0:00:24 > 0:00:27Rocky coastlines.
0:00:27 > 0:00:29Fertile farmland.
0:00:29 > 0:00:31A traditional seaside town.
0:00:33 > 0:00:35Welcome to Aberystwyth,
0:00:35 > 0:00:38the wild and windy west of Wales.
0:00:42 > 0:00:45Wide open to the elements, Aberystwyth is home
0:00:45 > 0:00:48to one of the UK's leading agricultural universities.
0:00:48 > 0:00:50Today, I'm here to meet
0:00:50 > 0:00:54the youngsters carving out careers for themselves in farming.
0:00:55 > 0:00:59To maintain its existing workforce, British agriculture needs to recruit
0:00:59 > 0:01:0260,000 newcomers over the next decade.
0:01:02 > 0:01:05That's a lot of young farmers.
0:01:06 > 0:01:08So I'll be meeting up with some students
0:01:08 > 0:01:10from one of Aberystwyth University's farms
0:01:10 > 0:01:13to find out what it's like to be a young farmer today
0:01:13 > 0:01:15and what the future holds for them.
0:01:15 > 0:01:19In fact, today's show is all about young people enjoying
0:01:19 > 0:01:21and working in the countryside.
0:01:21 > 0:01:24I'll be looking back through the Countryfile archives
0:01:24 > 0:01:27to see how young farmers work and play across the country.
0:01:27 > 0:01:31From the time Anita met some city children getting their hands dirty
0:01:31 > 0:01:33on a Pembrokeshire farm...
0:01:33 > 0:01:36Believe it or not, Dan, I have never milked a goat.
0:01:36 > 0:01:39Never milked a goat? Right, OK, it's all about to change.
0:01:39 > 0:01:42..to when Matt met identical twins
0:01:42 > 0:01:44with dreams of running their own farm.
0:01:44 > 0:01:46What would you have on your farm?
0:01:46 > 0:01:47- Sheep.- Sheep.
0:01:47 > 0:01:49Sheep? Just sheep?
0:01:49 > 0:01:51And a pink tractor maybe.
0:01:54 > 0:01:56'And the time I met young farmer Carol Hughes
0:01:56 > 0:02:00'during her year-long scholarship on a National Trust farm in Snowdonia.'
0:02:00 > 0:02:02When I met you first, the farm was empty.
0:02:02 > 0:02:04There was no livestock at all.
0:02:04 > 0:02:08Are these the ewes that I saw you buying from Arwyn back in September?
0:02:08 > 0:02:11Yeah, these would be the first 40 we bought, so these are...
0:02:11 > 0:02:14- Oh, here we go.- Matches, wait!
0:02:17 > 0:02:21Also, Radio 1 DJs Scott Mills and Chris Stark get stuck in
0:02:21 > 0:02:23at Vauxhall City Farm to tell us
0:02:23 > 0:02:27how they're championing young farmers across the country.
0:02:27 > 0:02:29You don't have to be in agriculture.
0:02:29 > 0:02:31You can just be interested in rural life,
0:02:31 > 0:02:34but you can get involved and be part of it.
0:02:43 > 0:02:47Sitting between the Irish Sea and the Cambrian Mountains in mid-Wales,
0:02:47 > 0:02:50Aberystwyth may be an isolated town,
0:02:50 > 0:02:53but in term-time, it's full of students.
0:03:02 > 0:03:05Aberystwyth University's grounds are surrounded
0:03:05 > 0:03:09by some of Wales' most dramatic landscape,
0:03:09 > 0:03:12making it the perfect training ground for our future farmers.
0:03:16 > 0:03:19It might be the student social hub down here,
0:03:19 > 0:03:22but it's up in the hills where the students are hard at work.
0:03:22 > 0:03:24It's not a bad place to study, is it?
0:03:27 > 0:03:32The university has a long and proud history dating back to 1872,
0:03:32 > 0:03:35when it was established as the first Welsh university.
0:03:38 > 0:03:41Since then, Aberystwyth has gone from strength to strength.
0:03:41 > 0:03:45The Institute of Biological, Environment and Rural Sciences
0:03:45 > 0:03:49has a worldwide reputation for its agricultural teaching and research.
0:03:51 > 0:03:55Lamb-based studies have been taught here for more than 140 years.
0:03:56 > 0:04:01The university has farmland covering more than 1,000 hectares
0:04:01 > 0:04:04or 2,470 acres.
0:04:06 > 0:04:09The commercial dairy herd even produces milk
0:04:09 > 0:04:10to make mozzarella cheese.
0:04:13 > 0:04:15It's also home to the National Plant Phenomics Centre,
0:04:15 > 0:04:18which specialises in arable farming, grasses
0:04:18 > 0:04:21and developing the crops of the future.
0:04:26 > 0:04:28They're very forward-thinking here at the university,
0:04:28 > 0:04:32but they need to be, because farming is constantly changing
0:04:32 > 0:04:36and the agricultural graduates need to be moving with the times
0:04:36 > 0:04:39as, hopefully, the knowledge they're learning will take them on
0:04:39 > 0:04:43to be the next generation of farmers in this very progressive industry.
0:04:48 > 0:04:49So let's meet our students.
0:04:51 > 0:04:54Today, their lessons take them to the lambing sheds,
0:04:54 > 0:04:56where I might be able to give them a few pointers...
0:04:58 > 0:05:00..unless they know their stuff already.
0:05:02 > 0:05:05- So are you all sheep farmers?- No.
0:05:05 > 0:05:08- Some and some. So you are? You're not.- No.- And yourself?
0:05:08 > 0:05:10- No, I'm a dairy farmer. - A dairy farmer.
0:05:10 > 0:05:13- You know about sheep?- No. - OK, well there's some and some.
0:05:13 > 0:05:17So, over here, this ewe's showing the early signs of lambing.
0:05:17 > 0:05:20All of the ewes have come to feed, but she stayed on her own.
0:05:20 > 0:05:23You can see a little bit of fluid coming from her already...
0:05:23 > 0:05:27and hopefully she'll lie down and give birth fairly soon.
0:05:27 > 0:05:29It must be pretty uncomfortable, I'd say.
0:05:29 > 0:05:31They keep quite quiet
0:05:31 > 0:05:33cos they don't want to draw attention to themselves.
0:05:33 > 0:05:37'Before long, we can see the lamb, but the ewe's struggling a bit.'
0:05:37 > 0:05:40Looks like it could do with a bit of help.
0:05:40 > 0:05:43If I hold her, do you want to go round the other side and...?
0:05:46 > 0:05:48That's it. So it's coming out.
0:05:48 > 0:05:49Two front feet and nose first.
0:05:49 > 0:05:52Pulling in a downward direction.
0:05:52 > 0:05:54Good lamb.
0:05:54 > 0:05:57- You lambed plenty of sheep before? - Yeah, plenty.
0:05:58 > 0:06:00Perfect.
0:06:00 > 0:06:01She's starting to lick it now,
0:06:01 > 0:06:05so maybe we'll just let her stand up and we'll back off.
0:06:05 > 0:06:08There's a good girl. There's a good girl.
0:06:10 > 0:06:13'Spring is the busiest time of year for all sheep farmers.
0:06:13 > 0:06:17'These students will soon be fully equipped to deal with any problems
0:06:17 > 0:06:19'lambing may throw at them.'
0:06:19 > 0:06:20Right, after you.
0:06:20 > 0:06:22If you're OK to grab that little lamb
0:06:22 > 0:06:25- and see if she'll follow you out... - Yeah.- ..I'll work the gate.
0:06:25 > 0:06:29'We've noticed a lamb struggling to latch on to her mum,
0:06:29 > 0:06:32'so we're just moving them into a pen to give them a helping hand.'
0:06:34 > 0:06:37Think she'll follow you? She's a good mum, isn't she?
0:06:40 > 0:06:41Well done.
0:06:42 > 0:06:44Some people might think it looks cruel,
0:06:44 > 0:06:46carrying a lamb by its front feet,
0:06:46 > 0:06:48but shepherds have been doing this for hundreds of years.
0:06:48 > 0:06:51- It doesn't hurt them at all. - No, it doesn't hurt them at all.
0:06:51 > 0:06:54Right, well done, perfect.
0:06:54 > 0:06:58OK, guys. So you're a sheep farmer, aren't you? What would you do now?
0:06:58 > 0:07:02Well, it's important for lambs to get colostrum when they're born.
0:07:02 > 0:07:05The problem with this ewe is she's got bottled teats,
0:07:05 > 0:07:08so her teats are quite large, too large for the lamb to suckle,
0:07:08 > 0:07:12so needs a bit of help then, to...
0:07:12 > 0:07:15We need to assist the lamb to get it to start suckling.
0:07:15 > 0:07:18- OK, do you want to have a go at that?- Yeah.
0:07:20 > 0:07:22The colostrum is the first milk that a ewe produces.
0:07:22 > 0:07:24It's absolutely essential the lambs get that
0:07:24 > 0:07:26in the first few hours of life
0:07:26 > 0:07:28and, because this ewe's got such big teats,
0:07:28 > 0:07:31what Dafydd was saying is the lamb can't actually get on to them
0:07:31 > 0:07:32and suckle at the moment,
0:07:32 > 0:07:36so he's just going to lie the lamb down and poke it on.
0:07:36 > 0:07:39So you know about the importance of colostrum, the first milk?
0:07:39 > 0:07:41The colostrum is very important then
0:07:41 > 0:07:43cos lambs are born with no natural immunity,
0:07:43 > 0:07:47so colostrum is full of antibodies and stuff like that,
0:07:47 > 0:07:49so it's very important they get this,
0:07:49 > 0:07:52so it gives them some immunity. Otherwise they'd die.
0:07:54 > 0:07:57'These students have a lot more to learn
0:07:57 > 0:07:59'before they're fully-fledged farmers,
0:07:59 > 0:08:01'but they're old hands compared to the children
0:08:01 > 0:08:03'Anita met in Pembrokeshire.
0:08:03 > 0:08:07'They proved you're never too young to get the farming bug.'
0:08:26 > 0:08:29Lower Treginnis Farm has been a working sheep farm
0:08:29 > 0:08:32for more than 700 years
0:08:32 > 0:08:35but it's what they're up to now that I'm interested in.
0:08:38 > 0:08:42It's home to the charity Farms For City Children
0:08:42 > 0:08:45that gets youngsters out of town and into the countryside.
0:08:47 > 0:08:50Schoolchildren from across Britain come for a week
0:08:50 > 0:08:53to experience life on a real farm.
0:08:54 > 0:08:59'The project was set up almost 40 years ago by Michael Morpurgo,
0:08:59 > 0:09:03'the writer of War Horse, and his wife, Clare.
0:09:03 > 0:09:06'But the daily running of this inspirational place
0:09:06 > 0:09:09'is the job of Dan Jones.'
0:09:09 > 0:09:10What was the thought process behind it?
0:09:10 > 0:09:12What did they think it would achieve?
0:09:12 > 0:09:15I think they were very, very passionate about having
0:09:15 > 0:09:17inner city children, urban children,
0:09:17 > 0:09:19experiencing life in the countryside.
0:09:19 > 0:09:23Hard work, hard graft, fresh air and contact with animals
0:09:23 > 0:09:25and just seeing where their food comes from.
0:09:25 > 0:09:28There's some school kids here, they're all getting stuck in.
0:09:28 > 0:09:31They seem to be enjoying it. What are they getting from it?
0:09:31 > 0:09:32One of the biggest things they seem to have
0:09:32 > 0:09:35is just this boost in self confidence, boost in self-esteem,
0:09:35 > 0:09:37and they just seem to develop and grow.
0:09:37 > 0:09:40Some of them are four inches taller when they leave on a Thursday.
0:09:40 > 0:09:42They've just got this fantastic opportunity to develop
0:09:42 > 0:09:44a different set of skills that possibly
0:09:44 > 0:09:45they can't show in the classroom,
0:09:45 > 0:09:48and I think some children don't quite fit in the classroom,
0:09:48 > 0:09:50behind desks, sitting down all day long,
0:09:50 > 0:09:52but here, it gives them an opportunity to shine.
0:09:52 > 0:09:54Are you a farmer born and bred, Dan?
0:09:54 > 0:09:56No, I'm not a farmer born and bred. I'm from Swansea city.
0:09:56 > 0:09:59I was a primary school teacher for five years
0:09:59 > 0:10:02and I used to bring my class of children to Treginnis Farm
0:10:02 > 0:10:04and I saw what it did to the children in just a week
0:10:04 > 0:10:08and it was incredible, and then a job opportunity came up here.
0:10:08 > 0:10:11I thought I'd give it a go and somehow I got the job
0:10:11 > 0:10:14and it's been the best thing that's ever happened to me.
0:10:20 > 0:10:25'Dan tells me that his favourite activity is milking the goats.'
0:10:25 > 0:10:28These seem to be the animals the children can get most contact with.
0:10:28 > 0:10:31They're up close, milking them and what's great to see is the children,
0:10:31 > 0:10:34at the beginning of the week, who are extremely nervous,
0:10:34 > 0:10:36they've never been in contact with an animal such as this.
0:10:36 > 0:10:39By the end of the week, they're pulling them into their pens,
0:10:39 > 0:10:42out the way, with the bowls feeding, putting the straw and the hay in
0:10:42 > 0:10:44and it's like they've been here forever.
0:10:44 > 0:10:47- Believe it or not, Dan, I have never milked a goat.- Never milked a goat?
0:10:47 > 0:10:49- Never milked a goat. - OK, it's all about to change.
0:10:49 > 0:10:52So it's just a trap at the top and a squeeze down. In you go.
0:10:52 > 0:10:54- So nice trap at the top. - It's nice and warm.
0:10:54 > 0:10:56Yeah, and a squeeze down.
0:10:56 > 0:10:57- Hey!- Perfect.
0:10:57 > 0:10:59- How's that, Hazel?- Very good.
0:10:59 > 0:11:00Am I doing a good job, kids?
0:11:00 > 0:11:02- ALL:- Yes.
0:11:02 > 0:11:05So how many of you would like to do this for a living, do you think?
0:11:05 > 0:11:07Wow, there you go.
0:11:07 > 0:11:09Remind me, how do I do this?
0:11:09 > 0:11:11- ALL:- Trap and squeeze.
0:11:11 > 0:11:13Trap and squeeze. There we go.
0:11:13 > 0:11:16Do you prefer being here or at school?
0:11:16 > 0:11:18- ALL:- Here.
0:11:18 > 0:11:21Don't let your teachers hear you say that!
0:11:24 > 0:11:26They've only been here a week
0:11:26 > 0:11:28and already we've got a generation of future farmers.
0:11:28 > 0:11:31- Where are we going next? - To the lamb shed.
0:11:31 > 0:11:33Lamb shed. Lead the way. Lead the way.
0:11:35 > 0:11:40'In the lambing shed, we're meeting organic farmer Rob Davies.
0:11:40 > 0:11:44'He's been looking after the 800 sheep on Treginnis Farm
0:11:44 > 0:11:47'for more than 30 years.'
0:11:47 > 0:11:50So you're a busy working farm, you've got hundreds of sheep.
0:11:50 > 0:11:52How do you manage to do that
0:11:52 > 0:11:55and have children around and all the charity stuff at the same time?
0:11:55 > 0:11:58You've got to be organised and I've got some good helpers with me,
0:11:58 > 0:11:59particularly lambing time.
0:11:59 > 0:12:02Well, I can see you've got quite a few helpers here.
0:12:02 > 0:12:04Who loves the lambs?
0:12:04 > 0:12:07- Everybody loves the lambs, Rob. - So do I.
0:12:09 > 0:12:12- If you hold your arms out, Anita. - Yeah.
0:12:12 > 0:12:14- That's lovely.- Oh, look!
0:12:14 > 0:12:17- Yes, there's one. - Oh, look at that.
0:12:17 > 0:12:20- I think I'll give this to one of the children. OK.- You're all right.
0:12:20 > 0:12:23- Don't worry.- OK, hold it nicely.
0:12:23 > 0:12:25These guys are twins, obviously.
0:12:25 > 0:12:29What's the problem that we have when we have triplets?
0:12:29 > 0:12:33- Katie.- That there's not enough teats for the milk.
0:12:33 > 0:12:35Not enough teats, yes.
0:12:35 > 0:12:38So, if we have a spare lamb,
0:12:38 > 0:12:40we either adopt it,
0:12:40 > 0:12:44or if we can't find a mum suitable, we feed them with a bottle.
0:12:50 > 0:12:53'Once the children have held the lambs,
0:12:53 > 0:12:56'they also get a chance to feed them.'
0:12:56 > 0:12:59- Have you had a good time on this farm for the last week?- Yes.
0:12:59 > 0:13:01What's been your favourite bit?
0:13:01 > 0:13:04- The lambs.- Doing this!- Yes.
0:13:04 > 0:13:07I can't believe how fast it's drinking.
0:13:08 > 0:13:11And what's the benefit of doing something like this, Rob?
0:13:11 > 0:13:13I mean, we do all the technical stuff about diet,
0:13:13 > 0:13:16about scanning, about mastitis or whatever,
0:13:16 > 0:13:20but we often forget that these children will never get a chance
0:13:20 > 0:13:22again possibly in life to hold a lamb,
0:13:22 > 0:13:24so that's what they're going to remember.
0:13:24 > 0:13:26So I think it reinforces what we do.
0:13:29 > 0:13:31With the lambs well fed,
0:13:31 > 0:13:34we're helping bring the rest of the flock in for the night.
0:13:35 > 0:13:39- This is going to be a bit scary, isn't it?- Yes, they're coming now.
0:13:47 > 0:13:50There they go. Good job.
0:13:50 > 0:13:53- That was pretty cool, wasn't it? - Yes.- Yes.
0:13:56 > 0:13:58- Look at that one.- Oh, yeah.
0:13:58 > 0:14:01'The sheep are safely tucked up indoors.
0:14:01 > 0:14:03'A great day's work, guys.'
0:14:06 > 0:14:08You know, my times in the countryside as a kid,
0:14:08 > 0:14:12and certainly my school trips, are some of my most cherished memories.
0:14:12 > 0:14:15No wonder they're having such an inspiring time.
0:14:15 > 0:14:17This place is unforgettable.
0:14:27 > 0:14:31Back in Aberystwyth, I'm catching up with student Cennydd Jones.
0:14:36 > 0:14:39He's been helping out on his family's dairy farm
0:14:39 > 0:14:42since he could walk. It's not been an easy ride for them,
0:14:42 > 0:14:45but with everything he's learning on his course,
0:14:45 > 0:14:47Cennydd is hoping to turn things around.
0:14:47 > 0:14:51Good morning. Bora da, as we say in Wales.
0:14:51 > 0:14:54It's just gone half past five here and we're ready now
0:14:54 > 0:14:57to go out to do the morning milking.
0:14:57 > 0:14:58I've had my cup of tea
0:14:58 > 0:15:02to wake me up and I'll try and finish
0:15:02 > 0:15:05as early as we can here today now, it's a Sunday.
0:15:05 > 0:15:09As well as working on the family farm, 21-year-old Cennydd
0:15:09 > 0:15:14is a full-time student, studying agriculture and animal science.
0:15:14 > 0:15:17You're from a family farm, but you still decided to go away and study.
0:15:17 > 0:15:20Yes, I think the way that agriculture is moving,
0:15:20 > 0:15:22it's a very fast-moving industry
0:15:22 > 0:15:26and I think that you need some extra education in terms of...
0:15:26 > 0:15:30In order to broaden your horizons, really. I couldn't have learned
0:15:30 > 0:15:33all the business, all the grassland, all the livestock science
0:15:33 > 0:15:36part of agriculture by just remaining at home.
0:15:36 > 0:15:39What does your father think about you coming off to university?
0:15:39 > 0:15:41Yeah, he likes it.
0:15:41 > 0:15:44Sometimes he gets a bit annoyed when I come back from these farm visits
0:15:44 > 0:15:46with these big ideas and we go to arable farms
0:15:46 > 0:15:48and we see these big kits of machinery
0:15:48 > 0:15:50and I come home with these ideas
0:15:50 > 0:15:52and he's quite quick to shut me down on those,
0:15:52 > 0:15:56but he does like the fact that I've learned a great deal
0:15:56 > 0:15:59in terms of the modern technology that can be implemented
0:15:59 > 0:16:01on these dairy units in particular,
0:16:01 > 0:16:04and we try to implement as much as we can at home.
0:16:04 > 0:16:08Four years in Aberystwyth has been fantastic, in all fairness.
0:16:08 > 0:16:10Yeah, good for you.
0:16:13 > 0:16:17It's just approaching four o'clock now.
0:16:17 > 0:16:18Been out for about an hour now,
0:16:18 > 0:16:20just finishing stripping and stuff
0:16:20 > 0:16:23and, as you can see behind me,
0:16:23 > 0:16:25the ladies are coming in to get milked.
0:16:38 > 0:16:40So it's just gone quarter to six now
0:16:40 > 0:16:44and we've just finished the milking,
0:16:44 > 0:16:47the feeding and the bedding for another day.
0:16:47 > 0:16:49I think I'll be watching Countryfile now
0:16:49 > 0:16:51and then off to bed.
0:16:54 > 0:16:57Back at the University, it's all hands on udders,
0:16:57 > 0:17:00as it's milking time here too.
0:17:02 > 0:17:05'It's a slightly more hi-tech affair at the uni.
0:17:05 > 0:17:07'The cows walk on to a rotary parlour system,
0:17:07 > 0:17:10'which allows the farmers to milk quickly,
0:17:10 > 0:17:12'efficiently and on a large scale.'
0:17:12 > 0:17:15And what makes you so keen on dairying, then?
0:17:15 > 0:17:19Well, I've always had a strong interest in dairying.
0:17:19 > 0:17:21I can't quite put my finger on it.
0:17:21 > 0:17:24I think it's something that's ingrained in you.
0:17:24 > 0:17:28The family have always dairy farmed, up until the 1980s,
0:17:28 > 0:17:32when they ceased milk production due to quotas coming in.
0:17:34 > 0:17:38And I don't know, since I was a young age, I always used to go out
0:17:38 > 0:17:41to the old dairy parlour at home and pretend to milk cows and stuff.
0:17:41 > 0:17:45So it must have been a sad thing for you as a child, then,
0:17:45 > 0:17:46if you love dairying so much,
0:17:46 > 0:17:49to have lost the herd at home, and given it up.
0:17:49 > 0:17:53Yes, it was a bit sad, but I'd fill my passion
0:17:53 > 0:17:57for dairy farming by reading literature about it,
0:17:57 > 0:17:59and then when I was old enough,
0:17:59 > 0:18:02then I started relief milking on different farms.
0:18:02 > 0:18:05So what's happening on the farm at home now?
0:18:05 > 0:18:08Well, back in July, we started selling milk again,
0:18:08 > 0:18:11we've only just converted back into dairying.
0:18:11 > 0:18:15Currently we're selling milk to a local company.
0:18:15 > 0:18:19We're a small farm, about 130 acres,
0:18:19 > 0:18:22but I think that if we can milk 100 cows,
0:18:22 > 0:18:25I think it'll be a very profitable enterprise,
0:18:25 > 0:18:28and once the milk price increases a bit,
0:18:28 > 0:18:31I think that it's a very justifiable enterprise.
0:18:31 > 0:18:34Yes, certainly got that down to a fine art.
0:18:34 > 0:18:36- Can I have a go?- Yes.
0:18:36 > 0:18:38Come on, missus.
0:18:38 > 0:18:41'These are uncertain times for dairy farmers,
0:18:41 > 0:18:44'but Cennydd is learning invaluable skills from his degree,
0:18:44 > 0:18:46'which he's passing back to his dad,
0:18:46 > 0:18:49'and things are looking good for his family farm.'
0:18:56 > 0:18:59A while ago, Matt met another young dairy farmer
0:18:59 > 0:19:01making waves on his dad's farm,
0:19:01 > 0:19:03but he was taking a different approach
0:19:03 > 0:19:06to learning his profession - an apprenticeship.
0:19:17 > 0:19:19Nowadays, apprenticeship schemes
0:19:19 > 0:19:21come in all different shapes and sizes
0:19:21 > 0:19:25and today I'm meeting a couple of young agricultural apprentices
0:19:25 > 0:19:29hoping to become masters of their craft - dairy farming.
0:19:29 > 0:19:31- All right, lads? - HORN HONKS
0:19:35 > 0:19:39'21-year-old Jason Smith is one of the new breed of apprentices,
0:19:39 > 0:19:41'taking knowledge he's learned from college
0:19:41 > 0:19:44'and putting it into practice on his dad's farm.
0:19:44 > 0:19:47'The first job for us this morning is moving some of the girls that are
0:19:47 > 0:19:51'just a few weeks from calving to pens that are nearer the farmhouse.'
0:19:51 > 0:19:53Was it always set in stone, Jason,
0:19:53 > 0:19:56- that you'd take over the farm from your dad?- Not exactly, no.
0:19:56 > 0:20:00I was never sure, from a young age, what I wanted to do
0:20:00 > 0:20:03and it was only until I got a job at a local dairy farm
0:20:03 > 0:20:08and I really took to it and that was when I decided I wanted to do it.
0:20:08 > 0:20:11That's when I looked for some education.
0:20:11 > 0:20:15- And that's where the apprenticeship thing comes in.- Exactly, yeah.
0:20:15 > 0:20:18'Jason is one of 100 agricultural apprentices,
0:20:18 > 0:20:21'studying one day each week at Reaseheath College,
0:20:21 > 0:20:23'learning everything from breeding and genetics,
0:20:23 > 0:20:25'to business management and planning.'
0:20:27 > 0:20:29It's good because it splits up the week a little bit
0:20:29 > 0:20:32and it also gives me a bit of learning,
0:20:32 > 0:20:36while experiencing on the farm as well, so I really enjoy it, yes.
0:20:36 > 0:20:40- Do you?- It's good.- It's definitely the right choice for you, then, now?
0:20:40 > 0:20:44Yes, and it's also good being involved with sort of a similar
0:20:44 > 0:20:47age group of people, all from different farming backgrounds,
0:20:47 > 0:20:51and I learn just as much from them as I do from the tutors.
0:20:51 > 0:20:53- Right, what's happening with this lot?- Do you mind just...
0:20:53 > 0:20:56- Is she coming out?- Yes, if you could open that gate for us there
0:20:56 > 0:20:59and we'll put this one in the pen.
0:20:59 > 0:21:02You going in the pen, girl? Are you going to move for us?
0:21:02 > 0:21:03Come on out, my dear.
0:21:03 > 0:21:07'Across the country, there are almost 15,000 students
0:21:07 > 0:21:09'taking similar courses to Jason.'
0:21:12 > 0:21:13'Assessors from the college
0:21:13 > 0:21:16'then make regular visits to the students' farms,
0:21:16 > 0:21:19'to check that their practical work is up to scratch.'
0:21:19 > 0:21:22- Quite keen to go in there, really! - Bit of space, look.
0:21:23 > 0:21:25Gorgeous!
0:21:25 > 0:21:27'Jason's nearing the end of the course
0:21:27 > 0:21:29'and has just one more milking assessment to go.'
0:21:29 > 0:21:34It's sort of the easiest way of scoring how well I'm doing
0:21:34 > 0:21:37and what I'm doing right and if I'm doing it right.
0:21:37 > 0:21:40It's also good because they give me a little bit of feedback
0:21:40 > 0:21:42and it's all good for my learning.
0:21:42 > 0:21:45- It's quite nice to invite them to your place, isn't it?- Yes, yes.
0:21:45 > 0:21:47I mean, they get to see what I do
0:21:47 > 0:21:50and where we're from and how we run our farm.
0:21:50 > 0:21:55- Introduce them to the girls and what have you. It's wonderful.- Exactly.
0:21:55 > 0:21:56Skippety doo-dah down here.
0:21:58 > 0:22:00How's that for you, girl?
0:22:02 > 0:22:05- There we are.- Good. - They seem happy enough.
0:22:05 > 0:22:07- COW MOOS - Yes, she agrees.
0:22:07 > 0:22:10Good luck with the calving, girls.
0:22:10 > 0:22:13OK, I'm going to go and see if I can catch up with the boss.
0:22:13 > 0:22:16- He doesn't mess about. - No, he won't be hanging about.
0:22:19 > 0:22:23'Jason's dad, Adrian, a former Reaseheath student himself,
0:22:23 > 0:22:26'has been on the farm since he was nine years old.
0:22:26 > 0:22:28'He's built on his father's business,
0:22:28 > 0:22:31'and now runs a modern, efficient dairy farm
0:22:31 > 0:22:33'with 300 head of cattle,
0:22:33 > 0:22:36'and I'm joining him to feed up the herd.'
0:22:36 > 0:22:38I have to say, Adrian, you've got a tidy farm,
0:22:38 > 0:22:42- in more ways than one, my friend. - Yeah?- It really is something.
0:22:42 > 0:22:46I'm guessing, you know, your dream was that Jason, your son, would
0:22:46 > 0:22:51really want to take, and be really enthusiastic about taking over.
0:22:51 > 0:22:54No, no, he wasn't the normal farmer's son.
0:22:54 > 0:22:56He never showed any interest in farming,
0:22:56 > 0:22:59and all of a sudden one day he came in my office when I was reading
0:22:59 > 0:23:04the Farmers Guardian and said, "I'd like to come and work on the farm."
0:23:04 > 0:23:06Ah, what was your reaction?
0:23:06 > 0:23:09Well, I didn't drop the paper, otherwise he'd have seen it.
0:23:09 > 0:23:11Ah!
0:23:11 > 0:23:13But obviously ecstatic
0:23:13 > 0:23:18and very difficult to control my emotions then.
0:23:18 > 0:23:22'It's no secret what a tough time this is for the dairy industry.
0:23:22 > 0:23:24'The number of producers has been falling sharply
0:23:24 > 0:23:26'for the last ten years,
0:23:26 > 0:23:29'with 5% leaving dairy farming in the last year alone,
0:23:29 > 0:23:31'but the cream always rises to the top
0:23:31 > 0:23:35'and, for farms like this, the future seems bright.'
0:23:35 > 0:23:38Do you know, it seems like there's a real energy with the workforce
0:23:38 > 0:23:41here because there is a lot of young talent on the farm.
0:23:41 > 0:23:44Yes, absolutely, but they've done that all themselves
0:23:44 > 0:23:49and taken courses, apprenticeships, college.
0:23:49 > 0:23:50But they're very competitive lads.
0:23:50 > 0:23:53You know, they want to do everything better
0:23:53 > 0:23:55and they want to win competitions.
0:23:55 > 0:23:59It's such a dynamic, exciting industry to be in.
0:23:59 > 0:24:00With so much technology as well,
0:24:00 > 0:24:02which is really firing up a lot of energy, isn't it?
0:24:02 > 0:24:04I'm getting left behind.
0:24:04 > 0:24:08I'm happy driving my loader and milking the cows. It's changing now.
0:24:08 > 0:24:12Jason's job is now going to be looking after the technology
0:24:12 > 0:24:15and the staff that look after the cows.
0:24:15 > 0:24:16You know, things are moving on.
0:24:26 > 0:24:29There's one organisation that supports young farmers more than
0:24:29 > 0:24:33any other, and that's the National Federation For Young Farmers,
0:24:33 > 0:24:36and here in Wales it plays a huge part in supporting
0:24:36 > 0:24:40not only their work, but their social life too.
0:24:45 > 0:24:47Wales's Young Farmers' Clubs provide opportunities
0:24:47 > 0:24:52for more than 5,000 members, through 155 clubs.
0:24:52 > 0:24:55But you don't actually have to be a young farmer
0:24:55 > 0:24:57to be in the Young Farmers.
0:24:57 > 0:25:02It's open to anyone who has a passion for the countryside.
0:25:02 > 0:25:06Cennydd is treasurer of his Young Farmers' Club in Pontsian.
0:25:08 > 0:25:11So, when did the Young Farmers' Club in Wales come about?
0:25:11 > 0:25:15Well, the Young Farmers' Club in Wales started 80 years ago
0:25:15 > 0:25:18this year now, so it's just coming up to its celebration there
0:25:18 > 0:25:21and the oldest clubs in Wales is Clunderwen, I think,
0:25:21 > 0:25:24down in Pembrokeshire and the club where I'm a member of
0:25:24 > 0:25:27in Pontsian, that'll be 75 years old next year, so it gives so much
0:25:27 > 0:25:33help to them and so much support to many young people in rural areas.
0:25:33 > 0:25:36Is that what makes it so exciting for them? And so rewarding?
0:25:36 > 0:25:39That it brings rural people together?
0:25:39 > 0:25:42Oh, yes, definitely and I think that will become more important again
0:25:42 > 0:25:43in the forthcoming years.
0:25:43 > 0:25:46I mean, if you look at the club where I'm in now, Pontsian,
0:25:46 > 0:25:49the only thing that we'll be using the village hall from
0:25:49 > 0:25:52next year on is the Young Farmers' club, the school has closed down,
0:25:52 > 0:25:55the Post Office has closed down, it's only the Young Farmers' club
0:25:55 > 0:25:58that you've got left in lots of rural communities in Wales.
0:25:58 > 0:26:02- And it's more than just farming, isn't it?- Oh, yes, definitely.
0:26:02 > 0:26:06We've been doing stock judging, we've been doing stand-up comedy,
0:26:06 > 0:26:10we've been doing darts - you name it, we do it.
0:26:10 > 0:26:12Public speaking, that's another key aspect
0:26:12 > 0:26:13of the Young Farmers' club as well.
0:26:13 > 0:26:16That can only help all of those people in later life,
0:26:16 > 0:26:19- with confidence, can't it? - I wouldn't be able to stand here
0:26:19 > 0:26:22talking to you now without the help of the Young Farmers' club.
0:26:22 > 0:26:24Good for them, and good for you. I hear you're bit of an actor.
0:26:24 > 0:26:26Yes, I've done a bit of acting
0:26:26 > 0:26:29and hopefully now I'll be picked up by EastEnders or somebody!
0:26:29 > 0:26:33- Or Countryfile, maybe.- Yes! - THEY CHUCKLE
0:26:33 > 0:26:35'I think I need to watch my back.'
0:26:36 > 0:26:40Young farmers compete over anything and everything.
0:26:42 > 0:26:45But today our group are stock judging.
0:26:45 > 0:26:48Stock judging is something that we do on a monthly basis, almost,
0:26:48 > 0:26:51in the Young Farmers' clubs, particularly in West Wales,
0:26:51 > 0:26:55so we get a group of four animals usually, be it beef, sheep, dairy
0:26:55 > 0:26:59or even pigs, and we place them in order of preference then,
0:26:59 > 0:27:02from the first to the fourth and then we'll have about two minutes
0:27:02 > 0:27:05to give reasons then on why we've come to that conclusion,
0:27:05 > 0:27:08and it's a valuable skill because you can utilise the skill then
0:27:08 > 0:27:11when you go into markets and so on to purchase animals,
0:27:11 > 0:27:12or as we are doing here today,
0:27:12 > 0:27:14body condition scoring these dairy cattle.
0:27:14 > 0:27:17So what's the body condition scoring? What are they looking for?
0:27:17 > 0:27:19Well, it's a scale really, from one to five
0:27:19 > 0:27:22and body condition scoring is there to measure
0:27:22 > 0:27:26the amount of fat that the animal has in its reserves
0:27:26 > 0:27:29and these cows here now, they're in calf
0:27:29 > 0:27:32so they should be around a body condition score of 2.5.
0:27:32 > 0:27:34- So they should be about middle weight.- Yes.
0:27:34 > 0:27:37- Are you quite good at this? - Oh, no, there's a lot of luck.
0:27:37 > 0:27:39I try my best, but...
0:27:41 > 0:27:43- So how are you getting on?- Yes, OK.
0:27:43 > 0:27:47Four cows here now, they're different body score conditioning.
0:27:47 > 0:27:50I've just given them each a different score now.
0:27:50 > 0:27:53So would you put the worst one being the over fat one,
0:27:53 > 0:27:55or the very skinny one?
0:27:55 > 0:27:57I think my worst would be the skinny one
0:27:57 > 0:28:01because she's actually lost all condition and it's a problem
0:28:01 > 0:28:06getting milk efficiently produced from a cow that is too skinny.
0:28:06 > 0:28:08This is the sort of thing you'd have to do,
0:28:08 > 0:28:11you'd have to explain your decisions to the judge, wouldn't you,
0:28:11 > 0:28:13in a Young Farmers' competition?
0:28:13 > 0:28:15You'd have to give reasons and YOUR reasons.
0:28:15 > 0:28:17It doesn't matter if you're right or wrong,
0:28:17 > 0:28:19you have to be close to what the judge thinks,
0:28:19 > 0:28:22but I think the most important thing is you have to try to persuade him,
0:28:22 > 0:28:25- "This is what- I- think and this is what it should be."- Yes.
0:28:25 > 0:28:28Well done, you. Let's go and see what the others are doing.
0:28:29 > 0:28:32- So how are you getting on?- Not bad.
0:28:32 > 0:28:36- So have you sussed out the skinniest and the fattest?- Yes.
0:28:36 > 0:28:39Which one would you put last, the very skinny one or the very fat one?
0:28:39 > 0:28:42It would be a close one on them, I think,
0:28:42 > 0:28:45because the fat one obviously is in too good a condition and then
0:28:45 > 0:28:49you've got the skinny one who's possibly got more of a health issue
0:28:49 > 0:28:52so you'd probably put the skinny one last and the fat one third.
0:28:52 > 0:28:54OK, and then the other two,
0:28:54 > 0:28:58- which one of those have you put at the top?- Number 17.
0:28:58 > 0:29:03- OK.- We scored her 2.75 and then the one without a number 2.25,
0:29:03 > 0:29:05- so I don't know, quite close. - Goodness me.
0:29:05 > 0:29:08So fractions of a score you've been going in there. Wow.
0:29:08 > 0:29:12- And did you gents agree with that? - We did on that case.- Did you?
0:29:12 > 0:29:16Look at that. Goodness me. Well, you're all really close, aren't you?
0:29:16 > 0:29:19You certainly know what you're doing and you're the winners.
0:29:19 > 0:29:21- Well done.- Yay!
0:29:21 > 0:29:24Women's best.
0:29:24 > 0:29:26Right, where's that fiver you said you'd give me?
0:29:29 > 0:29:31Well done. Very impressive.
0:29:45 > 0:29:50Last year, Helen Skelton met farming world champion darts player
0:29:50 > 0:29:51Scott Mitchell.
0:29:51 > 0:29:55He still has close ties with his local Young Farmers' Club in Dorset,
0:29:55 > 0:29:59as without it, he wouldn't be where he is today.
0:29:59 > 0:30:03- Hello, Mr World Champion! - How are you?
0:30:03 > 0:30:06- I'm very well, how are you? - Very well, thank you.
0:30:08 > 0:30:10'For many people who grow up in the countryside,
0:30:10 > 0:30:14'Young Farmers' Clubs are at the heart of their social lives,
0:30:14 > 0:30:16'and it was at his local branch
0:30:16 > 0:30:20'that Scott first started playing darts competitively.'
0:30:20 > 0:30:24He says that's where he learned about teamwork and competition,
0:30:24 > 0:30:27skills that have helped him make it to the top.
0:30:27 > 0:30:29And he also met his wife there.
0:30:29 > 0:30:33'Scott's taking me back to his old club to help with an unusual
0:30:33 > 0:30:37'competition that he actually won quite a few times as a teenager.'
0:30:37 > 0:30:39Right, Scotty, what's the plan?
0:30:39 > 0:30:41Well, we've got a group of young farmers here today,
0:30:41 > 0:30:44and I'm going to test their knowledge on farm machinery.
0:30:46 > 0:30:49'The eight pieces of strange-looking kit here
0:30:49 > 0:30:51'are all found on arable farms -
0:30:51 > 0:30:54'but will the young farmers know what they all do?
0:30:54 > 0:30:57'The team with the most correct answers wins.
0:30:57 > 0:31:00You've got ten minutes. Get it done.
0:31:07 > 0:31:11- You know what this is, don't you? - Yeah, it's that, isn't it?
0:31:11 > 0:31:13I'm sorry, I'm not reacting, not helping!
0:31:13 > 0:31:15Walk all the way around, keep on coming.
0:31:20 > 0:31:25I think there might be some clues around here, that's all I'm saying.
0:31:25 > 0:31:26Ohhh...
0:31:31 > 0:31:34Harry, you're chairman of this Young Farmers' group.
0:31:34 > 0:31:36Does that mean you know what everything is?
0:31:36 > 0:31:37I know what some bits are, yeah.
0:31:37 > 0:31:40A couple of bits there, like the sprayer, but most of it's just
0:31:40 > 0:31:42guesswork and getting involved and having a go at it.
0:31:42 > 0:31:45There's a good turnout from your young farmers today.
0:31:45 > 0:31:47Is that typical? Is your group quite well attended?
0:31:47 > 0:31:50Well, recently, yeah. It's growing all across Hampshire.
0:31:50 > 0:31:53People are starting to learn that it's not all about farming and just
0:31:53 > 0:31:57want to get involved, and obviously the social side of it as well.
0:31:57 > 0:32:01Time's up. So who'll lift the coveted Challenge Cup?
0:32:01 > 0:32:04The winner...s are...
0:32:04 > 0:32:06Sam and Taylor.
0:32:06 > 0:32:07APPLAUSE
0:32:07 > 0:32:10Congratulations, let me shake you by the hand, young man.
0:32:10 > 0:32:13- Congratulations! - Thank you very much.- No problem.
0:32:13 > 0:32:15Congratulations, well done, team.
0:32:23 > 0:32:25- RADIO JINGLE:- 'Scott Mills, 1.'
0:32:25 > 0:32:27- SCOTT MILLS: - 'Becca in Exeter's been on saying,
0:32:27 > 0:32:29' "My best part of coming to uni today
0:32:29 > 0:32:31' "is being able to listen to Scott and Chris on Radio 1
0:32:31 > 0:32:33' "in the middle of the day, talking about alpacas.
0:32:33 > 0:32:35' "I didn't know what I was missing."
0:32:35 > 0:32:38'Mate, try and give one of them a walk.'
0:32:38 > 0:32:41Within the shadow of one of Britain's most secret organisations,
0:32:41 > 0:32:45who'd have thought you'd find a little piece of the countryside?
0:32:46 > 0:32:49Vauxhall City Farm is full of sights,
0:32:49 > 0:32:52sounds and smells of rural life.
0:32:52 > 0:32:56So possibly the last place you'd expect to find these two chaps.
0:32:57 > 0:33:01But Radio 1 DJ Scott Mills and his co-host, Chris Stark,
0:33:01 > 0:33:03are the current ambassadors of
0:33:03 > 0:33:06the National Federation Of Young Farmers' Clubs.
0:33:06 > 0:33:09COCK CROWS
0:33:09 > 0:33:10Coming through.
0:33:10 > 0:33:12Scott and his sidekick, Chris,
0:33:12 > 0:33:14have been in their role for several months
0:33:14 > 0:33:17and, with a little help from farm manager Jo Manby, they,
0:33:17 > 0:33:22or Scott anyway, seem to be getting to grips with the day's work.
0:33:25 > 0:33:27- Wow. - JO LAUGHS
0:33:27 > 0:33:29Oh, hi, guys.
0:33:29 > 0:33:31SHEEP BLEAT
0:33:31 > 0:33:34HE IMITATES SHEEP
0:33:34 > 0:33:37I grew up in a place called Eastleigh in Hampshire.
0:33:37 > 0:33:39I mean, there are fields there,
0:33:39 > 0:33:42but none of my family are from a farming background at all,
0:33:42 > 0:33:46so for me, coming here today is... Especially in London,
0:33:46 > 0:33:49this is kind of like an oasis of calm. It's nice.
0:33:49 > 0:33:53- Right, let's go and sort some breakfast out.- This is so cool.
0:33:55 > 0:33:58Everywhere you go you see little faces popping up, going,
0:33:58 > 0:34:00"Feed me! Feed me!"
0:34:00 > 0:34:02PIGS GRUNT
0:34:04 > 0:34:08OK. This is a situation now.
0:34:08 > 0:34:10I'm in a corner.
0:34:10 > 0:34:12Cornered by the goats.
0:34:12 > 0:34:16- Let me just put it in the trough. - That's it. You've got to get now.
0:34:20 > 0:34:22I know! But let me put it in here.
0:34:22 > 0:34:25- There we are. That's it. - There we go.
0:34:25 > 0:34:26Oh, stress!
0:34:29 > 0:34:32Chris from my show is supposed to be here,
0:34:32 > 0:34:35but he's missed feeding time, which is convenient, isn't it?
0:34:37 > 0:34:41Our association with the Young Farmers started when we just got
0:34:41 > 0:34:45asked to DJ a lot of the Young Farmers' gigs, the AGM we did,
0:34:45 > 0:34:48which is like 5,000 or 6,000 young farmers in one place
0:34:48 > 0:34:51and I just thought, "This is a nice community of people, you know?"
0:34:51 > 0:34:53And a lot of people don't know about it,
0:34:53 > 0:34:55and I certainly didn't know about it.
0:34:55 > 0:34:57What I like about doing a Young Farmers gig is they want to
0:34:57 > 0:35:00show you around the area. You don't just turn up and do the gig,
0:35:00 > 0:35:02it's like, "Let's put you on our tractor,
0:35:02 > 0:35:06"let's show you our chickens," and it's a really nice community spirit
0:35:06 > 0:35:09because it's something that I don't get to do when I live in London.
0:35:18 > 0:35:21Chris has only just turned up.
0:35:21 > 0:35:23He'd be no good as a farmer.
0:35:23 > 0:35:26- All right, mate?- All right.- Hello.
0:35:26 > 0:35:28- What time do you call this? - Sorry, a little bit late.
0:35:28 > 0:35:30You need to get doing stuff.
0:35:32 > 0:35:34Oh, no!
0:35:34 > 0:35:36SCOTT LAUGHS
0:35:36 > 0:35:39He's been here like five minutes!
0:35:40 > 0:35:42He's a rubbish farmer compared to me.
0:35:42 > 0:35:44- Do you know what it is? - Sack the new farmer!
0:35:44 > 0:35:47- I work too hard, that's the problem. - Right, yeah.- Too hard.
0:35:47 > 0:35:48THEY LAUGH
0:35:48 > 0:35:53There are 630 Young Farmers' Clubs across England and Wales.
0:35:53 > 0:35:56About 25,000 members, and that's rising all the time,
0:35:56 > 0:36:01and they're just there to help Young Farmers and to create a community.
0:36:01 > 0:36:04I'm not from a farming background at all, but you can get involved
0:36:04 > 0:36:07and be part of it and it's a nice place to be.
0:36:11 > 0:36:12THEY LAUGH
0:36:12 > 0:36:15My brush is weak.
0:36:15 > 0:36:18We have a website which is kind of set up as a community
0:36:18 > 0:36:21for young farmers, which is really fun.
0:36:21 > 0:36:25It's called You Only Farm Once, or YOFO, and its...
0:36:25 > 0:36:27Which is, it's just people, you know,
0:36:27 > 0:36:31like, interacting together from farms all up and down the land,
0:36:31 > 0:36:35taking selfies, entering competitions, and just having fun.
0:36:35 > 0:36:38It's a real place to be for young farmers.
0:36:38 > 0:36:40- Go on.- All right, mate?
0:36:40 > 0:36:42- Touch it.- All right.
0:36:43 > 0:36:46I love this. This is my favourite bit.
0:36:46 > 0:36:48Chris meets animals.
0:36:48 > 0:36:51Do you find they're useful in helping to pull?
0:36:51 > 0:36:54What I'm saying is, if you walk out and about with a goat,
0:36:54 > 0:36:57- will it make you more attractive? - Let's try now.
0:36:57 > 0:36:59- "All right, ladies?"- "Hi, there!"
0:37:03 > 0:37:07- Yes, this is very strange. - Are we going over here?- Yes.
0:37:09 > 0:37:10I'm just walking a goat.
0:37:10 > 0:37:14We've set up this website because we're lucky enough on the show
0:37:14 > 0:37:17to have a big platform of people that will listen.
0:37:17 > 0:37:21We just thought it was a great way of like getting young farmers
0:37:21 > 0:37:24to meet and congregate and talk about the things that matter
0:37:24 > 0:37:25and also to have a lot of fun.
0:37:25 > 0:37:28Hang on. No, don't go. Wait.
0:37:28 > 0:37:30- I just need to brush you.- Right.
0:37:32 > 0:37:35OK. That's the magic. That's the goat.
0:37:35 > 0:37:38- That's the goat.- That's the goat.
0:37:38 > 0:37:41'One of the issues that struck a chord with me was mental health.'
0:37:41 > 0:37:43It affects young farmers in quite a big way
0:37:43 > 0:37:46because it's a fairly solitary existence,
0:37:46 > 0:37:47you're on your own for a long time
0:37:47 > 0:37:50and what we want to try and do is break down the barriers
0:37:50 > 0:37:52and get young farmers to talk more about it,
0:37:52 > 0:37:54because it's an important issue.
0:37:54 > 0:37:58- Yours is more trimmed, isn't it? - Yes, mine's more pruned.
0:38:00 > 0:38:02The boys are determined to get a felfie,
0:38:02 > 0:38:05a picture of themselves with a farm animal.
0:38:05 > 0:38:08- It doesn't love the camera as much as you, does it?- There we are.
0:38:08 > 0:38:10That's a good one.
0:38:10 > 0:38:12And we'd love to see your felfies,
0:38:12 > 0:38:14or farm animal selfies.
0:38:14 > 0:38:17Please tweet us or send them in to our website.
0:38:18 > 0:38:21- Where are we going? - This is happening. The park.
0:38:26 > 0:38:29There's so much going on nowadays in the young farming community,
0:38:29 > 0:38:32and it's thanks to the Young Farmers' Club
0:38:32 > 0:38:34that so many youngsters are getting engaged with agriculture
0:38:34 > 0:38:38and the countryside, which can only be a good thing
0:38:38 > 0:38:41for the culture of farming for decades to come.
0:38:41 > 0:38:44I certainly had a great time when I was a young farmer.
0:38:48 > 0:38:52When I started farming, it was definitely a job for the boys,
0:38:52 > 0:38:55but thankfully farming has moved with the times,
0:38:55 > 0:38:58and there are now plenty of girls getting their hands dirty,
0:38:58 > 0:39:01as Matt discovered a few summers ago.
0:39:02 > 0:39:05Here at Bishop Burton Agricultural College near Beverley,
0:39:05 > 0:39:07there's an irrepressible force at work
0:39:07 > 0:39:10amongst our next generation of farmers,
0:39:10 > 0:39:12and it's all to do with girl power.
0:39:13 > 0:39:15Bishop Burton has witnessed a surge in female applicants
0:39:15 > 0:39:17for their farming courses.
0:39:17 > 0:39:20One in five of their agricultural students are now women,
0:39:20 > 0:39:23compared to less than one in ten five years ago.
0:39:29 > 0:39:32'17-year-old identical twins Vicky and Lizzie Appleyard
0:39:32 > 0:39:36'are studying for their level three agriculture course, and today
0:39:36 > 0:39:40'they're preparing for the college's 52nd annual stockmanship show.'
0:39:40 > 0:39:43- Now then, girls, how are you doing? All right?- Hello.- Hello.
0:39:43 > 0:39:45- Lovely to see you. Who's this?- This is Delilah.
0:39:45 > 0:39:49- Why did you choose Delilah?- Because I like the song, you know, the song.
0:39:49 > 0:39:52- Hey there, Delilah, that one. - Yes, fair enough. And Lizzie?
0:39:52 > 0:39:53This is Miranda.
0:39:53 > 0:39:56Good, right, well, let me give you a hand with a bit of sponging.
0:39:56 > 0:39:59- We'll do the armpits down here.- Yes, just get all the yellow patches off.
0:39:59 > 0:40:01And so, as identical twins then,
0:40:01 > 0:40:04- you've chosen an identical profession to go into.- Yes.
0:40:04 > 0:40:06Do you come from a farming family?
0:40:06 > 0:40:10None of our family have anything to do with farming.
0:40:10 > 0:40:13So, in that respect, it's quite hard for us to get anywhere,
0:40:13 > 0:40:15as well as being girls.
0:40:15 > 0:40:17So, we came into it for our auntie,
0:40:17 > 0:40:19- she'd got some cade lambs to look after.- OK.
0:40:19 > 0:40:22And we spent, you know, a couple of weeks looking after that
0:40:22 > 0:40:23and we were just hooked.
0:40:23 > 0:40:27So would the ultimate goal then be for you two to have a farm together?
0:40:27 > 0:40:29- Yeah, it would be pretty cool, wouldn't it?- Yeah, it would.
0:40:29 > 0:40:31- We work brilliantly as a team together.- Yeah.
0:40:31 > 0:40:34- It wouldn't be a problem, we never fall out, really.- No.
0:40:34 > 0:40:36- What would you have on your farm? - Sheep.- Sheep.
0:40:36 > 0:40:38Sheep! Just sheep?
0:40:38 > 0:40:40- And a pink tractor, maybe.- Right.
0:40:40 > 0:40:43And so all of your friends, at your age then, I mean,
0:40:43 > 0:40:45I guess on the girl side of it,
0:40:45 > 0:40:48- not many of them would wander round farms.- Not really.
0:40:48 > 0:40:50I think my friends would be sat there,
0:40:50 > 0:40:51reading their Glamour magazine
0:40:51 > 0:40:55and I would have my Farmers Weekly, so we're a bit different, I'd say!
0:40:57 > 0:40:58Pretty much done with her now?
0:40:58 > 0:41:01'Time for a run-through for tomorrow's parade
0:41:01 > 0:41:02'with teacher Helen Martin.'
0:41:06 > 0:41:08Oh, we've got a sitter.
0:41:08 > 0:41:11We have, we've got a protest on our hands.
0:41:11 > 0:41:14Well, what can you do when you've got a big animal like that
0:41:14 > 0:41:16- lying on the ground?- You can't.
0:41:16 > 0:41:21I'm afraid 500 kilos of cow has the final say in this case.
0:41:21 > 0:41:24But the girls, they're doing incredibly well, aren't they?
0:41:24 > 0:41:27They're doing so, so well. They seem to have that touch,
0:41:27 > 0:41:30and Lizzie and Vicky had them on a halter within two days.
0:41:30 > 0:41:32Some of the lads couldn't match that at all.
0:41:32 > 0:41:34Women in farming is nothing new,
0:41:34 > 0:41:37but we've seen an increase in the amount that want to come in
0:41:37 > 0:41:40and take top management jobs and actually build a career out of this.
0:41:40 > 0:41:43Well, listen, they're lining up, so I'll let you get back to the class.
0:41:43 > 0:41:46- You can continue with the rehearsals for tomorrow.- Thank you.
0:41:46 > 0:41:47- Good luck with it!- Thank you.
0:41:50 > 0:41:52One example of Bishop Burton's new breed
0:41:52 > 0:41:54of business-minded young women
0:41:54 > 0:41:56is 17-year-old Jess Graves.
0:41:56 > 0:42:01She runs her own bacon business from home, Jess's Porky Pigs.
0:42:01 > 0:42:04And you're quite unique here because there's not many students
0:42:04 > 0:42:07- that are obsessed with pigs like you are.- I know, yeah.
0:42:07 > 0:42:10- Really obsessed. I'm really obsessed.- When did that start?
0:42:10 > 0:42:12When I was eight, my dad bought me two little pigs
0:42:12 > 0:42:14and I loved them to bits
0:42:14 > 0:42:17and I sold them and then I saw the money and I was like,
0:42:17 > 0:42:19"Oh, my God, yes."
0:42:19 > 0:42:21So I was like... I bought some more pigs, like,
0:42:21 > 0:42:24- went to five and 15... - What, even at the age of 10?
0:42:24 > 0:42:26Yeah, and I've never stopped.
0:42:26 > 0:42:28Do you just come here to learn about pigs then,
0:42:28 > 0:42:30or are you doing the wider business as well?
0:42:30 > 0:42:33Like, pig nutrition, we do business management as well,
0:42:33 > 0:42:35so it's learning more about business.
0:42:35 > 0:42:38'There are 23,000 female farmers nationwide,
0:42:38 > 0:42:42'but Jess finds there are still some barriers for women to get over.'
0:42:42 > 0:42:45I'm filling the troughs up here and my wellies are being nibbled.
0:42:45 > 0:42:48- I thought you would want the feed. - Yeah, they're hungry.
0:42:48 > 0:42:51What is it about my wellies that are so exciting and so lovely?
0:42:53 > 0:42:58- Are you taken quite seriously, then, as a young lady in...?- No.- No?- No.
0:42:58 > 0:43:01They don't believe that a woman could do a guy's job.
0:43:01 > 0:43:04You've got to, like, believe in yourself, to be honest,
0:43:04 > 0:43:06and think that you can do it and just do it.
0:43:09 > 0:43:13It's the eagerly-awaited Bishop Burton stockmanship show.
0:43:13 > 0:43:16Nearly time for Jess and the twins to display their wares,
0:43:16 > 0:43:18and Lizzie's up first.
0:43:18 > 0:43:20I'm really nervous. Really, really nervous.
0:43:20 > 0:43:24I hope she behaves. She's not behaving so far, so...
0:43:24 > 0:43:27But Lizzie's heifer, Miranda, isn't playing ball.
0:43:27 > 0:43:30As the rest of her class head into the judging area,
0:43:30 > 0:43:33Miranda decides she's not having any of it.
0:43:33 > 0:43:36I think she just got a little bit freaked out with everyone
0:43:36 > 0:43:38and just decided she wasn't going to do it.
0:43:41 > 0:43:45Meanwhile, her twin sister, Vicky, is having problems of her own.
0:43:46 > 0:43:48After some conferring,
0:43:48 > 0:43:51the judges decide to give Lizzie a second chance.
0:43:51 > 0:43:55She gets to show in the same class as her sister and, this time,
0:43:55 > 0:43:57manages to persuade Miranda into the arena.
0:43:59 > 0:44:02The judges are looking for a well-kept animal
0:44:02 > 0:44:04and good knowledge from their handler.
0:44:04 > 0:44:08And Vicky and Delilah seem to be making a good impression.
0:44:13 > 0:44:16- TANNOY:- 'In third place, Vicky Appleyard.'
0:44:16 > 0:44:18- APPLAUSE - What, I'm third place?
0:44:18 > 0:44:20- 'Well done, Vicky.' - Yay!
0:44:22 > 0:44:26I feel quite happy, actually. At least I came somewhere!
0:44:26 > 0:44:29Better luck with Miranda next time, Lizzie.
0:44:49 > 0:44:51I'm at Aberystwyth University,
0:44:51 > 0:44:56discovering what life is like for young farmers entering the industry.
0:45:01 > 0:45:03Owning and running a farm
0:45:03 > 0:45:05is a dream for many of them,
0:45:05 > 0:45:07but getting onto the farming ladder
0:45:07 > 0:45:08can be difficult.
0:45:08 > 0:45:11Caryl Hughes won a year's scholarship
0:45:11 > 0:45:13to run a beautiful Welsh hill farm.
0:45:13 > 0:45:15I visited her twice during her placement
0:45:15 > 0:45:17to see how she was getting on.
0:45:17 > 0:45:20So you're from a farming background?
0:45:20 > 0:45:23Yep. Yeah, north-east Wales. Llangollen-ish sort of thing.
0:45:23 > 0:45:26So, pretty used to this kind of terrain up there.
0:45:26 > 0:45:28This is going to be hard work, isn't it?
0:45:28 > 0:45:30Definitely going to be hard work.
0:45:30 > 0:45:32It hasn't been farmed for a while, so there's no tracks,
0:45:32 > 0:45:34there's a lot of walking involved.
0:45:34 > 0:45:36The National Trust and Welsh Young Farmers' Club
0:45:36 > 0:45:38run this life-changing scholarship.
0:45:41 > 0:45:44When I visited Caryl on the Snowdonia farm
0:45:44 > 0:45:47for the second time, she'd moved things on apace.
0:45:55 > 0:45:58When I met you first, the farm was empty,
0:45:58 > 0:46:00there was no livestock at all. And are these the ewes
0:46:00 > 0:46:03that I saw you buying from Arwyn back in September?
0:46:03 > 0:46:05Yeah, these will be... Yeah, the first 40 we bought,
0:46:05 > 0:46:08- so these are...- Ooh, there we go. - ..all the lambs now. Matches!
0:46:08 > 0:46:11- Wait!- How did lambing go?- Oh, good.
0:46:11 > 0:46:14We'd no major issues and they all came quite good
0:46:14 > 0:46:15so, no, it's been a really good...
0:46:15 > 0:46:17The weather was kind to us this spring, wasn't it?
0:46:17 > 0:46:20Definitely, anything's better than last year, isn't it?
0:46:20 > 0:46:22No, it's been really good.
0:46:22 > 0:46:24What's the plan now? What are you doing with them?
0:46:24 > 0:46:27We're going to take these up now to the mountain and then, yeah,
0:46:27 > 0:46:29they'll be up there then until shearing time.
0:46:29 > 0:46:32Hopefully they'll go and the ewes then will teach their lambs
0:46:32 > 0:46:35to come hefted, they'll find their habitat on the mountain
0:46:35 > 0:46:37and they'll stay there then and they'll teach their lambs
0:46:37 > 0:46:40where the water is and everything and then it'll pass on then
0:46:40 > 0:46:42from generation to generation and they'll become then
0:46:42 > 0:46:44a flock for this mountain.
0:47:00 > 0:47:03- Is this the final gateway up onto the mountain?- Yes, this is it.
0:47:03 > 0:47:06This is the gate now between here and the mountain.
0:47:06 > 0:47:09We'll let them take their time up and they should wander up slowly
0:47:09 > 0:47:12and pick their lambs up and off they go.
0:47:12 > 0:47:14That was quite a hike, but a good achievement.
0:47:14 > 0:47:16Yeah, that's it now.
0:47:16 > 0:47:18The first ewes and lambs up there for 25 years.
0:47:18 > 0:47:21It's definitely a good step forward on the farm.
0:47:21 > 0:47:23It's a lovely site. Well done, you.
0:47:25 > 0:47:27On my last visit to Llyndy Isaf,
0:47:27 > 0:47:31Caryl was taking delivery of her very first animals from Arwyn Owen,
0:47:31 > 0:47:33a local farm manager
0:47:33 > 0:47:36who has also been keeping a watchful eye on young Caryl.
0:47:38 > 0:47:40How's Caryl been getting on?
0:47:40 > 0:47:43She's got on great, really.
0:47:43 > 0:47:47From day-to-day, I tend to think she's been here for years, almost.
0:47:47 > 0:47:51She's sort of adjusted so well to the farm, to the place.
0:47:51 > 0:47:54It's easy to think that she's been farming here for an awful long time
0:47:54 > 0:47:57whereas in reality, it's only been a matter of seven, eight months.
0:47:57 > 0:47:59How well do you think the project works,
0:47:59 > 0:48:02the idea of giving young people that sort of foot on the ladder?
0:48:02 > 0:48:05Certainly this year has been a great success.
0:48:05 > 0:48:08From our perspective, it's worked incredibly well.
0:48:08 > 0:48:10But the real measure of success, I think,
0:48:10 > 0:48:13will be Caryl's progress from here on in.
0:48:13 > 0:48:15Finding a hill farm to run yourself for 12 months
0:48:15 > 0:48:17is always going to be difficult,
0:48:17 > 0:48:21so hopefully that experience now will stand her in good stead
0:48:21 > 0:48:23and I think at the end of the day,
0:48:23 > 0:48:26if you can run a farm like this, then I think you can run any farm.
0:48:27 > 0:48:31Rugged and tough hill farmers around here are hard to impress,
0:48:31 > 0:48:34but it seems as though Caryl has made her mark.
0:48:36 > 0:48:38So you've introduced cattle to the farm now?
0:48:38 > 0:48:41Yeah, so I've got these two here which have just calved in March,
0:48:41 > 0:48:43they've got young calves on them.
0:48:43 > 0:48:45And there's six more up there on the mountain,
0:48:45 > 0:48:46just making a path for the sheep, really,
0:48:46 > 0:48:49and trying to clear some of the heather and stuff.
0:48:49 > 0:48:51And you've chosen the Welsh Black.
0:48:51 > 0:48:54Yes, Welsh Black. Well, I went to see Arwyn again for them.
0:48:54 > 0:48:57They're a hardy breed, so they're used to living up those mountains.
0:48:57 > 0:49:00So, yeah, the plan is to keep them up there as long as I can, really.
0:49:00 > 0:49:03What sort of other things have you done on the farm?
0:49:03 > 0:49:05One of the first things to do was that mountain fence.
0:49:05 > 0:49:08There were 4,500km there of fence line to do,
0:49:08 > 0:49:11so we carried just over 1,000 posts up there by helicopter,
0:49:11 > 0:49:14so that was an experience I'll never do again, probably.
0:49:14 > 0:49:17So we carried them up and then we got the fencing contractor up there
0:49:17 > 0:49:19and he's just finished now.
0:49:19 > 0:49:21That's a huge job, did you organise all of that?
0:49:21 > 0:49:24Yeah, I organised the contractor and the helicopter, yeah.
0:49:24 > 0:49:26It's one of those things you probably never do again
0:49:26 > 0:49:28on that sort of scale, so it was great.
0:49:28 > 0:49:31And you're really getting the farm going for the future.
0:49:31 > 0:49:33Yeah, like I said, these calves now,
0:49:33 > 0:49:35they'll be the future, future of the herd as well
0:49:35 > 0:49:37and the calves that come out of the heifers.
0:49:37 > 0:49:39Yeah, it's all for the future, really.
0:49:39 > 0:49:42- Trying to build the stock up so it can carry on.- Brilliant.
0:49:47 > 0:49:50Caryl has a short while left on this beautiful farm
0:49:50 > 0:49:53and, in September, is due to hand it over to the next lucky winner
0:49:53 > 0:49:56of this fantastic scholarship.
0:49:56 > 0:49:59You've obviously made quite a big impression on the farm,
0:49:59 > 0:50:02doing everything you've done so far. Is it going to be hard to leave?
0:50:02 > 0:50:04Yeah, I must admit it is going to be quite hard, I think, yeah.
0:50:04 > 0:50:07I've made a lot of good friends and met a lot of people out here
0:50:07 > 0:50:10and obviously living in quite a gorgeous area as well,
0:50:10 > 0:50:12it's going to be hard, yeah.
0:50:15 > 0:50:19Now her placement has finished, I'm catching up with Caryl again.
0:50:19 > 0:50:22And she's come here, to her old haunt,
0:50:22 > 0:50:25Aberystwyth University, where she studied.
0:50:30 > 0:50:33Since Caryl, there have been two further placements
0:50:33 > 0:50:35on the National Trust farm
0:50:35 > 0:50:38and they've also been awarded to students from Aberystwyth.
0:50:38 > 0:50:40What the youngsters are learning here today
0:50:40 > 0:50:44should enable them to follow in Caryl's footsteps.
0:50:45 > 0:50:48- Hi, Caryl.- Hello. Are you OK? - Good to see you.- And you.
0:50:48 > 0:50:51- You're like an old friend of Countryfile.- A little bit, yeah.
0:50:51 > 0:50:53- It's been a few times now, hasn't it?- It has.
0:50:53 > 0:50:55What's it like being back at the college -
0:50:55 > 0:50:57- bring back some fond memories? - Yes, it's really good.
0:50:57 > 0:51:00- It's really nice to be back here. - How long were you here for?
0:51:00 > 0:51:01I was here for three years, yeah.
0:51:01 > 0:51:04I graduated now about two years or three years ago.
0:51:04 > 0:51:07And so you got that scholarship to run the hill farm for a year,
0:51:07 > 0:51:09- what was that like? - Oh, great experience.
0:51:09 > 0:51:12It was really good and just giving me that, you know,
0:51:12 > 0:51:15a little step up that I probably needed after farming at home.
0:51:15 > 0:51:17You tend to do the same things your father's done so, yeah,
0:51:17 > 0:51:20having my own place to run and manage for a year really gave me
0:51:20 > 0:51:22a chance to just, you know, get my experience in, really.
0:51:22 > 0:51:25- Where are you working full-time now? - I'm back at home now.
0:51:25 > 0:51:28Back at home now so I'm farming at home with my father,
0:51:28 > 0:51:32but after the scholarship, I've got a bit more confidence now
0:51:32 > 0:51:34and I kind of question a few more things that we do.
0:51:34 > 0:51:37Is technology key then, do you think, for the future of farmers?
0:51:37 > 0:51:39I think it's going to be. Not because we want it to be
0:51:39 > 0:51:41but I think it's a modern business.
0:51:41 > 0:51:44We're going to have to be a modern kind of business industry,
0:51:44 > 0:51:46so we're going to have to be more technology-based.
0:51:46 > 0:51:49Every business has to move on and farming is, in my opinion,
0:51:49 > 0:51:51lagging a bit behind at the moment, so we need to catch up.
0:51:51 > 0:51:52You say business there,
0:51:52 > 0:51:55it is about understanding the numbers, isn't it?
0:51:55 > 0:51:57Yeah, definitely. I mean, it's a family tradition
0:51:57 > 0:52:00for us but at the end of the day, it has to sustain us as a family.
0:52:00 > 0:52:02- You've got to make money.- Yeah. - Good for you.
0:52:02 > 0:52:05It's great to have really progressive people in farming
0:52:05 > 0:52:08and lovely to see some of the other students here so enthusiastic.
0:52:08 > 0:52:09Can I give you a hand, what are you up to?
0:52:09 > 0:52:12I'm just making sure he sucks really, they're due to go out.
0:52:12 > 0:52:14We're just making sure that their bellies are full.
0:52:14 > 0:52:16Yeah, lovely, well done.
0:52:16 > 0:52:19'The great thing about Caryl coming back to the university
0:52:19 > 0:52:22'is that she can pass on skills that she's learnt on the farm
0:52:22 > 0:52:23'to today's students.'
0:52:28 > 0:52:31It's just marking the ewes with a number and the lambs
0:52:31 > 0:52:33are the same numbers as well, so when they're out on the field,
0:52:33 > 0:52:36we just know which lamb belongs to which one and we can keep
0:52:36 > 0:52:38an eye on them as well if there are any problems.
0:52:38 > 0:52:39Recognise them as a family.
0:52:39 > 0:52:41What about these guys, what's their future?
0:52:41 > 0:52:43Particularly if they can't go back to a family farm.
0:52:43 > 0:52:45Agricultural industry, it's so broad
0:52:45 > 0:52:48and having a degree in agriculture, they can do anything they want.
0:52:48 > 0:52:50They can be consultants, lawyers in agriculture,
0:52:50 > 0:52:52they can be anything, really.
0:52:52 > 0:52:54The degree in agriculture is so wide and broad.
0:52:54 > 0:52:57- Quite well-paid jobs out there. - Definitely, yeah.
0:52:57 > 0:53:00It's just not the farming side of it with the sheep every day,
0:53:00 > 0:53:04- there's definitely a different type of thing to be done.- Yeah.
0:53:12 > 0:53:15'And it's not just Caryl sharing her knowledge.
0:53:15 > 0:53:18'Cennydd is up-to-date with the latest technology too.'
0:53:18 > 0:53:20So this is the sheep scanner?
0:53:20 > 0:53:23Yeah, it's one of the many modern technologies that's available
0:53:23 > 0:53:27to the modern shepherd now to aid registering the sheep
0:53:27 > 0:53:30and getting the information about whether they've had singles,
0:53:30 > 0:53:32triplets and whether there was any problems.
0:53:32 > 0:53:35It really does help the modern shepherd.
0:53:35 > 0:53:36So you just scan that over her ear?
0:53:36 > 0:53:41Yeah, they've got the ID tags there and this scans the ID tag
0:53:41 > 0:53:43and as you can see there on the screen then,
0:53:43 > 0:53:45you just press "accept" then.
0:53:45 > 0:53:48You can download that onto your desktop?
0:53:48 > 0:53:50Yeah, and it's so easy then
0:53:50 > 0:53:53for making management decisions later on and keeping records.
0:53:53 > 0:53:56Bit different to your dad's wet notebook out in the field?
0:53:56 > 0:53:59- Yeah, a little bit, yeah. - Are you all techno wizards?
0:53:59 > 0:54:02They're all over their phones all the time.
0:54:02 > 0:54:04This is what it's all about, the future.
0:54:06 > 0:54:09It's technology all the way now for the farming world.
0:54:09 > 0:54:13And forward-thinking courses like this can only help.
0:54:18 > 0:54:20I've just left the guys to get on with the job in hand
0:54:20 > 0:54:23and I have to say, it's been brilliant seeing how passionate
0:54:23 > 0:54:25these young farmers are about agriculture.
0:54:25 > 0:54:28After all, they're the farmers of the future
0:54:28 > 0:54:30and will hopefully keep the great tradition
0:54:30 > 0:54:32of British farming alive.
0:54:32 > 0:54:35Next week, Matt and Ellie are in Sussex.
0:54:35 > 0:54:37But until then, it's goodbye from us.
0:54:37 > 0:54:40Come on, let's get you back to your mum.