 1,300 on site of all shapes and sizes,
0:01:39 > 0:01:43and it's Commandant Colonel Rob Peacock's job to look after them.
0:01:45 > 0:01:47So, Rob, what exactly goes on here?
0:01:47 > 0:01:49This is where we take everyone from across defence,
0:01:49 > 0:01:52young soldiers, airmen, Royal Marines,
0:01:52 > 0:01:54and we teach them everything they need to know about military driving.
0:01:54 > 0:01:57And you've got all sorts of vehicles, all shapes and sizes,
0:01:57 > 0:01:59- and a lot of them. - Absolutely everything.
0:01:59 > 0:02:02People come here aged 17, 18, might not even have a car licence,
0:02:02 > 0:02:04so we take them through the car licence,
0:02:04 > 0:02:07the early stages of getting a truck licence,
0:02:07 > 0:02:09truck and trailer licence,
0:02:09 > 0:02:12but then the serious business is we put them onto the military vehicles.
0:02:12 > 0:02:14They learn on the MAN trucks,
0:02:14 > 0:02:17Mastiffs you've seen. DROPS truck is the old stuff.
0:02:17 > 0:02:20We've got the sort of Oshkosh fuel tankers over there.
0:02:21 > 0:02:24The point is, they've got to learn to drive in all conditions,
0:02:24 > 0:02:26day and night, all sorts of terrain
0:02:26 > 0:02:28because they need to do this on operations.
0:02:28 > 0:02:30The driving part of it is almost the easy bit.
0:02:30 > 0:02:33We need to teach them to be soldiers on the battlefield,
0:02:33 > 0:02:35it's just that they have to drive vehicles.
0:02:36 > 0:02:38The reality of what these recruits are training for
0:02:38 > 0:02:41was brought home just a few weeks ago when a Mastiff,
0:02:41 > 0:02:43the MoD's most armoured wheeled vehicle
0:02:43 > 0:02:46was hit by a roadside bomb in Afghanistan.
0:02:48 > 0:02:50I feel very sorry for the families at the moment.
0:02:50 > 0:02:53We really shouldn't forget how tragic it is for them.
0:02:53 > 0:02:55But we do our very best to train them
0:02:55 > 0:02:58in these vehicles in every condition we can think of.
0:02:58 > 0:03:01Trying to replicate as closely as possible
0:03:01 > 0:03:03what's going to happen to them in Afghanistan.
0:03:03 > 0:03:05And we need to wait and see what we can learn from that
0:03:05 > 0:03:08and see if there's any tiny improvements we can make
0:03:08 > 0:03:09on the driving side of it.
0:03:11 > 0:03:13Tens of thousands of soldiers have come through here
0:03:13 > 0:03:14in the past five years.
0:03:15 > 0:03:19Jason Figgett's been a DST instructor since 2006.
0:03:19 > 0:03:22After 15 years as a tank commander,
0:03:22 > 0:03:24he's now passing on his wisdom to the next generation.
0:03:25 > 0:03:28'And today, it's my turn in the hot-seat.
0:03:28 > 0:03:31'Not in an armoured vehicle, but in our 4X4.'
0:03:31 > 0:03:33Let's hope she's up to the job!
0:03:33 > 0:03:35CAR REVS
0:03:38 > 0:03:42It's not about speed, you know. It's all about control.'
0:03:44 > 0:03:48OK, all we're going to do now then is come out of this area here,
0:03:48 > 0:03:49just carry on, follow the truck.
0:03:50 > 0:03:55So this is meant to recreate surroundings and terrain
0:03:55 > 0:04:00that you will come across in a military environment?
0:04:00 > 0:04:03It is. Yeah. We actually bring all sorts of vehicles on here.
0:04:03 > 0:04:05The Mastiff, the Foxhound,
0:04:05 > 0:04:10but also our LGVs, our normal military trucks.
0:04:10 > 0:04:12- Just watch these dips.- Yeah.
0:04:20 > 0:04:21- Yeah.- OK.
0:04:21 > 0:04:23What we're going to do now is accelerate,
0:04:23 > 0:04:25and as you're going over the brow of the hill,
0:04:25 > 0:04:27I want you to release the accelerator,
0:04:27 > 0:04:29just as you go over the tipping point.
0:04:29 > 0:04:31If you don't, you'll end up going back the way you've just come up.
0:04:31 > 0:04:34If you don't do it as we're on the descent,
0:04:34 > 0:04:36- you'll end up balancing on top.- OK.- OK.
0:04:40 > 0:04:41OK, foot off the accelerator.
0:04:43 > 0:04:45- Well done.- Wow... Whoo!
0:04:45 > 0:04:47- Did you like that? - Yeah, I liked that.- Good, good.
0:04:49 > 0:04:52- That'll do you nicely. Nice and gentle.- Yeah.
0:04:52 > 0:04:53OK, so start to turn now.
0:04:53 > 0:04:55- Yeah.- Turn now.- Yeah.
0:04:55 > 0:04:58- Turn now.- Straight. - Keep it nice and straight.- Yeah.
0:05:00 > 0:05:02- There we go.- OK.- Cushty.
0:05:02 > 0:05:04And we're going to go right again.
0:05:04 > 0:05:05So this is very real training,
0:05:05 > 0:05:09but it's very real training for the kind of terrain
0:05:09 > 0:05:12that you will face at some stage in your military career.
0:05:12 > 0:05:15Yeah, we're now putting them into a cross-country environment,
0:05:15 > 0:05:18which can simulate all the different types of conditions
0:05:18 > 0:05:21that they could come up against, especially on operational tours.
0:05:21 > 0:05:24So with the kind of obstacles that they have got here,
0:05:24 > 0:05:28at least they're getting experience prior to going into operations.
0:05:28 > 0:05:30So you've experienced this environment in places like Iraq,
0:05:30 > 0:05:34Afghanistan, and all over the world and it's real, it makes sense?
0:05:34 > 0:05:37Yeah, especially with the urban village that we now have here.
0:05:39 > 0:05:41Driving in built-in areas,
0:05:41 > 0:05:45what you're constantly looking at is how you can escape,
0:05:45 > 0:05:46especially if you're ambushed,
0:05:46 > 0:05:50and the urban village here simulates that very well.
0:05:50 > 0:05:52And there we go.
0:05:53 > 0:05:55Jason, I really enjoyed that. How did I do?
0:05:55 > 0:05:57I've really enjoyed being with you. Very good!
0:06:00 > 0:06:03Driving aside, there's more to Leconfield than meets the eye.
0:06:03 > 0:06:06Later, I'll be joining some soldiers doing their bit for conservation.
0:06:17 > 0:06:21I'm on the Outer Humber, where the estuary meets the North Sea.
0:06:21 > 0:06:25This unique salty landscape is being given over to farming,
0:06:25 > 0:06:28and I'm finding out how farming is giving back.
0:06:30 > 0:06:35This is a place both ravaged and nourished by the waves.
0:06:35 > 0:06:38The Holderness coast, which stretches to the north,
0:06:38 > 0:06:40is the fastest-eroding coastline in Europe.
0:06:42 > 0:06:44But while the cliffs lose out to the sea,
0:06:44 > 0:06:48the estuary has something to gain from all of this erosion.
0:06:48 > 0:06:51Sea water ladened with sediments from the cliffs
0:06:51 > 0:06:53is deposited on the banks of the Humber,
0:06:53 > 0:06:55creating one of the most fertile
0:06:55 > 0:06:58and richest breeding grounds in Britain.
0:06:58 > 0:06:59Salt marsh.
0:07:05 > 0:07:09I'm meeting Andrew Gibson from the Yorkshire Wildlife Trust.
0:07:09 > 0:07:11He's heading up an innovative project
0:07:11 > 0:07:14that hopes to conserve the Welwick salt marsh.
0:07:15 > 0:07:19Salt marsh is a special habitat. It's a unique habitat,
0:07:19 > 0:07:24it needs that twice daily saline water to push over and onto it
0:07:24 > 0:07:28to maintain these succulent species that we see below our feet.
0:07:28 > 0:07:32And so often, this is the type of habitat that is reclaimed.
0:07:32 > 0:07:35We reclaim it for ports, for farmland,
0:07:35 > 0:07:37and it's being lost in Britain,
0:07:37 > 0:07:41and here we have a large expanse of it, but it's changing.
0:07:41 > 0:07:43OK. Well, let's have a look around our feet
0:07:43 > 0:07:45and see what it is that the birds are coming here for.
0:07:45 > 0:07:48The plants that we have here are sea lavender,
0:07:48 > 0:07:50you have arrowgrass,
0:07:50 > 0:07:54and then you go onto these domes of fescue, or salt marsh grass.
0:07:54 > 0:07:56So, you can see the really special bit is
0:07:56 > 0:07:59there's only a couple of centimetres difference in this height,
0:07:59 > 0:08:02and yet that changes the mosaic of the species in there.
0:08:02 > 0:08:06And with that, changes the mosaic of insects that are in there,
0:08:06 > 0:08:09- and the birds that feed on those insects.- A lot going on, then.
0:08:09 > 0:08:10A hell of a lot going on, yes.
0:08:12 > 0:08:15But this is a changing landscape.
0:08:15 > 0:08:18Human attempts to drain the land and reclaim it for farming
0:08:18 > 0:08:21has altered the dynamics of the salt marsh.
0:08:21 > 0:08:23Taller grasses now dominate,
0:08:23 > 0:08:25choking out some of the important shorter species.
0:08:26 > 0:08:30What we have is this large expanse of land.
0:08:30 > 0:08:31How do you manage this?
0:08:31 > 0:08:35How do you bring about positive change for wildlife?
0:08:35 > 0:08:37You could do it with mechanical means,
0:08:37 > 0:08:38you could do it with volunteers.
0:08:38 > 0:08:41Often the Wildlife Trust uses lots of volunteers.
0:08:41 > 0:08:43But to make it sustainable,
0:08:43 > 0:08:45you need grazing animals.
0:08:45 > 0:08:49And what better way than having farming grazing animals,
0:08:49 > 0:08:52and involving the community that live on its boundary?
0:08:54 > 0:08:57Andrew was keen that involvement included
0:08:57 > 0:08:59the next generation of farmers.
0:08:59 > 0:09:00He had the sheep.
0:09:00 > 0:09:03All he needed was a local young farmer to shepherd them.
0:09:07 > 0:09:09That's where Jack Johnson comes in.
0:09:11 > 0:09:12Farming's in his blood.
0:09:14 > 0:09:17He grew up helping his dad Charlie out on the family sheep farm,
0:09:17 > 0:09:19started up by his great-grandfather,
0:09:19 > 0:09:23a stone's throw from the saltmarshes of the Humber Estuary.
0:09:23 > 0:09:25- Now then, lads. How are we doing? - Now, then.
0:09:25 > 0:09:28Good to see you, Jack. Hello, Charlie. How's everything?
0:09:28 > 0:09:29Good, thank you.
0:09:29 > 0:09:33The Yorkshire Wildlife Trust has loaned Jack and Charlie
0:09:33 > 0:09:35an area of the salt marsh, along with a flock of sheep,
0:09:35 > 0:09:38and it's 17-year-old Jack's responsibility to look after them.
0:09:38 > 0:09:40I've just noticed.
0:09:40 > 0:09:42Do you have your own set of traffic lights on the farm?
0:09:42 > 0:09:44- Now, that's something! - JACK CHUCKLES
0:09:44 > 0:09:45That is amazing!
0:09:48 > 0:09:52And so this is the first time in the history of your family
0:09:52 > 0:09:55- that you've grazed sheep down on this marsh.- Yeah, it is.
0:09:55 > 0:09:58It's kind of an important thing, like, so...
0:09:58 > 0:10:01- Did you feel a big weight of responsibility there?- Kind of, yeah.
0:10:01 > 0:10:04And these sheep are all registered to you, they are your flock,
0:10:04 > 0:10:06- as such?- Yeah, they are.
0:10:06 > 0:10:09So your dad's basically given you this responsibility.
0:10:09 > 0:10:10He can look after all the sheep up there,
0:10:10 > 0:10:12nice and easy on the fresh pasture up there,
0:10:12 > 0:10:15and then you get the challenges of the salt marsh down the bottom.
0:10:15 > 0:10:16LAUGHTER
0:10:16 > 0:10:18Right you are, yeah!
0:10:18 > 0:10:19I know how it works, Charlie!
0:10:19 > 0:10:21THEY LAUGH
0:10:27 > 0:10:29With the average age of farmers at 58,
0:10:29 > 0:10:33a project like this is invaluable in giving young people an opportunity.
0:10:35 > 0:10:38Well, the first thing to do really is just to keep an eye out,
0:10:38 > 0:10:41see whether any sheep's fallen down or are stuck or anything like that.
0:10:41 > 0:10:44- Yeah.- Then second thing is try getting them in the pen over there.
0:10:45 > 0:10:48'Jack's been given 35 ewes to graze the salt marsh,
0:10:48 > 0:10:51'which, after five years, he'll have to give back.'
0:10:51 > 0:10:53Come on, you've got your lambs, don't worry.
0:10:55 > 0:10:59The cost of the upkeep falls to Jack and his dad,
0:10:59 > 0:11:01but any money they make from selling lambs for meat
0:11:01 > 0:11:02is theirs to keep.
0:11:03 > 0:11:07Basically, so we don't trample too much over the salt marsh
0:11:07 > 0:11:10and disturb any of the birds that may be in there,
0:11:10 > 0:11:14we just slowly and gently walk to the edge so that the sheep funnel
0:11:14 > 0:11:15down through this gateway.
0:11:15 > 0:11:18Now we pop them up there and into the corral.
0:11:18 > 0:11:20Lie down, lie down!
0:11:20 > 0:11:23At this time of year, the marsh is a busy stop-off point
0:11:23 > 0:11:25for a whole host of migrating birds,
0:11:25 > 0:11:28and an important breeding ground for many species,
0:11:28 > 0:11:30like roe deer and redshank.
0:11:31 > 0:11:33We've seen a lot more birds coming in in wintertime,
0:11:33 > 0:11:36especially down where it's been nagged down at that far end,
0:11:36 > 0:11:39and then hopefully they're going to keep on coming here.
0:11:39 > 0:11:40If all goes to plan,
0:11:40 > 0:11:44farming will help enrich this environment for flora and fauna,
0:11:44 > 0:11:46and Jack and Charlie will benefit, too,
0:11:46 > 0:11:48from sales of their tasty lamb.
0:11:48 > 0:11:51So, have you tried salt marsh lamb?
0:11:52 > 0:11:54- Er... No, not yet!- No?
0:11:54 > 0:11:57- Have you, Charlie?- No.- No?! - First year, so no.
0:11:57 > 0:12:00- Good! This is exciting stuff, then! - It'll be on the shelves before long.
0:12:00 > 0:12:03- Which one's going on the table? - Pick one!
0:12:03 > 0:12:04LAUGHTER
0:12:04 > 0:12:07- Pick one, we'll all get some lunch. - Pick one, pick a big 'un.
0:12:07 > 0:12:10There's no substitute for hands-on experience like this,
0:12:10 > 0:12:13and it's great to see Jack's making the most of it.
0:12:13 > 0:12:14He's not only finding out
0:12:14 > 0:12:17what comes with the responsibility of owning your own livestock,
0:12:17 > 0:12:20but he's helping to preserve this unique habitat
0:12:20 > 0:12:22for generations to come.
0:12:23 > 0:12:25Later, I'll be meeting young female farmers
0:12:25 > 0:12:27hoping to make their mark in the farming world.
0:12:34 > 0:12:36Here at MoD Leconfield,
0:12:36 > 0:12:37I've been experiencing the rough-and-tumble
0:12:37 > 0:12:39of a military driver's training.
0:12:39 > 0:12:42But there's a whole lot more going on in this part of East Yorkshire
0:12:42 > 0:12:44than first meets the eye.
0:12:44 > 0:12:48This site has been owned by the military since 1937.
0:12:48 > 0:12:52There are 16 miles of off-road routes and 1,300 vehicles.
0:12:52 > 0:12:55Last year, 18,000 soldiers trained here.
0:12:56 > 0:12:58But they're not the only ones passing through.
0:13:01 > 0:13:03Birds.
0:13:03 > 0:13:06Thousands of them love this not-so-tranquil paradise,
0:13:06 > 0:13:09and it's the job of MoD conservation officer Alan Bakewell
0:13:09 > 0:13:11to look out for them.
0:13:13 > 0:13:16Alan, why is this such a cracking place for wildlife?
0:13:16 > 0:13:17Because it's slightly unexpected.
0:13:18 > 0:13:22It's the same as a lot of MoD sites.
0:13:22 > 0:13:24Because of the nature of our business,
0:13:24 > 0:13:27they tend to be in sort of wild, secluded places.
0:13:27 > 0:13:31This used to be an old World War II airfield,
0:13:31 > 0:13:36and because of the fact it has been in Defence ownership for so long,
0:13:36 > 0:13:40it hasn't had all of the agrochemicals and pesticides.
0:13:40 > 0:13:43It's about as near to organic East Yorkshire as you're going to get.
0:13:43 > 0:13:46So it's such a natural environment, that's why the wildlife flocks here?
0:13:46 > 0:13:48Yes, that's right.
0:13:48 > 0:13:50We never know what we're going to find next on the site.
0:13:50 > 0:13:52Do you manage the wildlife?
0:13:52 > 0:13:53We don't manage it.
0:13:53 > 0:13:57What we're really doing is surveying to see what species are on-site.
0:13:58 > 0:14:02We, as a group, have to rely on our expertise,
0:14:02 > 0:14:05but to actually assist us, we get experts in.
0:14:05 > 0:14:08We learn lots, and gain from all of their experience.
0:14:08 > 0:14:11So even the MoD needs help sometimes with some things?
0:14:11 > 0:14:12- Even the MoD. - SHE CHUCKLES
0:14:16 > 0:14:18But with a site the size of Leconfield,
0:14:18 > 0:14:20it's not easy keeping track of all the wildlife
0:14:20 > 0:14:22that's coming and going,
0:14:22 > 0:14:24so the conservation team has come up with a plan.
0:14:25 > 0:14:28Retired Major Tim Cowley is heading up
0:14:28 > 0:14:30the tri-service bird-ringing initiative
0:14:30 > 0:14:32to monitor the birdlife here.
0:14:32 > 0:14:35The project involves people from across the three services,
0:14:35 > 0:14:38the Royal Navy, the Army and the Royal Air Force,
0:14:38 > 0:14:40who net and ring birds together.
0:14:43 > 0:14:45There are several benefits that come out of this.
0:14:45 > 0:14:49First of all, we get to find out some of the birds that are here,
0:14:49 > 0:14:50and there's always the potential
0:14:50 > 0:14:52that we might find something we don't know is here.
0:14:52 > 0:14:54There are over 100 species of bird on this site.
0:14:56 > 0:14:59We also find out something about the condition of the birds,
0:14:59 > 0:15:02because if they are breeding they might have a brood patch,
0:15:02 > 0:15:05and we get to, if we're lucky,
0:15:05 > 0:15:08catch birds that have been caught before, which they call controls,
0:15:08 > 0:15:10and then we find out where this bird's been in the past,
0:15:10 > 0:15:12and it might be that in future someone will catch the birds
0:15:12 > 0:15:14that have been ringed here in the first instance.
0:15:17 > 0:15:21As owners of nearly 600,000 acres of land across the UK,
0:15:21 > 0:15:24the MoD claims to take its duty of care for any wildlife
0:15:24 > 0:15:26that takes up residence very seriously.
0:15:27 > 0:15:29And it's encouraging to see how enthusiastic
0:15:29 > 0:15:32the servicemen and women are about the animals.
0:15:34 > 0:15:38And it's that enthusiasm that led to a rediscovery a few years ago
0:15:38 > 0:15:39of a rare bird.
0:15:39 > 0:15:40I'm hoping I might see one.
0:15:43 > 0:15:45Between 1997 and 2010,
0:15:45 > 0:15:48just three turtledoves were recorded at Leconfield.
0:15:52 > 0:15:53But this year alone,
0:15:53 > 0:15:54they've already counted seven.
0:15:55 > 0:16:01This iconic songbird has declined by 93% in the UK since the 1970s,
0:16:01 > 0:16:04and it's a species likely to be extinct by 2020
0:16:04 > 0:16:06unless we do something to save it.
0:16:07 > 0:16:10I'm joining Chris Tomson from the RSPB
0:16:10 > 0:16:13to find out why these beautiful birds are in trouble.
0:16:15 > 0:16:17So, Chris, what's so special about the turtledove?
0:16:17 > 0:16:20It comes here for the summer, it spends a third of its life here.
0:16:20 > 0:16:23It's come all the way from Africa to try and breed in this country.
0:16:23 > 0:16:26- That's pretty special.- It's very special, it's part of our heritage.
0:16:26 > 0:16:28And it is a very attractive bird,
0:16:28 > 0:16:30and it's a quintessential sound of summer
0:16:30 > 0:16:32that's really disappearing fast.
0:16:32 > 0:16:34Why has there been this rapid decline?
0:16:34 > 0:16:37Well, there's a number of problems. They're not finding enough food.
0:16:37 > 0:16:40Having made that vast journey of 3,000 miles,
0:16:40 > 0:16:42they can't get into good breeding condition,
0:16:42 > 0:16:44so they're not breeding as frequently as we would like.
0:16:44 > 0:16:46They might get one brood off,
0:16:46 > 0:16:48but for the population to actually increase,
0:16:48 > 0:16:51they need to get two, preferably three broods off,
0:16:51 > 0:16:53- and that's what's not happening. - So where's the food?
0:16:53 > 0:16:57What did they have 100 years ago that they don't have today?
0:16:57 > 0:16:58They eat weed seeds, basically.
0:16:58 > 0:17:01Weeds is perhaps not the right word, it's wild flowers,
0:17:01 > 0:17:04it's...sort of traditional weeds that we're used to seeing,
0:17:04 > 0:17:07like birdsfoot trefoil, knotgrass, redshank,
0:17:07 > 0:17:09those sorts of things that these birds are feeding on.
0:17:09 > 0:17:11Farmland is very efficient,
0:17:11 > 0:17:12it's very well farmed,
0:17:12 > 0:17:15and lots of chemicals are used to control these weeds,
0:17:15 > 0:17:18and so it's harder for them to find food.
0:17:18 > 0:17:21Why is this such a good habitat for them here at Leconfield?
0:17:21 > 0:17:24They've got the sort of habitat that they need to breed in.
0:17:24 > 0:17:25They're quite secretive,
0:17:25 > 0:17:28so they nest in scrub,
0:17:28 > 0:17:32or in this case, they're in a small spruce plantation.
0:17:32 > 0:17:35All this, the trucks, the tanks, the cars, the lorries, the digging,
0:17:35 > 0:17:38- doesn't put them off? - Well, they were here last year.
0:17:39 > 0:17:42Tim Cowley tells me that there are six here today and a pair,
0:17:42 > 0:17:44so there's six singing males,
0:17:44 > 0:17:46so they've obviously voted with their feet,
0:17:46 > 0:17:49- or with their wings, should we say? - With their wings!
0:17:49 > 0:17:51I'll give you £1.50 if you show me a turtledove now.
0:17:51 > 0:17:53If we look in the right direction, we might see one.
0:17:53 > 0:17:54THEY CHUCKLE Come on, then, let's see.
0:18:02 > 0:18:03This is very exciting.
0:18:03 > 0:18:06You won't be able to see it because it's tiny, tiny, tiny,
0:18:06 > 0:18:08at the top of a tree just over there,
0:18:08 > 0:18:11but you'll hear the song of a turtledove.
0:18:11 > 0:18:13BIRDSONG
0:18:13 > 0:18:15I didn't think I was going to get to see one.
0:18:21 > 0:18:24Earlier, I was out on the exposed coastal salt marsh
0:18:24 > 0:18:25at the edge of the Humber Estuary,
0:18:25 > 0:18:27with 17-year-old Jack Johnson.
0:18:27 > 0:18:30He's part of a scheme to encourage young farmers
0:18:30 > 0:18:32to get first-hand experience of the industry.
0:18:36 > 0:18:37I'm heading deeper into Yorkshire,
0:18:37 > 0:18:39where there's something of a sea change happening
0:18:39 > 0:18:41at grassroots level.
0:18:43 > 0:18:46Here at Bishop Burton Agricultural College near Beverley,
0:18:46 > 0:18:48there's an irrepressible force at work
0:18:48 > 0:18:50amongst our next generation of farmers.
0:18:50 > 0:18:52And it's all to do with girl power.
0:18:53 > 0:18:56Bishop Burton has witnessed a surge in female applicants
0:18:56 > 0:18:57for their farming courses.
0:18:57 > 0:19:01One in five of their agricultural students are now women,
0:19:01 > 0:19:03compared to less than one in ten five years ago.
0:19:09 > 0:19:1317-year-old identical twins Vicky and Lizzie Appleyard
0:19:13 > 0:19:16are studying for their level three agriculture course, and today,
0:19:16 > 0:19:21they're preparing for the college's 52nd annual stockmanship show.
0:19:21 > 0:19:24- Now then, girls. How are you doing? - Hello.- Lovely to see you.
0:19:24 > 0:19:28- Who's this?- This is Delilah.- Why did you choose Delilah?- I like the song.
0:19:28 > 0:19:33- You know the song.- Fair enough. And, Lizzie?- This is Miranda.
0:19:33 > 0:19:37Good, right. Well, let me give you a hand with a bit of sponging.
0:19:37 > 0:19:38We'll do the armpits down here.
0:19:38 > 0:19:40Yeah, just get all the yellow patches.
0:19:40 > 0:19:42And so, as identical twins, then,
0:19:42 > 0:19:44- you've chosen an identical profession.- Yeah.
0:19:44 > 0:19:47Have you always been into it? Do you come from a farming family?
0:19:47 > 0:19:50None of our family are anything to do with farming.
0:19:50 > 0:19:53So in that respect, it's quite hard for us to get anywhere.
0:19:53 > 0:19:55As well as being girls.
0:19:55 > 0:19:58So...we came into it through our auntie.
0:19:58 > 0:20:00- She got some Cade lambs to look after.- OK!
0:20:00 > 0:20:02and we spent a couple of weeks looking after them,
0:20:02 > 0:20:04and we were just hooked.
0:20:04 > 0:20:07So would the ultimate goal then be for you two to have a farm together?
0:20:07 > 0:20:11- That would be pretty cool.- It would. - We work brilliantly together.- Yeah.
0:20:11 > 0:20:14So it wouldn't be a problem. We never fall out.
0:20:14 > 0:20:15And what would you have on your farm?
0:20:15 > 0:20:17- Sheep!- Sheep!- Sheep?
0:20:17 > 0:20:19- Just sheep! - And a pink tractor maybe!
0:20:19 > 0:20:21LAUGHTER
0:20:21 > 0:20:25So all of your friends at your age, I guess on the girls side of it,
0:20:25 > 0:20:28not many of them would wander round farms.
0:20:28 > 0:20:29Not really.
0:20:29 > 0:20:31My friends would be sat there reading their Glamour magazine,
0:20:31 > 0:20:33and I'd have my Farmers Weekly.
0:20:33 > 0:20:35We're a bit different, I'd say!
0:20:39 > 0:20:41Time for a run through for tomorrow's parade
0:20:41 > 0:20:43with teacher Helen Martin.
0:20:46 > 0:20:49- Oh, we've got a sitter.- We have!
0:20:49 > 0:20:52- We've got a protest on our hands! - Well, what can you do
0:20:52 > 0:20:55when you've got a big animal like that lying on the ground?
0:20:55 > 0:21:02You can't. I'm afraid 500 kilos of cow has the final say in this case!
0:21:02 > 0:21:04The girls are doing incredibly well, aren't they?
0:21:04 > 0:21:06They're doing so, so well.
0:21:06 > 0:21:07They seem to have that touch,
0:21:07 > 0:21:10and Lizzie and Vicky had them on a halter within two days.
0:21:10 > 0:21:12Some of the lads couldn't match that at all.
0:21:12 > 0:21:14Women in farming is nothing new,
0:21:14 > 0:21:17but we've seen an increase in the amount that want to come in,
0:21:17 > 0:21:20and take top management jobs and actually build a career out of this.
0:21:20 > 0:21:23Well, they're lining up, so I'll let you get back to the class
0:21:23 > 0:21:25and you can continue with the rehearsals for tomorrow.
0:21:25 > 0:21:27- Thank you.- Good luck with it! - Thank you!
0:21:30 > 0:21:34One example of Bishop Burton's new breed of business-minded young women
0:21:34 > 0:21:37is 17-year-old Jess Graves.
0:21:37 > 0:21:41She runs her own bacon business from home, Jess's Porky Pigs.
0:21:42 > 0:21:45You're quite unique. There's not many students that are obsessed
0:21:45 > 0:21:47- with pigs like you are. - I know, yeah. Really obsessed!
0:21:47 > 0:21:49LAUGHTER
0:21:49 > 0:21:51- When did that start? - When I was eight.
0:21:51 > 0:21:54My dad bought me two little pigs and I loved them to bits.
0:21:54 > 0:21:58And I sold them and I saw the money and thought,
0:21:58 > 0:22:02"Oh, my God, yes!" So then I bought some more pigs, like 25 and then 50.
0:22:02 > 0:22:06- Even at the age of ten? - Yeah. I've never stopped.
0:22:06 > 0:22:07So do you just come here to learn about pigs?
0:22:07 > 0:22:10Or are you doing the wider business as well?
0:22:10 > 0:22:13Pig nutrition, and we do business management.
0:22:13 > 0:22:15It's learning more about business.
0:22:15 > 0:22:18There are 23,000 female farmers nationwide.
0:22:18 > 0:22:22But Jess finds there are still some barriers for women to get over.
0:22:23 > 0:22:26I'm filling the troughs up here and my wellies are being nibbled.
0:22:26 > 0:22:28- I thought you'd want the feed!- Yeah.
0:22:28 > 0:22:31What is it about my wellies that is so exciting and so lovely?
0:22:34 > 0:22:38- Are you taken quite seriously, then, as a young lady?- No.
0:22:38 > 0:22:41No, they don't believe that a woman can do a guy's job.
0:22:41 > 0:22:43You've got to like, believe in yourself, to be honest,
0:22:43 > 0:22:46and think that you can do it, and just do it.
0:22:49 > 0:22:53It's the eagerly awaited Bishop Burton Stockmanship Show.
0:22:53 > 0:22:56Nearly time for Jess and the twins to display their wares,
0:22:56 > 0:22:58and Lizzie's up first.
0:22:58 > 0:23:00I'm really nervous! Really nervous!
0:23:00 > 0:23:03I hope she behaves. She's not behaving so far.
0:23:04 > 0:23:07But Lizzie's heifer Miranda isn't playing ball.
0:23:07 > 0:23:10As the rest of her class head into the judging area,
0:23:10 > 0:23:12Miranda decides she's not having any of it.
0:23:14 > 0:23:16I think she just got a little bit freaked out with everyone
0:23:16 > 0:23:18and just decided she wasn't going to do it.
0:23:22 > 0:23:25Meanwhile, her twin sister Vicky is having problems of her own.
0:23:27 > 0:23:28After some conferring,
0:23:28 > 0:23:30the judges decide to give Lizzie a second chance.
0:23:31 > 0:23:34She gets to show in the same class as her sister,
0:23:34 > 0:23:38and this time manages to persuade Miranda into the arena.
0:23:40 > 0:23:42The judges are looking for a well-kept animal,
0:23:42 > 0:23:44and good knowledge from their handler.
0:23:45 > 0:23:48And Vicky and Delilah seem to be making a good impression.
0:23:55 > 0:23:57- In third place, Vicky Appleyard. - CHEERING AND APPLAUSE
0:23:57 > 0:23:58What, I'm third place?
0:23:58 > 0:24:00- Well done, Vicky.- Yay!
0:24:03 > 0:24:07Feel quite happy, actually. Least I came somewhere.
0:24:07 > 0:24:09Better luck with Miranda next time, Lizzie.
0:24:11 > 0:24:13And remember young Jack from the salt marsh?
0:24:13 > 0:24:16Well, he's here with his ewe, known simply as 3-2-1.
0:24:16 > 0:24:18They pick up a silver in the sheep class.
0:24:20 > 0:24:22Good result. Done well, I think.
0:24:22 > 0:24:24- Good enough. - HE CHUCKLES
0:24:25 > 0:24:27It's a nice ewe, yeah, very nice ewe.
0:24:27 > 0:24:30Done well. It's done very well. Yeah.
0:24:30 > 0:24:32- Thank you!- Come on, boy.
0:24:32 > 0:24:36Seeing the work ethic of these young stockmen and stockwomen,
0:24:36 > 0:24:40I'd say the future of farming looks incredibly bright.