A Year on the Farm

This episode visits a turkey farm in and around the cherry orchards of Essex, to reveal the sometimes bizarre secrets of raising Britain's 18 million turkeys

A Year on the Farm reveals the secret world of four UK farms fighting for their way of life. With about one British dairy closing each week, some are rebelling against mass production. A Year on the Farm visits Hook and Sons, a small dairy in East Sussex, who produce natural and unpasteurised raw milk and sell it direct from the farm gate. Farmer Steve Hook knows each of his cows by name, from Ration, his favourite but least productive cow, to Trouble, who keeps breaking into the parlour to steal milk. But when his land is threatened by developers, and there's a potential bovine tuberculosis outbreak, can Steve's herd and his farm survive the year?

Turning their backs on successful careers in London, married couple Polly and Graeme return to Polly's family farm on the south Wales coast to take on life as farmers. But do they have what it takes to turn the struggling business around? Juggling two young children while trying to look after 80 pigs, 100 cows and 1000 sheep is tough for anyone, and even harder when you're a novice. Central to the farm are their Gloucester old spot pigs, one of the few outdoor reared groups of pigs in the country. Can Polly and Graeme make their farming dream a reality?

For the past 400 years, the Hodgson family have farmed sheep on the hills of Cumbria. In that time, little has changed in the way things are done, though the last decade has seen a dramatic decline in the number of hill farmers. In the face of financial uncertainty, the latest Hodgson in line to take over the family business is determined not to be the last. While the average age of hill farmers is 59, the Hodgsons' oldest son, Bertie, is just 23. He recently quit university because he desperately missed farm life, and it's through him that this episode explores the back-breaking challenges a shepherd faces. Lambing season is the most critical time of year, when the whole family pulls together; and, for the first time, Bertie is in charge of breeding the most valuable sheep on the farm. If the business is to survive for another generation, it's vital he gets things right.