- 7/7/2025
Countryfile - Adam's Farming Families
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LifestyleTranscript
00:00Go on girls.
00:06What a lovely day for moving cows.
00:30Every landscape tells a story of farming families who've worked it for centuries.
00:40Growing our food, caring for nature and ensuring that rural traditions thrive.
00:48For many of them, farming isn't just a job.
00:51It's a way of life, handed down through the years.
00:55The only thing I can see myself doing, really.
00:57Over four countryfile specials.
00:59My word, I'm a bit nervous.
01:01I'll be travelling to Somerset, Leicestershire, Worcestershire and Wiltshire
01:05to meet some of those families that have farmed these agricultural heartlands for generations.
01:10Don't work with animals and children, did somebody say that?
01:13From grandparents to grandchildren, everyone plays their part.
01:17I'll be getting a glimpse into the way they work together day to day,
01:20the challenges they face and the inventive ways that they're keeping their farms thriving for the future.
01:29Today, I'm in Leicestershire, joining the Eggleston family at their farm near Melton Mowbray.
01:39Melton is known as the rural capital of food.
01:42And it's not just about the pork pies, it's about Stilton cheese too.
01:46Now, Stilton can only be produced from a handful of dairies where the milk is supplied locally.
01:51And the family I'm meeting today have been sending their milk to the Stilton dairy for over a century.
01:57This is where the cows are milked early in the morning and into the evening.
02:00But at the moment, they're all out in the field.
02:02I'll see how this dairy farm is constantly on the move.
02:09We've gone from 100 cows to 600.
02:12From the pasture.
02:14I just walk across the field, literally plonking.
02:18To the parlour.
02:19Dad died fairly young, goodness me.
02:21And that gave me responsibility from a very young age.
02:24Every generation plays their part.
02:27Don't work with animals and children.
02:29Did somebody say that?
02:30To keep up with this lot, I'll need to stay on my toes.
02:34By words, where do I stand?
02:36Out the way.
02:38We'll also take a look back through the Countryfile archives to celebrate some local delights.
02:44Oh, release the cheese.
02:47And revisit some of the amazing farmers we've met.
02:50He's headed off down the hill like a mountain goat.
02:53What dreams are made of, really. I love it.
02:57Bridge Farm has been home to four generations of the Eggleston family.
03:14The late Roy Eggleston bought the farm in 1962.
03:19With his wife Brenda.
03:22Now their son Paul and daughter-in-law Claire run the business.
03:26Helped by son James.
03:29And daughter Amy.
03:31With her son Joey being the newest member of the team.
03:35This impressive dairy farm produces around three million litres of milk every year.
03:46With every drop destined to become Stilton cheese.
03:49And it all starts here, with a herd of dairy cows.
03:56Hi Amy.
03:57Hi Adam.
03:58You're just in time.
03:59Are you going to let them out?
04:00Yeah.
04:01My words.
04:02Where do I stand?
04:03Out the way.
04:04Twice a day, Amy together with her dad Paul.
04:07Hi, good to see you.
04:08Adam, how are you?
04:09All right, yeah.
04:10Nice one.
04:11And brother James helped to move their 600 strong herd to the milking parlour.
04:16My word, it's all kicking off here.
04:18It is, yeah.
04:19Yeah, milking time.
04:20We milk twice for the summer and then we go on to a variable in the autumn.
04:24And Paul, what you're doing is moving them from field to field so the crossing is different
04:28every day, is it?
04:29Yeah, they graze a different paddock every 12 hours.
04:31So we're on a, therefore, 21 to 25 day rotation.
04:35Yes.
04:36So we're grazing 50, 40 to 50 paddocks over that three week block.
04:39And how do they know where to go?
04:41They'll just keep walking until they find an open gate.
04:44Okay.
04:45Genuinely, they just...
04:46So if someone leaves a wire off, they've gone in the wrong place.
04:48Yeah, yeah, yeah.
04:49It's happened too many times to admit.
04:51They do end up in the wrong place sometimes.
04:53Yeah, once the village once.
04:54Yeah.
04:55Really.
04:56And you've come from the family background, having learnt from your dad.
04:59Yeah.
05:00Yeah, I was born on the farm and worked, you know, farmed with dad, did dad college and
05:05then came home in 1991.
05:07And built up quite an empire now.
05:09Yeah, we've gone from 100 cows to 600.
05:11Wow.
05:12And so you're providing milk for cheesemaking?
05:15Yes.
05:16Yeah, for stilton cheese.
05:17The local dairy was founded in 1911, started producing stilton cheese in 1912.
05:22It was founded by 12 local farmers.
05:26It's now 31 local farmers.
05:28It's fully farmer owned.
05:30It's a true cooperative.
05:31My great grandfather was one of the founding members.
05:33Wow.
05:34Wherever we are in the world, I'll go in the local supermarket and see if they've got stilton.
05:37Stilton can only be made in Leicestershire, Derbyshire and Nottinghamshire.
05:41OK.
05:42And so, you know, you're very proud whenever you see it.
05:45The mix most likely have come from our milk.
05:48And for you, is that a lovely thing to follow in the footsteps of granddad, dad and still
05:52be doing the same thing?
05:53Yeah.
05:54You know, even though his methods might have been different and he was doing it slightly
05:57differently, it's nice to know that, you know, my late grandfather was supplying milk
06:00to the same place.
06:01Yeah.
06:02So, how are we getting on?
06:03Well, there's just a few stragglers left.
06:04Amy and I are going round those up and if you want to walk up the road and catch up with
06:07James where they're crossing the road.
06:08Yeah, great.
06:09And we'll see you later.
06:10I'll navigate through the cows and go and find it.
06:11Yeah.
06:12See you later.
06:13Look at the grass.
06:14Leicestershire grass.
06:15Wish I had this in the Cotswolds.
06:16Go on, girls.
06:17James.
06:18Hi.
06:19Hi.
06:20Good to see you.
06:21What an operation you're running here.
06:22Yeah, there's a few cows that we're doing at the minute.
06:23A third of the farm's over the road.
06:24Yeah.
06:25So, we spend a lot of time on here crossing the road.
06:39Do you love it?
06:40Yeah, love it, yeah.
06:42And have you always wanted to do it ever since you were a little boy?
06:44Yeah, I've been here.
06:45I've been involved since I was, yeah, as long as I can remember.
06:48How big is the farm then, James?
06:50So, we're around 600 acres here.
06:52Yeah.
06:53And then we've got some land off site as well.
06:55Then we have a separate business just next door.
06:57We're milling 30,000 a year of animal blend feed.
07:01Wow, goodness me.
07:02Yeah.
07:03And who does what in the business?
07:04I'm assistant herd manager at the minute as well as overseeing the management of the other
07:08side of the business with the blending as well.
07:10Amy does a lot of the office work for a lot of the grants, all that sort of stuff.
07:14Sure.
07:15Dad's the financial director as well as overseeing the whole portfolio, you know, day to day.
07:19Do we need to let the bike through?
07:21Yeah, we'll just let these through.
07:22Okay.
07:23Whoa, girls.
07:24That's it now.
07:25That's enough.
07:26Yeah.
07:27Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa.
07:28Yeah.
07:29Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa.
07:36Moving 600 cows twice a day across the roads to and from the parlour is quite a task.
07:42Go on, look.
07:43There's a good goss.
07:44But this place seems to run incredibly efficiently.
07:49What a lovely day for moving cows.
07:53The Egglestons employ a further five people on the farm, but the responsibility for the
07:58business rests with the family themselves.
08:01What's it like working with your kids?
08:03I'm really proud to work with the kids.
08:05I think it's fantastic that they're both on the farm.
08:07Didn't put any expectations in front of either of them.
08:10It's here if you want it.
08:11So it's delightful, really, that they both want to farm and work together.
08:15You know, we have our moments.
08:16They're both different.
08:17They're different characters, but no, it works well.
08:20Then how did your dad deal with you as a young man?
08:23Did you always want to do it?
08:24I always wanted to do it.
08:25Dad gave me a responsibility from a very young age, which surprised me at the time.
08:30He obviously saw more in me than I saw, but, you know, and that proved invaluable, really,
08:36because, you know, by the time, unfortunately, Dad died fairly young.
08:39Oh, no, how old was he when he...
08:4061.
08:41Goodness me.
08:42So by the time, you know, Dad became ill and died, then, you know, I was running the farm,
08:46so I think...
08:47So it wasn't like you were suddenly dropped to the deep end.
08:49No.
08:50You already had the grips of it.
08:51So I think that's the lesson, you know, that, you know, let them get on.
08:53Let them, you know, they're the age that should be making decisions
08:57and seeing the fruits of their efforts.
08:59Yes.
09:00Between us, I think, make a good team.
09:01Yeah.
09:02Well, that's special, isn't it?
09:03Yeah, it is.
09:04Yeah, working with them, it is special.
09:07For generations, the Eggleston family have sent their milk just half a mile down the road
09:12to the local Stilton dairy.
09:15Thanks to its protected status, Blue Stilton can only be made at one of the four licensed dairies in the country.
09:22And three years ago, Matt visited one of them, just a few miles away from here in Colston Bassett.
09:28The dairy goes back to 1913 and was the brainchild of a local doctor, William Windley.
09:41He'd seen how farmers working together could make cheese, which meant some extra cash over the leaner winter months
09:48and a way of using up excess milk in the summer.
09:51Billy Kevin is the cheesemaking manager.
09:52So we've got pasteurised whole milk, which is a legal requirement of Stilton cheesemaking.
10:05So the blue mole's already in, we need to mix the milk.
10:09Oh, so it's warm, isn't it?
10:11It's warm, yeah, it's very warm.
10:12I'm not going to tell you temperature because I'd have to shoot you.
10:14Oh, that's part of the secret, isn't it?
10:16One of the things that we do, everyone will have their own standards on that.
10:21Start there, push through to the bottom, and all the way up, you'll feel it mixing.
10:27Yeah.
10:28A little bit faster.
10:30God, I tell you what, that's a beautiful feeling, isn't it?
10:33It's a nice feeling, yeah, it's very, very relaxing.
10:36Oh!
10:39The curds formed from the milk are broken up and dropped into a mould,
10:43forming the classic Stilton cheese shape.
10:48Once the cheese has been formed, it gets a good going over in the rubbing up room.
10:53On day five, we take this off, which is not as easy as it looks if you want to try.
11:00I've started it for you now.
11:02Oh, yeah, there's a bit of a vacuum in there.
11:03A bit of resistance.
11:04Yeah.
11:06Oh, release the cheese.
11:08There you go.
11:09Right, what do you do with it now?
11:10Okay, so what you're going to do is, you're going to open the knife, close the knife.
11:15Nicely open, and then down the same angle.
11:19We're trying to create a barrier using the cheese that is there.
11:22So we're going up to the top, and then we're just squidging it down there like that.
11:27And the purpose of this is what, Billy?
11:29So we're creating a barrier for the blue mould spore, so we don't want air to go in and germinate the spore.
11:37That would be too early.
11:38Up and down, open, shut.
11:39That's it.
11:40You got it.
11:41Yeah, very good.
11:42It smells creamy, doesn't it?
11:43Yes.
11:44It should smell sweet.
11:46Any idea where that craze came from, of the blue mould in there?
11:50So, nobody really knows, but my own view is that people would be making cheese, and they'd probably be storing them in workshops, sheds, stables.
12:02Back in the day, stables would have tack, which we'd have mould on, and there would be ingress.
12:08So basically the cheese would have blued.
12:10That's my view.
12:11Yeah, yeah.
12:12Whether it's right or wrong.
12:13I've got to say, Matt, I'm impressed.
12:15First time out, that's rubbing finished.
12:17Excellent.
12:18We get to eat some now, do we?
12:19We do.
12:20Yes.
12:22The young cheese is left on wooden shelves in maturation rooms for about 12 weeks, and over that time develops its distinctive creamy flavour and blue veining.
12:35More.
12:36More.
12:37Wow.
12:38This is powerful in here, isn't it?
12:39More, more ammonia smell.
12:40This is the cheese that's nearly ready.
12:42Mm-hm.
12:43And we have to grate every cheese.
12:45We're looking for it to go in nice and smooth.
12:47Mm-hm.
12:48Without even pulling it out, I know that it's breaking down because you can feel it.
12:52Mm-hm.
12:53It's not hard and crumbly.
12:54So we should see some blue at the end.
12:58And it's only, it's only to about here.
13:02So it's not quite ready.
13:03Okay.
13:04But it's ready to taste.
13:05That's it.
13:07Feel how creamy that is?
13:08I do.
13:09Yeah.
13:10So it's starting to get an almost buttery texture.
13:12In mouth water.
13:13Good man.
13:14Oh.
13:15Mm.
13:16Hmm.
13:19That's lovely.
13:22It's not as cold as a fridge.
13:24No.
13:25It's ambient.
13:26Yeah, as far as like the best conditions then to keep your stilton in.
13:29Okay, so if you're going to eat it straight away, room temperature.
13:32Right.
13:33If you're going to keep it for a day or two, fridge.
13:36Yeah.
13:37If you're going to keep it for a month or two, cut it into small pieces.
13:41Wrap it in foil.
13:42Yeah.
13:43Put it in your freezer.
13:44Freeze it?
13:45Freeze it.
13:46Take the same piece out the day before you want it and put it in your fridge.
13:50It comes out as good as it went in.
13:53Top tip.
14:00While the stilton cheese sticks to tradition, milk production on the Egglestons farm has moved with the times.
14:07Their herd of 600 dairy cows are safely at the parlour and ready for milking.
14:13There are two parlours on the farm, each with the capacity to milk 24 cows at once,
14:18with another 24 ready and waiting.
14:24And with every cow milked twice a day, the whole process has to run like clockwork.
14:32That's incredible set-up you've got here, Paul.
14:36Alan is the farm's herd manager and heads up the milking parlour.
14:40But Paul still keeps his hand in.
14:48Well, you're still a dab hand at it, Paul.
14:50Well, you know.
14:53OK, go on then, I'll do one.
14:54Yeah, you'll go.
14:55Do you need to click something up here?
14:56Back and forward.
14:58Yeah, and then press the button underneath.
15:01That one?
15:02That's it.
15:03Hold that under with your hand as you lift the units up.
15:05Have you got a set way round you do it?
15:12I start front-left, front-right, back-left, back-right, yeah.
15:15Do you, yeah?
15:16This milking system is very simple.
15:17There's very little electronics on these parlours.
15:20There's not a lot to go wrong.
15:21It seems to me that, as a sort of captain of the team, or the coach,
15:25that you're making sure you've got the right people in the right positions
15:28doing the right job.
15:29Is that true to think?
15:30Yeah, and hopefully everyone gets to enjoy what they're good at.
15:34You know, when you get a bigger team, you're able to play to people's strengths.
15:37You know, when we were 100 cows, everyone milked and everyone scraped up
15:40and no-one had a day off.
15:42So, with you and your wife, you know, particularly yourself, I suppose,
15:45running the farm and running the family,
15:48what are some of the mistakes that you wish you hadn't made?
15:50Mistakes-wise, I think inability to delegate is one of mine.
15:55You know, I find it quite difficult to delegate.
15:57I'm almost like to tell you what I want you to do,
15:59I'll show you how to do it, and then I'll probably stand there
16:01and do it with you.
16:03And your biggest success with the family?
16:05You know, the fact that the kids have both come home to work.
16:08Claire is a fantastic people person.
16:10She's the glue that holds our family together.
16:13Right.
16:14You know, I'm action-driven, I want to get stuff done.
16:16I wake up with a plan, and, you know,
16:18whereas Claire thinks about the people along the way.
16:21Yeah, it's very important.
16:22Are you a good cop, a bad cop?
16:23Er, definitely, yeah.
16:25I'm a bad cop.
16:31And you love it, do you, still?
16:32I love it. Yeah, I love it.
16:34You know, I said to you, Dad's not around anymore.
16:36I think if he came back, he'd think we'd done OK.
16:38Yeah.
16:39I think he'd be very proud.
16:40It's incredible what you've achieved.
16:41Well, to see the kids,
16:42see the kids' farming, I think, will be the highlight, for sure.
16:45Yeah.
16:48I'd have never made a dairyman, Paul.
16:52It's not for everyone, Adam, as to be said.
16:57I think I'd better leave Paul and Alan to it.
17:01The herd will soon need a fresh paddock to graze,
17:04and Amy's on the case to find the very best spot.
17:11Hi, Amy.
17:12Hi, Adam.
17:13A lady outstanding in her field.
17:14Well, you know.
17:15This bit of kit is called a rising plate meter,
17:20and was originally developed by farmers in New Zealand.
17:24What are you up to?
17:25So I'm measuring the grass, as weird as that sounds.
17:27Yeah.
17:28The plate here sits on top of the grass,
17:30whilst the bar goes down to the floor.
17:32So basically, I just walk across the field, literally plonking.
17:36Yeah.
17:37That is the word they use, plonking.
17:39Plonking this up and down, and it will give me an average measurement
17:42of how much grass is on this field.
17:44This is just to assess, basically,
17:45is this field ready to graze for our cows or not?
17:47Sure.
17:48Can I give it a go?
17:49Is there a technique?
17:50No, not really.
17:51As long as you keep the plate flat.
17:53Okay.
17:54And just straight up and down, then you're good to go.
17:56Right.
17:57And how often are you doing this?
17:58So we try and do the whole farm every week.
18:01It can take over three hours, so it's a pretty big job to do every week.
18:05But it's important that we have the right data,
18:08because if we allocate the cows too much grass,
18:11they'll waste it and just tread on it, basically.
18:14And if we allocate them too little, then they'll be hungry.
18:16Sure.
18:17And so this is a really important part of your dairy system.
18:20Yeah, yeah.
18:21This is really the central pillar of our whole system.
18:24We tend to try and graze the cows about February to November time,
18:28so a vast majority of the year.
18:30So we need this information to be able to tell us where are they going next.
18:34And how are we looking?
18:36I mean, that's a pretty good measurement for this field.
18:39What I'll do, I'll divide that by seven kilos.
18:44Seven kilos is basically what I want to allocate them
18:47in kilograms of dry matter.
18:49Her head?
18:50Yeah.
18:51So that means you can put 400-odd cows out here?
18:53Yeah.
18:54That does leave the question of where do we put the other 200.
18:56Yes.
19:00So what do you think your grandparents would have thought of this?
19:02To be honest, I think they'd be shocked.
19:04It was so different to the system they ran.
19:06This was a high-yielding farm,
19:08so the cows were a lot bigger.
19:10They gave a lot more milk, but it was a lot more complicated.
19:13You know, they had special diets.
19:15They had all sorts of different things that they needed.
19:17So your system is sort of less intensive?
19:20Yeah, a lot different to what it was.
19:22The system is low input, really.
19:24So we put less into them, therefore get less out of them,
19:28but we find that to be more profitable.
19:30We're breeding a smaller cow.
19:33They're better on their feet.
19:34They have to walk quite far.
19:36We need a smaller cow for that.
19:38That doesn't happen overnight.
19:39You know, the breeding has come over many years.
19:41And where did that idea come from?
19:43New Zealand, to be honest.
19:44As a family, we've spent time over there
19:46taking inspiration from what they're doing.
19:48We don't have it quite as good as them
19:50because they can keep the cows out all year round.
19:52We do have to come inside for the winter,
19:54but they have a lot that we can take inspiration from
19:57using technology like this.
19:59I worked out there for a number of months
20:01and absolutely loved it.
20:02And as an agricultural industry,
20:04I mean, they're incredibly progressive,
20:06but they also have a lovely way of life, don't they?
20:08Yeah, we think so.
20:09And that's kind of why we've tried to mirror
20:11what they're doing here and prioritise lifestyle
20:14as well as obviously what's best for the cows.
20:16Sure. Let's keep going, shall we?
20:17Yeah, definitely.
20:21Plonk.
20:22Keeps going, yeah.
20:23Plonk.
20:24This is good grass out here, isn't it?
20:26Yeah, it's looking nice.
20:29It's great to see Amy and the family
20:31drawing inspiration from a New Zealand farming system.
20:36I've had a real affinity for the place
20:37ever since my student days
20:39and I was lucky enough to go back about eight years ago.
20:43While I was there,
20:44I visited a cattle farming family in Hawkes Bay
20:46who really embodied that classic Kiwi can-do approach to farming.
20:54Back in 1967, Ian Brickle purchased his first farm with his wife Caroline.
21:07What's remarkable is at the age of 78, Ian's still farming.
21:12Now at this remote location that's hours off the beaten track.
21:18Hi, Ian.
21:20Good to see you.
21:21Pleased to meet you, Adam.
21:22Goodness me, you're a tough man to find.
21:24I was coming all the way through the forest
21:25and I thought I was lost and then got to your farm.
21:28And what a remote spot.
21:29It's remarkable.
21:30It is remote, I agree, but that's the way I like it.
21:33And you're 78.
21:35How do you manage farming here?
21:37I honestly believe that you grow unfit more than you grow old.
21:41As long as you can keep your fitness
21:42and obviously if you've got good health,
21:44then yeah, you just keep going.
21:47Now, so what are you farming here?
21:48I see livestock everywhere.
21:50Well, we've got 600 breeding ewes,
21:53we've got 83 Welsh black cows and I also breed horses.
21:59Wonderful.
22:00So can we go and take a look at your Welsh black cattle?
22:02You can.
22:03Let's go.
22:07Today, Ian needs to muster his cattle from the mountain
22:10to do some routine checks in the handling pens.
22:12His grandson Jacob and his team of working dogs are on hand to help out.
22:18Right.
22:19Goodness me, how many dogs have you got?
22:21Six here.
22:22Six working dogs and a Jet Russell.
22:24Wow.
22:25Can you control them all at once?
22:26Try to, yeah.
22:27Doing my best.
22:28And what are they?
22:29There's hunterways, I recognise.
22:30Yep, hunterways and heading dogs.
22:31So the heading dog is a bit like our border collie, is it?
22:34Yep, yep.
22:35And how many cattle have we got together then?
22:36How many is all together?
22:37200.
22:38And if I'm in the wrong place, just shout at me.
22:40Right on.
22:42The tranquillity is about to be broken.
22:49The tranquillity is about to be broken.
22:53You've got to be broken.
22:54You've got to be broken.
22:55You've got to be broken.
22:56You've got to be broken.
22:57Yeah.
22:58Maybe you want to be broken.
22:59This is a deal of没事.
23:00It's not a dealing of a preocupe.
23:16It's not a problem.
23:17It's not a deal of pain.
23:19You're what?
23:20You've got to be broken.
23:21Goodness me, Ian, those hunt-aways can really go, can't they?
23:25Jacob's a really good young shepherd.
23:27He's probably matured beyond his years when it comes to his dogs.
23:30He's got very good dogs.
23:32So the black and white ones are the heading dogs to get round in front and round them up?
23:36That's right.
23:37And then a hunt-away hunts them away up the mountain?
23:39That's correct, Adam.
23:40And why do you love this wild country so much?
23:43I mean, what is it in you that makes you want to be out here?
23:46I mean, we're miles from anywhere.
23:48I can't answer that.
23:50I guess it's my genetic make-up or something.
23:53But, you know, I just love the wild places, always have done.
24:03And were all these calves born outdoors,
24:05or do you have to bring them into the sheds out here?
24:07We don't have sheds out here.
24:09No, no.
24:10My cows calve completely on their own, unassisted, no problems.
24:16And is that part of your mantra, part of what you want to try and achieve,
24:19a cow that looks after itself?
24:20Well, I think it's part of the New Zealand hill country farming.
24:23We've looked to breed a type of animal that are perfectly capable of looking after themselves.
24:30It's a low-cost animal, really.
24:32Yep, and low input from our point of view.
24:35Yeah, sure.
24:36Yeah, they don't have to pamper them.
24:38But the Welshies are brilliant at surviving on rough grass.
24:40They really are.
24:41It's great to see traditional British breeds still thriving here.
24:46How popular are the Welsh cattle?
24:47Not as popular as they should be, Adam, but let me say I have tried all those breeds out.
24:54I've Angus, Hereford, Shortorn, Charolais, and the Welsh leaving them for dead, in my opinion.
25:02I've judged Welsh black cattle once, actually, and really like them.
25:05And I'm half Welsh, so, you know, I'm feeling quite patriotic.
25:08Well, that's the young cattle through the first gateway.
25:18There's still quite a long way to go.
25:19And I said to Ian, shall I go back and get the buggy?
25:22And he said, no, no, I'll go.
25:23I'll just run down.
25:24And he literally meant run down.
25:26He's headed off down the hill like a mountain goat.
25:29This guy's 78.
25:30It's quite remarkable.
25:38We're just chasing these cattle up here now.
25:45Jacob's still working his dogs and moving them along nicely.
25:49The herd have split a bit.
25:50Some have gone along the track, and then the others are going down this really steep hill.
25:54Just remarkable, really.
25:57This is really exciting for me.
25:59You know, coming back to New Zealand and rounding up cattle, you know, out in the middle of nowhere.
26:05It's what dreams are made of, really.
26:07I love it.
26:08I love it.
26:38How they've achieved this incredible reduction, as back home, my animals have suffered with TB for decades.
26:48Michelle Murphy is an animal technician, and TB testing is her full-time job.
26:52Michelle, over here, you've managed to reduce your prevalence of TB in the herds very dramatically, haven't you?
27:01How have you succeeded doing that?
27:02Erm, it's controlling the infected wildlife.
27:06Which wildlife are you controlling?
27:08Erm, possums, feral deer, ferrets, wild pigs, anything that can carry or spread TB.
27:16And so they're all non-native species?
27:19Yes, they are.
27:20And do they cause damage out in the environment as well? Is that why they're considered as pests?
27:24Yes, they do.
27:25Erm, the possums ruin the native trees and bird life.
27:30And how much TB would be in this area now?
27:35Erm, very little, if any.
27:37Well, we've got a similar problem at home, but the vectors, the animals in the wild that
27:42carry TB, particularly badgers, have been in our country for centuries, if not thousands
27:48of years, so they're a native species, very symbolic to Britain, so it's really difficult
27:52for us to get on top of it. Erm, but interesting how you've managed it over here, you've been
27:57really robust about it though, haven't you?
27:58Yes.
27:59Yes.
28:00Thankfully, this herd was later given the all-clear.
28:05Testing is a stressful process for the cattle, so we release them as quick as we can and drive
28:10them towards some fresh mountain pasture.
28:13Well, it's been about a ten-hour day, and we're still climbing up the hills, and I'm
28:21starting to fade, but Ian's still going strong here. I have to say, Ian, I'm so jealous of
28:27the place you live and work, your wonderful cattle. This farm's just extraordinary.
28:31I know I'm truly blessed, Adam, I know that. But I've got a wonderful wife, she's been very
28:37supportive too, and I've still got my health. I've got no reason to stop, and I certainly don't
28:43want to stop.
28:44And you've got lots of children and grandchildren too, all following in your footsteps.
28:47Yeah, well, we've got seven children and 24 grandchildren, and yeah, there's a bit of
28:51talent starting to show up amongst the grandkids too.
28:54Well, that's just good breeding on your part, isn't it?
28:56I wouldn't say that. Maybe they get it from their mother.
28:59Well, I have to say, Ian, this is a day that I'll remember for a very long time.
29:03Oh, that's lovely, Adam. I hope you've enjoyed yourselves.
29:07It's been great.
29:08Eight years on, at the age of 86, Ian is still as dedicated to farming as ever.
29:19He and Caroline are now back on the farm where it all began, and Ian's working alongside
29:23his son once more.
29:28Meanwhile, back in Leicestershire, James, his sister Amy, baby Joey, and his grandma Claire,
29:34check in on their newest dairy calves.
29:37OK, James, so round the...
29:40Down there, yeah?
29:41Yeah, that's it, right under the front legs.
29:43OK, so we're on...
29:4590.
29:48Tag number...
29:5012.
29:51There we go.
29:52So we're just weighing these calves to check on their condition, make sure they're growing
29:56well, and if they're not, they can get a bit of extra grub.
29:59So it's clever, this tape, isn't it, Amy?
30:02Yeah, so it looks a bit like a tape measure, but actually, it's got weights on, so when
30:08you put it under the calf's belly, it will tell you exactly what they're weighing.
30:13Yeah.
30:1495.
30:15So we'll try and weigh them every eight weeks, and that gives us a good constant progress,
30:20essentially like a graph of how they're doing.
30:22Sure.
30:23If one drops behind, why does she drop behind?
30:25Is she being pushed off the food, for example?
30:28It's a good constant, like, progress tracker of how she's doing.
30:31Yeah.
30:32So you've finished calving now, Amy?
30:33Yeah, yeah, we're just coming to the end of a 12-week block, so these girls have been
30:37on a diet of milk, and soon we'll start getting them used to being outside, at grass, just
30:42like their mums.
30:43Sure.
30:44And yeah, that'll be their diet for the rest of their lives.
30:46So, James, are you the muscle in the business?
30:49Something like that, when required.
30:52I've got three older sisters, and how do you find working with your sister?
30:58Yeah, pretty easy, actually.
31:01We're both good at different things, so...
31:03Yeah.
31:04Compliment each other's skills.
31:05Yeah, definitely.
31:06You won't catch me on a tractor?
31:07No.
31:08No.
31:09You don't very often catch me in the office.
31:10There's always going to be disagreements, you know, we won't always have the same views,
31:13but we just have to weigh up the pros and cons.
31:15Sure.
31:16And as far as the family demographic then, Claire, how does it work to, you know, remain smooth
31:21and, you know, without too much conflict?
31:23We all sit down as a family, and any decisions that need making, we make together.
31:28I think Joey is more interested in his mum's hair than farming at the moment, though.
31:34Yeah.
31:35Yeah.
31:36Don't work with animals and children.
31:38Did somebody say that?
31:39How often is he out with you on the farm?
31:41Not too often, to be honest.
31:43It's not the easiest to get my job started.
31:45Do you want to take him off your back?
31:47What are you doing?
31:48Don't worry.
31:49Here we go.
31:50Oi!
31:51Don't drop you.
31:52Oh, that's clever, isn't it?
31:54So you can sort of plonk him.
31:55Can I have my hair back?
31:57You know, the reality is I have to have either mum helping me or my mother-in-law or nursery
32:03because he can't be here all the time.
32:05Sure.
32:06So whilst it's lovely, you know, to do things like this and see him enjoying it,
32:10and also for him to be around the animals, it's not that practical sometimes.
32:14Yeah.
32:15And when you were bringing these two up, what was that like, having them on the farm?
32:18I had help from my mother-in-law.
32:21Yeah.
32:22She also was back up.
32:23She did office work on the farm as well.
32:26It's always been that support of the older generation.
32:29Yeah, it's always a juggle.
32:31Most people don't spend this much time with their family.
32:33No.
32:34Most people go to a nine-to-five job or a normal job and then see their family when they choose,
32:38whereas we're all spending, like, we're all each other's colleagues.
32:41Yes.
32:42And people say to me, how often do you see Amy and James and baby Joey every day?
32:48Yeah.
32:49You know, everybody's here every day.
32:51Yeah.
32:52Seven days a week, mostly.
32:53But would you change that?
32:54No.
32:55The next generation of dairy farmer and dairy cows seem to be thriving.
33:02While it's all about the Stilton cheese here on the farm, we couldn't come so close to Melton Mowbray without mentioning pork pies.
33:10Margarita got a taste for herself when she visited Melton in 2022.
33:17For centuries, Melton Mowbray has been a destination for hungry travellers.
33:25Up until the late 14th century, this path was the only route between London and York and then on up to Edinburgh,
33:34which made Melton here a very popular place to visit.
33:37It's said that 19 monarchs passed through during their time, helping make it the rural capital of food.
33:44Today, a blue plaque marks this ancient byway that passes right in front of St. Mary's Church, which dates largely from the 13th century.
33:55However, for one week every March, this historic building becomes a cathedral of pies.
34:05This Grand Knave hosts the British Pie Awards.
34:09And there's even a pork pie in one of the windows.
34:16King of pies round here is competition organiser Matthew O'Callaghan.
34:22So is this the cup everyone wants to win? Hi Matthew.
34:25Hello. It's the supreme champion, the pie of pies.
34:29It looks incredible. So can anyone enter across the UK?
34:32The pie has got to be commercially available, so it's not a public competition.
34:35It's a trade competition for butchers, bakers, restaurants, sports clubs, etc.
34:40And why a pie contest?
34:43Why not?
34:45I mean, it's Britain's contribution to international cuisine.
34:48We've taken the pie further than any other country on the planet.
34:52And therefore, I think we ought to have a competition that celebrates that.
34:56And that's why we've got the British Pie Awards.
34:58And how many classes do you have here in the competition?
35:00About 23. So we've got obviously pork pies, Melton Murberry.
35:05We've got vegetarian pies now, chicken, ham, steak and kidney.
35:08All the traditional favourites. Dessert pies, my favourites.
35:12And I'm told the pies are served hot for judging.
35:14Yeah, of course they are. Most of the pies are hot-eating pies.
35:17So we have a bank of ovens in the church and the sense, the smell,
35:20the incense wafting in the church of pies being gently heated.
35:25So that they're at the right temperature for the judges to taste them.
35:28And what are the judges looking for? What makes a great pie?
35:31It's got to be a filling completely encased in pastry and baked.
35:35And when you slice it up, then you want to make sure that the pastry is baked properly.
35:39And it's got lots of filling inside.
35:41And are the seasonings balanced with the main ingredients?
35:45And you have a magnificent venue in which to hold this competition.
35:48How did this happen?
35:50It's at the centre of the community.
35:52And when we suggested it to the rector, he was all for it.
35:55This is the Cathedral of Pies.
36:01Of course, the pie most associated with Melton is the pork pie.
36:05To earn protected status as a regional food, it has to be made to specific guidelines.
36:11Local producers who abide by these can apply for protected geographical indication or PGI status under UK law.
36:19One such producer is March House Farm, south of Melton Mowbray.
36:24Jo Roger and her team make hand raised pies using shoulder and belly pork from their herd of British pigs.
36:30We use traditional native breeds and we cross breed to get the right meat to fat ratio for that really good quality pork.
36:39Hand crafting them is master pie maker Derwent Lambert.
36:44The pork pies are bald and ready to be hand raised.
36:47He'll use a wooden dolly and then he will lid and finish and they will go back to the kitchen for baking.
36:53And once they're ready to be filled with jelly, Derwent will come back to the pies and make sure that the jelly encases the whole pork within that pie and is set ready for them to go out to the shelf.
37:05Achieving the PGI status, being able to use the sticker, being able to say that our product meets that standard was really exciting.
37:14You're up there with the champagnes and products of the world.
37:18We're very proud that we've been able to do that.
37:20The reverence for the pork pie in Melton Mowbray can be explained by its centuries old heritage.
37:26I understand there's a link between pies and hunting.
37:30In Melton Mowbray, in the 1800s, this was the centre of fox hunting.
37:35And so during that season, what were they going to eat?
37:37Well, we had a simple pie which was made with pork, a pork pie.
37:41But of course, if it's in your pocket and you're riding over ditches and hedges, it breaks up.
37:47So the pie evolved in Melton such that it had hot watercrust pastry which withstands knocking.
37:54And then you would then put hot bone stock jelly inside the pie when it cooled such that,
38:00A, it sterilised the pie, but B, it filled all the crevices.
38:04And so you'd have this solid pie which would survive the rigours of the hunting fraternity.
38:21Now it's that time of year again, when we invite you to show us the countryside through your lens.
38:27Our Countryfile Photographic Competition is now open.
38:31Here's John with how to enter.
38:34Our country is blessed with an incredible array of beautiful settings.
38:47And opportunities to capture on camera its wonderful wildlife.
38:55The theme this year is wild encounters.
38:58We'll be looking for photographs that reveal the untamed side of our countryside in all its glory.
39:08It could be a captivating landscape or a magical encounter with wildlife.
39:13Whatever you choose, we want to see your interpretation of what a wild encounter really is.
39:20From all the entries received, 12 photographs will be selected to feature in the Countryfile calendar for 2026.
39:33This much-loved calendar is sold in support of BBC Children in Need, a tradition that dates back to 1998.
39:40Thanks to your continued support over the years, more than ÂŁ33 million has been raised to help change young lives across the UK.
39:51The photographs that you've submitted over the years have made it all possible.
39:58So now's your chance to once again head out into our green spaces to capture in vivid detail all that the countryside offers.
40:06Once all the entries are in, a panel including yours truly and a celebrity judge will choose the winning photographs that will star in the Countryfile calendar for 2026 sold in aid to BBC Children in Need.
40:22And there will be an overall winning photo chosen by you, our Countryfile viewers.
40:27Not only will that picture feature on the cover of the calendar, but the winner will also get a ÂŁ1,000 gift card to spend on photographic equipment of their choice.
40:42And the person who takes the judge's favourite photo will receive a gift card of ÂŁ500 to be spent on their choice of photographic equipment.
40:53You can enter up to three photographs in total that fit with the theme Wild Encountered.
41:01To submit your photographs, go to bbc.co.uk forward slash countryfile where you'll find a link to the entry form.
41:10Photographs that have won national or international competitions or have been taken by professionals can't be submitted.
41:17Pictures must have been taken within the UK, the Channel Islands or the Isle of Man.
41:22And I'm sorry, but we can only accept online entries.
41:29All the details on how to enter the competition can be found on our website, plus the terms and conditions and privacy notice.
41:36The competition submission period closes at 10am on Monday, the 28th of July, 2025.
41:47And now, it's over to you. Get out there with your cameras, your smartphones, your tablets and capture your images of Wild Encounters.
41:56We can't wait to see you.
42:09Well, it's been a glorious day here in Leicestershire and the cows are loving the sunshine.
42:13But what's the rest of the week got in store? Here's the Countryfile forecast.
42:16Hello there. So far, this summer has been one of very high temperatures and very little rainfall.
42:29We've had two heat waves so far and we're only into early July.
42:34We've got another one on its way for this week ahead.
42:37It's going to be warm across the board, but certainly so for England and Wales.
42:41Now, for this weekend, low pressure has been dominated.
42:43It has brought some very much needed rainfall.
42:46A couple of weather fronts moving south across the country have enhanced the shower and storm activity.
42:51And if you caught a downpour or thunderstorm through today, consider yourself lucky as the parched gardens aren't going to be receiving much rainfall over the coming week or even longer.
43:02Here's where the recent storms have been through the Midlands, parts of east and southeast England.
43:07Some torrential rain in places further north. A few scattered showers there for southern Scotland into parts of Northern Ireland.
43:13But the heaviest of the downpours will clear away through the evening.
43:16And then we're left with variable cloud and further showers.
43:18But that's other weather front moving southwards will enhance the rainfall once again across England and Wales as we push through the night.
43:25There could be some heavier bursts here where we have more cloud where the rain is.
43:28A mild night to come, but some chillier spots across the north under clear skies.
43:33Now we've got low pressure to the east of us, high pressure building into the west.
43:37This is the high that's going to bring us the heat wave as it pushes eastwards and starts to draw warmer off the near country.
43:43Continent later in the week.
43:45But we'll start off with that heavy rain on Monday across southern and eastern areas.
43:48It'll clear away and then it brightens up.
43:49I think many places will be drier through Monday afternoon.
43:52Just the chance of an isolated shower.
43:54A brisk north-westly wind down some eastern coast.
43:57Top temperatures 21 or 22 degrees.
43:59The high teens further north.
44:02Now it's not until we reach around midweek we start to see things really warming up as high pressure establishes itself across the UK.
44:10That'll start to push that area of low pressure further east on Tuesday.
44:14You can see it rolling in from the west.
44:16These weather fronts though will be flirting with the north-west corner of the UK.
44:20So a bit more cloud I think for northern and western Scotland, Northern Ireland.
44:24Maybe some splashes of rain.
44:25But elsewhere winds will be lighter.
44:27Winds will be lighter.
44:28There'll be a lot of strong July sunshine.
44:30So it will feel warmer on Tuesday.
44:32Up to around 24, maybe 25 degrees.
44:35And perhaps feel a little bit warmer as well across Scotland.
44:38Particularly towards the east.
44:39As you move out of Tuesday into Wednesday, these weather fronts make a bit more progress eastward.
44:44So we could see some splashes of rain across the north of the UK.
44:47But high pressure dominates further south.
44:49So plenty of sunshine for England and Wales through the day.
44:53Further north you go.
44:54Closer to those weather fronts.
44:56We're likely to see some splashes of rain here and there.
44:59Nothing too heavy.
45:00And those temperatures will be a little bit higher I think across eastern Scotland.
45:04Certainly warmer for England and Wales.
45:06The mid to high twenties in places through the afternoon.
45:10And then as we push towards the end of the week.
45:12This area of high pressure begins to move eastwards.
45:15And starts to draw hot air from the near continent.
45:18From Spain and from France.
45:19And that will drive it northwards.
45:21Keeping these weather fronts out at bay.
45:23Though they'll always be very close to the north west of Scotland.
45:26But you can see the darker colours.
45:28Even across parts of Scotland and Northern Ireland for the end of the week.
45:31So it's warming up for all.
45:33Certainly for England and Wales where we will be exceeding the heat wave threshold there.
45:37Temperatures could be reaching highs again into the low 30s Celsius.
45:41With increasing humidity.
45:42It's going to start to feel a bit more uncomfortable.
45:45Stay tuned to the forecast.
45:46Head on to the BBC weather app to check out the weather for where you are.
45:49Or for where you're going.
45:50Take care.
46:01I'm in Leicestershire with the Egglestons.
46:03A family who've been supplying their milk to the local Stilton dairy for more than a century.
46:08That's incredible set up you've got here Paul.
46:12The family's simple farming system means good grass, great milk and ultimately cracking cheese.
46:19The system is low input really.
46:21So we put less into them.
46:23Therefore get less out of them.
46:25But we find that to be more profitable.
46:27But the Egglestons way of doing things isn't the only approach to dairy farming.
46:35Back in 2021 we visited the Lilburn family in County Down.
46:40Where husband and wife team Richard and Pamela run a very different kind of dairy farm.
46:45I pastureise nearly all night.
46:49And I literally get into bed at maybe four in the morning.
46:52And I'm getting out a couple of hours in the air.
46:54I'm having to get tired of six.
46:55You know, so it's like passing these two other.
46:59Passing ships in the night.
47:01Yes.
47:02We know each other's roles.
47:04I'm the donkey, you're the brains.
47:06The Lilburns operate a zero grazing system, with the herds staying inside for most of the year.
47:13And since taking on the farm in 2011, the couple have invested heavily to keep their cows comfortable and content.
47:20You know, the fresh beds, the comfortable mattresses, they have food on tap, the scratchers, the foot baths, you know.
47:29It's like a five star hotel for cows.
47:31You wouldn't be a farmer and do what you do if you didn't want to progress and make things happen.
47:35And try and make it work to the best.
47:39There's so much technology out there.
47:42You have to pick the best that will work best with you.
47:46And what we can get our hands on.
47:48And what we can afford.
47:51Despite the tech, good grass is still at the heart of the system.
47:56But on this farm, the cows receive a daily delivery service.
48:00Matt caught up with Richard to see this zero grazing system in action.
48:07Gosh, so this then is your grazing field.
48:09Yes.
48:10But your cows don't come in here to eat it.
48:12No.
48:13We bring this lovely lush grass to the cows.
48:16What, straight away fresh?
48:17Every day it's cut fresh, it's brought into them.
48:19That way you get the best nutrients.
48:21And how long have you been farming like this then?
48:23We started doing this nine years ago now.
48:25The first year we started doing it was more out of necessity.
48:28We had lovely lush grass that year.
48:30But the rain came and it kept raining and it kept raining.
48:33And the cows were destroying the land.
48:35And they were wasting perfectly good grass because it was so wet.
48:38And so this then is the kit that you're talking about.
48:41Yes.
48:42I mean it's effectively like a massive kind of lawn mower that collects up the fresh grass.
48:47You want to cut it nice and clean and short.
48:49And then that allows you to use your organic slurry to put back on the land to regrow your grass again.
48:54It literally is a circle. Grass in, slurry out.
48:57And it's all obviously then collected in here.
48:59Yes, so this is a bit we've got in already.
49:01Yeah?
49:02Now, because the grass has really jumped the last while, it is slightly too far on.
49:08But at the same time you have perfectly good lush grass.
49:13I have to say, it smells incredible.
49:15So this being your feeding system then, whenever you want to feed the cows,
49:19you've got to come out here and collect the grass fresh and deliver it straight to them.
49:23So how often are you doing this in a day?
49:25We're doing this three times a day.
49:26The 200 cows are eating through 20 tonne of fresh grass a day.
49:3020 tonne a day?
49:3220 tonne of fresh grass.
49:34Goodness me, I mean that is a huge quantity.
49:37You would never get that intake of grass into a cow in a normal grazing pattern.
49:41No.
49:42Because if you imagine 200 cows going out into a field,
49:45as they're going out and fanning out into the field,
49:48they're tramping the grass down, they're walking over it, they're urinating in it.
49:51You know, the wastage is huge.
49:54So this way, as you can see in the field, there's nothing wasted.
49:57Literally, I will cut this, go straight to the yard, back it in, tip it out,
50:02and the cows will eat it straight away.
50:04Well, I've made silage, I've made hay, but I've never delivered fresh grass
50:08straight to the cows like this, and it looks like fun.
50:12Well, sure, we'll let you have a go stay and see how you get on.
50:15Run down and back again?
50:16Yeah, you'll get it in, you'll be fine.
50:18Great.
50:19Right.
50:20Here we go, then.
50:24Get me away.
50:27I've got to be aware that the moor is out to my right-hand side there,
50:31so just watch the hedge line.
50:38I've got my revs.
50:40Just sit back, relax, and cut the grass.
50:44Oh, he's not doing too bad.
50:50We've got a full load there.
50:53Let's deliver it to the cows.
50:55Oh, my word.
51:06Well, there's plenty here for you to go at, girls.
51:10The zero grazing system used by the Lilburns means the cows spend much of their life inside.
51:16This way of doing things does have its critics, who feel cows should be mainly outdoors.
51:21Although it's used on a minority of farms, research suggests interest in it is increasing.
51:27Is this the full milking herd in here, then, Richard?
51:29This is us.
51:30This is our important ladies, so it is.
51:32Right.
51:33And how many important ladies do you have in here?
51:35We have 100 cows on either side.
51:37But they are in here the whole time, then?
51:40While they're milking.
51:41While they're milking.
51:42As far as milk yield is concerned, how much milk does this system produce?
51:45This time of year, we're averaging around 30 to 32 litres per cow per day.
51:50Right.
51:51So our top cow during the winter was given 89.6 litres a day.
51:54Right.
51:55So if you imagine you're coming home with your cartons of milk from the shop, that's a lot.
52:00A cow milking every day, they use as much energy as we would nearly use running a marathon.
52:05It's so important to get good food into your cows.
52:08And what kind of reactions do you normally get from people who see this for the first time?
52:11Because it is very different to the kind of traditional dairy farm that people would expect.
52:16It is, but the cows are so content.
52:19They're lying up in their beds.
52:20They're full.
52:21They're comfortable.
52:22You know, the food on top.
52:25And like you can see in here, it's a very chilled environment for the cows.
52:29We don't chase the cows.
52:30We don't round them up or herd them.
52:32It's all up to themselves.
52:33They go and milk when they want.
52:35So this is unbelievable then, how it finds the udder.
52:40So there's a cleaning process that, see those little rollers with the brushes on?
52:44Yeah.
52:45To start with.
52:46So some feed has been delivered then at the other end.
52:48So she's...
52:49She's happy.
52:50Chewing away there.
52:51With the laser, it finds the tink with the laser.
52:54And so how often will she come in then to be milked?
52:57Well, see, every cow is different.
52:59That cow that was given that 89.6 litres, she was coming in five times a day.
53:04Purely of her own accord.
53:05Right.
53:06Because she felt the pressure and the need to come in and get milked.
53:09And that's the beauty of this.
53:11They can come when they want to.
53:13The milk itself then, it's going down these tubes.
53:15Going down these tubes.
53:16And in this here arm, there's a lab.
53:19And in that lab, it's testing the salt levels.
53:22It's checking the cow's temperature.
53:24It's checking butter, fats and proteins and everything.
53:26It's all being tested as the cow is being milked.
53:29As you can see, that's coming off.
53:31But it had projected the cow would give 9.9 litres.
53:36Actually give 9.5.
53:38So it nearly enough knows exactly what she should be given.
53:40Do they ever decide to come in in the middle of the night?
53:43Oh, yes.
53:44There's never an hour of the day where there's not a cow in a robot.
53:47Really?
53:48These things cost over ÂŁ100,000.
53:49How many have you got?
53:51Four.
53:52You know, you sort of...
53:54Phew.
53:55I took a considerable loan from the bank to do all this.
53:59And I told my father, this is the direction I'm going.
54:03It's on my head.
54:05But we have to move forward.
54:07And technology is expensive and it's scary.
54:10And I mean, look at you, Richard.
54:11You're clean.
54:12You're not even wearing an overall.
54:14No, and the cows are still being milked.
54:16I wouldn't quite go as far as a gentleman farmer just yet.
54:18They're still working hands.
54:23If you didn't make the changes that you did when you made them.
54:26Yeah.
54:27Do you think the future of the farm would have been in jeopardy?
54:30The future of the farm would have been very much in doubt.
54:32Purely because I have two sons.
54:35Now, me and dad were hammering away the way we were going.
54:38And that was fine.
54:39We were still making it work.
54:41But if I want my sons to come into this industry and this business,
54:45I'm sort of thinking, right, hang on.
54:47Are they going to want a job where they're having to stand in a parlor
54:49for eight hours a day?
54:50And then go out and do lots of other work on top of that?
54:53And if I could put the technology in to make it more appealing,
54:58they can see now, our children, that we can now have a life
55:01alongside the farm as well.
55:03So I hope that will encourage them to think, you know,
55:06they can still have a good life and still farm and continue to farm.
55:10Yeah.
55:25Back in Leicestershire,
55:26I've been following the Eggleston's dairy farming system
55:29from field to parlor.
55:33With today's milking now complete,
55:36it's time for the herd's favourite part of the day,
55:39being put out to fresh pasture.
55:44And it's all thanks to the smart system Amy, James and Paul have put in place.
55:52Amy, the cows were in a different paddock earlier on.
55:55They've been milked and now they're down here.
55:57How long will this last?
55:58Only 12 hours.
55:59So, yeah, we'll be looking for another new paddock tomorrow morning.
56:02And that's about grass efficiency?
56:04Yeah, we want to make sure they're getting just the right amount,
56:07not giving them too much, not giving them too little,
56:10and making sure that we can graze the whole farm really.
56:12You've got cows walking all over the place, haven't you?
56:15A huge amount of infrastructure, isn't it?
56:17Yeah, so there's 75 of these paddocks, you know,
56:21with seven mile of track between them to get to and from.
56:25There's two water troughs at least in every paddock to keep the girls with the water.
56:29And, yeah, at least 50, 60 kilometres of fencing.
56:32Goodness, mate.
56:34And, Paul, an amazing system that you and the family have built up.
56:38What is it that you love most about farming?
56:40Well, for me, Adam, I absolutely love this grazing cow.
56:43I love the sound of a cow grazing fresh grass.
56:46And she's doing that, you know, 24 hours a day in our system
56:50for as many months of the season as we can.
56:52So I think it's just so rewarding.
56:54You know, when the spring comes in this year, it's been early.
56:56It's been fantastic to get the cows out and to enjoy grass growth
57:00earlier than the last two years.
57:02You know, we get to work together and see through highs and lows, you know,
57:07and there's been, weather-wise, been a few lows in the last couple of years.
57:10But when it's light, when you get up in the morning, you know,
57:14it just makes you want to, you know, get on grazing cows.
57:17It's the best job in the world when the sun's shining.
57:22Well, it's been a pleasure to meet what seems to be a really lovely family
57:26and a lesson for us all how you can all work together so well
57:30in what is clearly a very successful business.
57:33So thanks very much for sparing your time.
57:35I haven't got in the way too much, have I?
57:37No, not too much. Thanks for coming.
57:39All right, good to see you.
57:40Oh, no, I'm always.
57:44Next time, I'll be meeting three generations of the Padder family
57:48on their soft fruit farm in Worcestershire.
57:51Look at the size of these trees.
57:52Oh, no, they're beautiful, aren't they?
57:53This year will be our biggest year ever.
57:56It's gone from zero to hero.
57:58Hello, you all right?
58:01More family members.
58:02More family members, family members everywhere, isn't it, Adam?
58:04We've got a big family.
58:06We argue, we fight, but we make up.
58:10This move.
58:11It's telling me to get lost.
58:16Hope to see you then. Bye for now.
58:18Listen to those cows grazing.
58:21It is a beautiful sound.
58:30Tonight, four decades on.
58:31Bob Geldof talks to Live Aid to mark the 40th anniversary of the event
58:35in a new series at nine.
58:37Playing the ultimate game of deception is always a must-watch murder mystery.
58:41Press red for the traitors of New Zealand.
58:44.
58:56.
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