Across some of the most beautiful and remote landscapes of the British Isles...
There's not many views like that.
It's absolutely stunning.
..Scotland's farmers work day and night.
Producing our milk... Come on. ..and our meat.
Trying out new ideas...
Buffalo doesn't want to do something,
you're going to find it very difficult.
Hey!
..and striving to turn a profit in tough economic times.
We're struggling, we are definitely struggling.
A wee rosette.
Over the course of a year, six very different families
let cameras onto their farms.
Everything that could have gone wrong there went wrong.
Hey!
The idea of lying on a beach, bliss.
To share their struggles...
We have to get her out or she's going to die.
..and their triumphs.
Thank you. It's not about the pay cheque, it's about the lifestyle.
The first frosts have arrived.
Winter is on its way.
For Scotland's farmers, there's much to prepare for the cold,
lean months ahead.
In the rugged west coast mountains near Appin, the grass is all but gone.
Hill farmer David Colthart keeps sheep and cattle that for much of the year
roam freely over 3,000 acres of hilly terrain.
Now, with winter on its way,
it can take over two acres of heather to feed just one sheep.
So David is getting his barn ready.
It's time to bring the cows in.
At this time of year, we take the cows off the hill.
They've been out since the end of May,
they've been out in the open hill.
So just preparing the shed for the bull, the cows,
just getting it cleared up as best we can and at least, you know,
when the weather does turn,
that they've got a comfortable bed to lie in.
David's herd of 45 beef cattle are the farm's main source of income.
They've spent the summer out on the hills with Limmy the bull.
If he's earned his keep, the cows should now be pregnant.
He gets well bedded. And as long as he's done his work,
he's served the cows, then he deserves it.
But until we pregnancy-test the cows, we won't know for sure.
It's so important to me and Sandra that we know what's in calf going
forward. Because that dictates what income we're going to have -
not this year, but next year.
And if they aren't in calf,
that's got major financial implications for the farm.
It's always nerve-racking.
Just going to get all the gates set up and then we're ready to go,
so we are ready to get the cows in.
Getting the cows off the hill will need some teamwork.
David's drafted in wife Sandra and neighbour Jamie to help.
There's one this side of the fence, Jamie, which...
..is a wee bit more problematic.
There's always a spanner to throw in the works.
After five months out on the range, the cows are used to roaming freely,
so they may need some persuading.
Here they come. Oh, they look like they've got their heads in the air.
That cow at the front is wild and she's looking like she's leading
all the other ones on a wild stampede.
She's trouble on four hooves - that's what she is.
With a bit of legwork and skilful coordination,
they've managed to draw them off the hill.
Come on.
Just watch they don't go back towards the burn.
Next step is coaxing the cows through the gates without
any of them getting spooked.
They're either going to come down this,
the main road here, Jamie, or come down the wee sidetrack.
If they're over that side, they'll come down the sidetrack...
but we'll open maybe both gates..
..and you're waiting in the bushes down there till they're through,
to shut the gate behind them. Aye, OK. And don't move, Jamie.
Aye. So Jamie's going to be hiding down in the bushes here,
to get behind them and shut that gate when they follow me down.
Any movement from Jamie in the bushes down there
and they'll see it. So, hopefully stock still.
Because there's one, a white one, she's very spooky.
The cows are coming...
Come on, girls! Come on.
..with Limmy the bull leading the charge home.
Well, you want to go home, then, boy.
Whoa!
But lurking at the back, as David suspected,
flighty white cow Snowball is looking nervous.
She's off, over the fence.
Oh, God, give me strength.
The last one just spooked, just at the gate.
She decided she's having none of it and off she went.
So... In that case, that's why you want a cow like that
to be into burgers.
Full stop. Because if you see the rest of the cows here,
all nice and quiet. They actually ran in the pen themselves -
they went past me to get into the pen
because they know they're going home.
But that brute decided that she wants to stay here for a good while longer.
I'll see when I cool down, what her future might be.
When a cow spooks and abandons the herd,
it's best to leave her to calm down and come back in on her own.
Meanwhile, the rest of the herd finally make it to their winter home.
COWS LOW
And so the noise begins.
Limmy the bull gets his own plush bachelor pad.
He's quite happy to be in.
A nice warm bed to lie on, so...
He's very content to be inside.
And so am I.
If Limmy's done his duty and the cows are in calf,
it will be a huge relief for David and Sandra.
But they won't know for sure until the vet pays a visit.
Dumfries and Galloway, southwest Scotland.
The fertile rolling coastal hills
help make this Scotland's largest milk-producing region.
Dairy farmers the Roan family rely on this lush pasture to feed their
cattle. But as autumn slips into winter, for the cows
still out in the fields, the good grass won't last forever.
Not really expecting snow, but...
..hopefully that's the last of it for a while.
Stuart Roan is breaking open the silage for those cold months ahead.
We just started feeding them last week...
..and then they'll eat, as the grass totally disappears,
they'll eat more and more
through the winter.
The Roan family's dairy dynasty stretches back over 100 years.
Sixth generation Stuart runs the family business alongside brother Steven and dad Derek.
Away! Away! Away!
Dad says he's retiring.
He still works probably about 90 hours a week.
And my brother, Steven, his wife, Tracey,
they stay basically on the next-door farm.
So two farms and we live separately so that we're not together all the time
but still basically get on very well.
Oh, thank you. Mind your feet, Stuart. Thank you.
Stuart and wife Aylett are forward-thinking dairy farmers
who have invested heavily in modernising their farm.
They've invested £300,000
on a state-of-the-art milking parlour for their 140 Holstein cows.
Next door, brother Steven runs a traditional parlour.
But Stuart and Aylett's cows get milked by robots.
These run 24 hours a day, seven days a week, every single day of the year.
Every cow has a collar on and that collar has a transponder,
which has all her details on it.
So basically once that cow comes in and it knows who it is,
the arm comes out of position
and goes under and then there's brushes that come out
and will brush her udder and teats.
And then the cluster arm comes out and there is a laser in that.
That laser then reads where her teats are.
And then those clusters know exactly where to attach.
And it can tell when her milk's finished.
Clusters come off and then there's a wee spray of the iodine that
comes on and just sprays her for udder health, basically.
Front gate opens and she's away.
The cows are free to come and go, to be milked when they like,
and they're rewarded for their efforts with a tasty treat.
While there's a polite queueing system most of the time,
some of the crafty ones try to sneak in for a snack.
Like, she knows fine well she's not due for milking,
so if she gets in quick enough behind,
she can get in and eat that before going back out.
They're just chancing their luck, basically.
Because this is like the sweetie shop.
One thing the robot can't do is round up the reluctant cows.
They still need humans for that.
So we're looking for a heifer, 154.
Oh, this is one I want, as well.
You can see this one's needing milked, there's...
Go on, lass, up.
Er...
..milk running out her udder.
Go on. Good girl.
She's possibly slightly tender on that back right foot.
And she's just lain there and just not bothered to go, basically.
With all the technology in this building,
we still have one bit of string that we rely on, so...
Every farmer has to have a bit of string somewhere.
This hi-tech parlour will be the milking herd's home for winter.
They won't be back out on the fields until spring.
So life inside needs to be as comfortable as possible.
The more contented and happy your cows are,
the better they're going to perform, it's...
Anything in this building's put in for cow luxury, if you like.
Rubber matting on the floor and...
..curtains that go up and down with the weather,
they have a wee weather station and measure the temperature and the wind speed.
There's also a robot that makes sure the cows can reach their silage.
And a motorised cow scratcher.
Probably spend more time dreaming up things that I could buy
for cows as I do things in the house.
Much to my wife's annoyance, probably.
It's not just about healthy, happy cows - it's also about profits.
Always try to get as much milk out of them as possible,
as long as they're healthy. Aylett.
Stop it. Aylett, it's not funny!
It's the little things that keep your relationship alive, isn't it?
Maximising the amount of milk produced by the cows is crucial
for the farm's finances.
After investing so much in modernisation,
Stuart and Aylett must now fight to get a decent price for their milk.
This last 18 months have been very tough, really -
had some of the lowest prices since I left school.
Everybody is fixated on 89p or a pound for two litres of milk.
Because that's what some people can still do and the big,
big company that does millions and millions of litres, they can do that,
whereas we can't.
The shops make more money out that milk than we do,
which is a ridiculous scenario to be in.
With milk in shops now cheaper than some brands of bottled water,
dairy farmers across the country are struggling.
The Roans have realised if they're going to survive they need to sell
their milk directly to customers.
In Sutherland in the far northeast of Scotland,
Highland crofter Robin Calvert is also busy getting his livestock
ready for winter.
Now most of the good grazing has gone,
he's been gradually supplementing his animals' feed and getting them
used to their new winter diet.
These are the lambs that wouldn't eat hay two weeks ago.
They're getting through the best part of a flake a day at the moment.
Which is good.
Being out on a morning like this is an absolute joy.
Is this the nice side of crofting?
Yes, of course it is. You've got contented animals there.
You know, there is a bit of sort of job satisfaction in that.
Come on.
It's not everybody's cup of tea -
not everybody wants to work seven days a week, constantly, constantly,
constantly for very little financial reward,
but there's more to it than money.
Crofts are traditional smallholdings unique to the Highlands
and Islands of Scotland.
Robin and his wife Penny have been working theirs for over 25 years.
There you go.
The day's bread.
HE WHISTLES
Yes, you've got to take time to...
Well, I think the expression's take time to smell the roses, isn't it?
But it's...
Yeah, it's a bonny dawn coming up there.
We're very lucky.
Part and parcel of the crofting tradition is mucking in
and helping fellow crofters out.
Today, Robin's offered to help a neighbour who's having problems with her sheep.
Going down to Lucy's, who has Corry Croft down at the bottom of the village there,
they bought it a few years ago, and they're wanting to sort their lambs' feet out this morning,
so they've asked me if I'd just go down and may be able to give them one or two pointers on the way past.
Crofting very much relies on mutual help.
I mean, none of us are in a position where we can sort of hire in labour or anything.
Smart new gate. I know, aren't they lovely?
Grab an end each and let's ease in. All right.
Lucy and daughter Maddie are new to crofting.
They bought the croft just three years ago, building it up from scratch.
They keep Shetland cattle and a flock of 50 Hebridean sheep.
So, bring that gate round right now.
Hold on. Hold on, everybody.
Thanks, Robin. Hold on.
They've been limping for a while now.
We had some issues with foot rot earlier in the year
because we had them on some quite wet ground.
Foot rot is a costly bacterial infection
that every sheep farmer dreads.
It causes lameness and can spread from sheep to sheep if it's not prevented.
We need to make sure they're the happiest and healthiest they can be for when they're lambing in April.
So that they're happy over the winter,
otherwise they'll just struggle a bit.
And Robin's got so much more experience with sheep than we do that it would be great
for him to have a look at them and tell us a kind of plan of action.
And then, is it... All right.
OK.
Once they're on their bums, they're not so bad.
Oh, my God. Aw. What a state. Aw, man.
Right. Jeez-oh.
We're looking for overgrown feet, we're looking for rot,
we're looking for scabbing, we're looking for all those sorts of things.
Get rid of all this rubbish
because all it's doing is accumulating muck and things.
There's no rot in there. Right.
In the middle, so you're OK in there. That's good.
That's good in that one, anyhow.
The trim might look drastic, but it's just like clipping nails.
After studying the expert, Maddie gets stuck in.
Get him between your knees. That's it.
As long as their back feet are off the ground, they...
Right. They'll stay still and...
Oh, what have we got here? She's not too bad.
Let's have a look inside first and see if there's anything in there.
There is no stickiness, there's no..
..rawness, you know? Mm-hm.
Just take a wee bit off the front here.
When a lame sheep tries to avoid weight-bearing on a sore foot,
it can result in badly overgrown hooves.
That is absolutely ghastly.
Awful. Right, just work your... That's almost...
Slowly, slowly, slowly.
Just keep going back until you start hitting something solid,
just a little bit at a time.
You all right there? Mm-hm. Take that straight up there.
Just...? No, from... Take that bit off. From the top.
That's it. OK. There you go.
I was a little apprehensive about starting in an industry that I have
absolutely no experience in at all.
But everyone's just been so welcoming and so helpful.
Bottom line, if you want to start learning on how to trim feet,
you couldn't be doing with a worse bunch than this lot!
Great! Right, good learning curve.
That's why I like Robin so much -
he gives you advice and he doesn't beat around the bush.
He lets you know exactly what you need to be doing and he'll tell you
if you've done it wrong and he'll tell you if you've done it right.
And when you get it right and he's like, "Yeah, good job," it's just like, "Yes! I did it!"
How's that? That's fine. Brilliant.
Big improvement all the way round. Well done, you.
Right.
Now you know what to do. Yup.
Okey doke, we'll leave you to it. Thanks a lot. Well, thank you, Robin.
Robin can't hang around - he's got his own flock to attend to.
Come on, Meg, this way. You've done your job. Come on, let's go.
With two grown-up daughters and their families about to descend for
Christmas, there's lots to organise back at the croft.
In the southwest, it's also all-go for busy dairy farmer Stuart Roan.
Today he's swapped his tractor for a milk van.
Dairy farmers are often trapped by supermarkets driving down the cost of milk.
So last year, Stuart hit upon the idea of delivering the farm's milk directly to customers' doorsteps.
And this morning, he's running late.
Just trying to find number 47.
Hopefully they're one of the people that are kind enough to put a number on their door.
It's a race to get milk on doorsteps in time for breakfast.
Oh, you're kidding, we just left that at the wrong house.
It's going the other direction - have to go back and lift that and move it to here.
16.
To make the doorstep delivery viable,
Stuart has to charge £1.90 for two litres of milk -
almost twice the price of supermarket milk.
People are paying... You know,
they are paying a premium for our delivery service,
so they expect to have it there
early in the morning, you know - if they're going to work,
they want to be able to get the milk before they go.
Thanks. Yeah, bye.
I think we've about 800 doorstep customers at the moment
and we're basically managing to grow it by about 20 or 30 a week.
So our target is, if we can get that to about 2,000, hopefully, by the end of this year.
Er...
But, yeah, no, I think it is achievable.
Now I've just got one more house to do then I can relax.
I can go and deliver to the bakers and get a cup of tea there, as well.
Come on, boys.
While Stuart does the milk run,
back at the farm, Aylett's on the school run.
Go off to university and learn to do something that will earn lots of money...
..so your mother and father can retire early. I want to be a farmer!
You want to be a farmer?
Yeah. Oh, dear.
Bye, Mummy. Bye, tiger.
And they just go.
Then it's back to the farm,
where Aylett works full-time to help build the business and bring in new
doorstep customers.
It's just chaos and today's a good morning - usually I'm running around
like a screaming banshee, shouting at the kids,
trying to get them out, they're not moving.
There is times where you just want to throw it all in because you
just think, it's only milk, it's not worth it.
And then this morning, as I drove through Dalbeattie,
and you just see it sitting there, waiting on them coming out for it,
and it's actually a really proud moment.
That is all our blood, sweat, tears, arguments, discussions...
Joyful... It's just everything wrapped into one and it's just there sitting in a bottle.
Everything that we've created and wanted to do and it's just
sitting there, waiting on the customer that is prepared to pay that little bit extra
to be able to have it on to their doorstep and enjoy it.
Building that customer base means coming up with some creative publicity
to boost their own brand.
And Christmas brings the perfect opportunity.
I know, I'm not impressed, either.
Elf on the shelf, it seems to be the craze from America.
So we thought that if we ran for six or 12 days before Christmas with him
sitting or doing something around the farm, something milk related,
hashtagging him in, so every day they get a sort of update.
Let the kids get involved in that and see what's going on, a bit of fun,
just a bit of interaction with the customers, basically, is what it's all about.
No, don't. No, don't knock him off. Come here.
Never work with animals.
Oh, no! Elf down!
Elf down.
I am very good at having fantastic ideas.
Not all of them work out.
COW LOWS
As the colder weather creeps in and summer grass is now off the menu,
winter diets need to be carefully planned.
Animals wintering outdoors will need at least 15% more feed,
especially as many will be carrying spring calves and lambs.
Feed is important for warmth over winter.
Cattle and sheep have special microbes in their gut that produce heat -
a natural central heating system that helps keep them toasty during the cold months.
On Scotland's east coast, north of Edinburgh,
Stevie Mitchell is working out how best to feed his unusual herd over winter.
Stevie keeps water buffalo.
For over ten years,
he's farmed and raised these unusual animals for their premium meat.
They don't like the cold too much, I have to say.
They definitely prefer the sunny weather.
Kind of part of the reason we bring them in for the winter is, you know,
because they're much happier to be inside at this time,
when it's weather like this, than they are to be outside.
Water buffalo originate from the warm swamps and wetlands of Asia.
With Scottish winter taking hold,
Stevie needs to ensure his animals are thriving and, crucially,
putting on weight.
With the help of stockman Eddie, it's time for a buffalo weigh-in.
There he goes.
Right. Right.
Right. So what weight is he now?
He's...
469.
OK, so he's grown...
16... 19 kilos.
Wee bit less now than I'd hoped for, actually,
but be interesting to see how the rest compare.
So what number, Eddie?
07514.
Stevie's hoping the buffalo have gained at least 31 kilos each
since he last weighed them six weeks ago.
470.
He's lost. Lost weight.
He's on a diet, Christmas diet.
That's weird. 12 kilos.
Hey.
Weight, Eddie.
467.
He's lost weight, too.
Stevie butchers his own buffalo meat on site.
With prime cuts selling for more than £45 per kilo,
every gram counts.
Well, we've had, yeah, mixed results so far.
Weight? 471.
Yeah, another one a wee bit disappointing.
Put only four kilos on in six weeks - not good enough.
But... Take your time, boy.
Steady.
Good boy.
As Stevie is raising his buffalo for meat, he wants to get them to
optimum slaughter weight as quickly and as cheaply as possible.
You know, I'm quite intrigued to know what's creating these differences.
Some have grown really quite well, so...
It's a weird one to get our head round.
They're on... You know, they're eating good-quality silage,
we're feeding them with some barley and dark grains,
which are quite high in protein...
very natural, you know, but we would be expecting growth rates
of about three quarters of a kilo a day.
Stevie's been following winter feed guidelines to a T.
Trouble is, they're for normal cattle, not water buffalo.
With no handy guide book and few buffalo farmers out there to lend advice,
Stevie has to do all his learning on the hoof.
We really do need to start thinking outside the box, I think,
or if they aren't going to be growing and we just have to accept that we
get a growth when they're out on the grass in summer...
..we need to feed as cheaply as possible because, I mean,
it's very expensive what we're feeding at the moment.
It's about £1,500 a week that we're spending feeding these animals.
Lots to look at.
If Stevie can come up with a cheap and easy feeding solution,
it might just tip the scales in his favour.
Take this first one, I think. That'll do nicely.
Like Stevie, crofters Robin and Penny also raise and butcher their own meat.
To make the croft economically viable,
the couple diversified into butchery 16 years ago.
Their main source of income is beef from their Highland cattle,
but they also butcher lamb, pork and venison and make home-made pies.
Some of their meat is sold at the local village shop
and today Penny's on her way to do a stock take...
..and to pick up the post.
Lots of Christmas cards.
I tend to put the tree up about Christmas Eve.
Once we start the Christmas season, we enjoy it for the ten days.
We do very little to prepare.
Robin will cook because he's good at cooking meat.
I'll prepare all the veggies.
We'll have a home-grown meal.
It's just a nice gentle time.
While Christmas is a great excuse to wind down,
money worries are never far from a crofter's mind.
Hello!
I love this shop. It just sells so much.
Penny and Robin sell over 90% of their croft-reared meat and pies
at food markets across the Highlands.
But with fewer markets in winter,
they come to rely on the sales from their local shop.
What I've got to do is take a record of what's in the freezers...
..so that I can work out what's been sold
and replenish it.
It's sale or return.
The crofter only get paid by the shop if they sell something.
I'll do mutton first because it's on the page.
The mutton hasn't sold well, this time.
Robin spent a whole day making sausages last week and didn't sell one pack.
We're learning a hard lesson.
Because if you have solid door...
..people are not inspired to open the door and see what's in it.
Supermarkets are the problem.
Because you walk into a supermarket and you've got your...
..layout and it's all very, very easy.
We've sold less than ten items.
But it is midwinter.
It's not good, is it? No. No.
Business is very slow, it's very slow at the moment.
Is it slow for you, as well? Yeah.
I was going to say, I was going to come back again and replenish, but...
Not at the moment. Not a lot of point.
No, no. Thanks, Penny.
Thank you, then. Thanks. Bye-bye, then. Bye.
The meat sales are diabolical but it's better off in a shop
being looked at than sitting in our freezer.
Because we don't have any markets now until April - or May, even.
It's not great news for the croft's income.
But hopefully profits will pick up when the markets resume in spring.
Over on the west coast, in Appin,
hill farmer David is also hoping his farm's finances will get
a boost come Springtime.
Hey, girls.
But it all rests on whether his cows are pregnant.
And he's about to find out.
How you doing? Hiya, Tristan. Good to see you again.
Local vet Tristan Carre has arrived to do the testing.
It's that time of year again where my legs are shaking like jelly
until you test the first few cows.
Oh, it'll be fine. Loads of calves.
Yeah, well, hopefully, you'll be worried unnecessarily. Yeah.
In our situation, whether the cows are on the hill all summertime, you know,
until you find out if they're in calf or not,
it's pretty nerve-racking.
But after today, you'll know whether you're going to have a good year
to look forward to or going to have a bad year.
Everything that happens for the next few months will be dictated from what Tristan finds today.
Most farmers don't really show much emotion at all.
David's possibly unusual like that.
But, yes. It's their livelihood. Especially with beef farming.
You know, the calf is their production.
If they haven't got the calf, then they're losing money.
You're looking for 95% in calf.
The top producers will be getting that and above.
Nobody gets 100%, or they'll be very lucky if they do.
Shh, shh, shh.
OK, lass.
Shh, shh, shh.
Tristan can tell if the cow is in calf, and the stage of pregnancy.
Yeah, that's in calf. 289 in calf.
Probably about four months.
Four months.
One down, 44 to go.
Yeah, that's in calf.
Yeah, in calf.
No, we're not. 486.
Yeah. That's well in calf.
In calf? Yeah.
Well in calf, this one.
Yeah. It's a good start.
Next up is rogue cow Snowball.
She's in David's bad books already for jumping the fence.
Oh, God, give me strength!
After spending a night out on the hill alone,
David had to go back and fetch her.
And now her fate hangs in the balance.
She's either going to be a Snowball - if she's not in calf, she's going to be a meatball!
It's a difficult decision if she is in calf.
I think you might be all right. Yeah, she's in calf.
Right.
Snowball. She may be back from a meatball to a Snowball.
You're not going to be a meatball this year, then.
Aren't you lucky?
Lots of cows are in calf, so looking good at the moment.
David's happy. So, if he's happy, I'm happy.
So far, so good. Don't want to tempt fate.
I didn't tempt fate, did I?
I think you might have done.
That's not in calf. Not in calf? No.
A cow might not get pregnant if she had an infection or a difficult calving the previous year.
344 next. 244? STERNLY: 344 next.
One cow not pregnant means a loss of up to £950 for David.
And there's still over half to go.
It's understandable that he is tense.
He'll get away with it at the moment.
374. 374 is in calf. Yes. Right. Well, tell me that. I did.
No, you didn't. I'm going to burn that bloody hat of yours!
It's the flaps! You didn't.
Is 444 in calf, yes?
Yes!
It's not easy working and living with someone.
It's a good thing we both have a good sense of humour,
because otherwise, we'd just kill each other.
Right. She's well in calf. Yeah.
That's good. That's the last one done and she's in calf.
Result. Limmy the bull has been busy,
and managed to get all but two cows pregnant.
A wee bit less tense now.
Really pleased that nearly all of them are in calf.
I need to go and apologise for being snappy at Sandra.
Again.
Over on the east coast, Stevie's buffaloes have been losing weight.
But he might just have the solution.
You can smell the carrots, can't you?
Right. You better get a wheelbarrow and get these in.
Stevie's has decided to change the buffalo's winter menu.
Out goes the diet of grains and silage...
..in comes carrots and parsnips.
I think the buffalo will be delighted.
I hope. It's a wee bit of a gamble.
We've got no idea. I mean,
we fed them potatoes before and they were happy enough with the potatoes,
so I'm pretty confident.
Is this a one-off, then?
We'll see how it goes.
Never tried the carrots on the buffalo before, so...
We've no idea how they'll do on them. We'll wait and see.
Thank you very much.
28.8 tonnes, that is, of carrots.
So if they ate it at the same rate as the silage
these carrots should last them...two weeks.
Particularly on the east coast here, there's a lot of vegetables grown.
It's quite normal for farmers to take advantage of
the stuff that's not seen fit for human consumption.
Not that there's anything wrong with it -
just that they're the wrong shape and size.
You know, not to the supermarket's specification.
It's great for us to be able to try and take advantage of that.
Stevie's hoping his experiment with the cheap,
wonky veg will save him pennies while putting extra pounds on the buffalo.
If it lasts two weeks, the veg could work out cheaper than silage.
I'm quite excited about this one.
It'll make a nice change from shovelling silage around and...
anything new is always fun!
Buffalo, like all cattle or ruminants, have highly specialised stomachs,
perfectly suited for digesting silage, grass and other forage.
My research of buffalo in the very early days,
one of the things that appealed to me was that they're great foragers.
They can utilise poor-quality grass, dry grass, and put on weight,
whereas my big concern with the carrots and parsnips
is that this is the polar opposite of that.
We're giving them a very wet diet here,
which is full of nutrition but just how their stomachs will adjust to
that, it's going to be really, really interesting.
I think it's... definitely a gamble worth taking.
28 tonnes of root vegetables is a big gamble...
that could backfire.
I don't know what it might do.
We might end up with quite smelly buffalo.
I suspect that they might be farting a bit in the morning.
We'll wait and see.
BUFFALO SNORTS
As midwinter approaches, and Christmas draws near,
it's time for far-flung families to return to the farm.
In the Highlands, it's high spirits at Penny and Robin's...
I don't want it back!
..where family have descended and the croft is packed to the rafters.
Don't do that - the poor boy's eating.
We've got a house full now, which is quite a revelation for us.
Small children. Our children, who aren't so small these days.
A couple of new dogs turned up, so it's quite pandemonium the moment.
Are you starving, Gilly? Nobody ever feeds you.
Isn't it awful? There you go.
We've got both our daughters.
Rebecca and Rowena.
And their respective husbands, that's Charlie and Rhys.
And Becky and Charlie's two children - that's Cameron and Hazel.
Who are eight and five, I think.
I'm not very good about these things. I leave that to Penny.
What a slummy lunch - never mind. It's perfect, some good things.
We just love having everybody. It's just a shame that they live so far away.
But when they come, everybody's relaxed.
Becca and Rowena spent much of their childhood on the croft.
As dad Robin worked hard improving the land and building up the flock,
the girls were busy building memories.
Well, this is home, really. This is where I was brought up.
I've lived here since I was seven.
We've still got all the dens down in the woods from when we were kids.
They're all still there.
And our kids are loving it up here now, as well, so...
It's nice to let the elastic go a bit. There was never any rules when we were here and we just used to go.
They'd worry about us if we didn't come back for food, so...
Can I come up, too?
Can I?
It's funny, my sister and I,
we both absolutely adore the croft but for totally different reasons.
She'd be able to sort of run a croft better than me,
whereas I just like the really romantic aspect of it.
I guess that's me being a musician.
Rowena isn't the only musician.
Dad Robin was a professional violinist and, with a local Christmas ceilidh coming up,
it's a perfect excuse to showcase the family talents.
I can't believe what they've managed to achieve here and it changes every year.
I mean, Dad is one for ideas and you've seen what he's done in his life,
but, erm, what they've done up here is just amazing.
But they're not getting any younger!
That would be my only worry.
It's hard work up here.
It's a tough, tough life.
And three years ago,
life got tougher when Penny was diagnosed with Parkinson's.
What's going to happen to the croft long-term, I haven't a clue.
I really don't know. It's something I've given thought to
but I can't come to a good conclusion about it at all.
I don't know. I don't think any of the kids will probably want to take it over.
Possibly the grandchildren might want to take it over.
Hey!
If they don't get out on the croft, they're not going to experience it,
are they? See what it's all about and start to gradually get the place
under their skin and into their bones, you know, which is, erm, what they...
What the crofts do to you, eventually - they get, you know,
they get right into your whole psyche.
What do they do? Do they carry on?
Do they move? Do they sell up?
Erm, do they let somebody else farm it for them?
It's, er...
It will inevitably become harder but whether they ever make that decision to ever give up...
I don't think it'll happen. We'll discuss it and, one day, we'll have to deal with it.
But I... I don't... I don't think they'll choose to give up.
Keep it going. Bit more revs.
215 miles south,
Christmas for the Roans means an opportunity for the family to market their milk.
We've got that much stock, we don't know where everything is.
We don't travel light at all.
It's the Dalbeattie Christmas lights switch-on,
and Aylett's pulled in partner in crime and sister-in-law Tracey
to help run the family's milkshake stall.
All this, just to sell milkshakes!
Think positive. It's worth it.
I could be at home feeding calves.
Sure, you're out on a Friday night.
This is my night out.
This is classed as annual leave.
A night out in Dalbeattie.
What more could you want? I know.
But a night out doesn't mean a night off.
Aylett's not going anywhere without her phone.
Oh, for God's sakes!
Left it in the toilet!
It's like Dumb and Dumber on a day out.
I'm surprised we make it to these events!
That'll do.
It does generate a little bit of income but it's more about getting our name out
in the PR side of things, and, like, as well as serving, like,
our milkshakes with free-range milk it's very much, like, well,
"Have you heard that we do doorstep delivery?
"Do you fancy getting our milk on your door?"
It's lots of things.
It's, erm, yeah, need it to look nice for a change.
Road trip!
Right. Float. Yep. Milk. Generator. Yep. Gazebo.
Oh, the sides for the gazebo!
Yes. Are they in? That's in the big plastic tub.
Is it? They're definitely in? Yep. Right, OK.
I never saw them. Straws?
Two buckets. Pit box, board, sparkling personality.
Yep.
Good evening, Dalbeattie!
Dalbeattie town centre is filling up with folk enjoying the festive entertainment.
Big announcement for the boys and girls.
Santa is on his way, OK? Oh, my goodness.
Santa is on his way here...
Are we sitting right? Are my buns in?
Hi, what can I get you?
We'll have to shout really loud. What can we get you?
OK, one chocolate milkshake, and that's a salted caramel hot chocolate, yeah?
Yes, please. Yeah. Do you want the full works in it, with cream and marshmallows and everything? Yeah?
The milk bar is doing a brisk trade.
Men get under our feet. They get in the way.
Stuart's not really allowed in here, either.
No, they get in the way. It's much better if they just stay back.
Yeah, yeah. There we go. Thank you.
It's ours. It's not Stephen and Stuart's, it's mine and Aylett's.
It was our idea, erm, and when we did our big Dumfries show last year,
I think they saw what we could do. So we proved them wrong.
I think we're always trying to prove...
We're always trying to prove somebody wrong, that we can do it,
but we just push ourselves to the limit.
With the Christmas lights switch-on due any minute, Tracey's children,
Andrew and Lucy, join them with grandad Derek.
Are we watching it here? Watch the lights, Andrew.
Stand on the stool.
Watch them come on.
SHE CHEERS
Can you see them up the high street?
It's been a busy year. There's been times there's been tears,
blood and sweat.
Erm, probably a lot more lows,
just with the milk-price pressure on us but hopefully, this,
we're seeing a bit more promise in that, so that eases the pressure.
Everybody's a wee bit better fettle on it, which is nice,
especially at Christmas time,
that we'd be in a better position than we were in last year.
So that eases it a wee bit.
And just everything new.
I mean, we started doing doorstep deliveries in January.
And that's us nearly a year.
And it's just gone from strength to strength.
Everything's new. We started doing the Udder Bar in 2016 and it's flown
off and people are looking for it and it's really popular.
Just all these new things that have been created,
and you just get to hopefully carry on next year.
It's been a risk-taking year for the Roans,
turning a family dairy farm into a resilient business.
Get cleared up, packed up, home.
Sit down. Oh, no, I've still got all the stuff to do for tomorrow but then... Then sit down.
Whatever lies ahead, for now at least,
it's time to kick back and enjoy Christmas.
Merry Christmas!
So it's Christmas morning,
Tracey and I have been outside and done just all the really necessary
stuff. The kids have waited very patiently and they're just busy opening all their presents now.
A farming simulator.
A farming simulator? Oh, my.
Did he eat them both?
And he's drunk the milk and he's sat and read the Scottish Farmer.
Christmas. For busy farming families, a rare chance to spend quality time together.
So here we are down at Mum and Dad's, with just lots of presents for us,
and, oh, yeah, then there's him.
Ho, ho, ho. Ho, ho, ho.
But the farming doesn't stop.
It's Christmas Day. It's, erm, a bit windy, a bit wet.
Shepherds still have to watch their flocks.
Cattle still need feeding.
Merry Christmas!
And not every surprise at Christmas is a happy one.
And just when you think that...
That everything's going well...
And then I go down to the bullpen...
And we've got our old bull, our old Limmy bull...
Popped his clogs this morning for whatever reason.
He's no longer with us, poor chap.
So...
It's a well-coined phrase...
Along with livestock goes dead stock and, unfortunately,
the old bully boy, the old Limmy bull, that's it.
Such is life.
After six years' distinguished service,
Limmy is gone but not forgotten.
Father of over 120, his legacy will live on come spring,
when his last calves will be born.
As the year draws to a close, spring seems a distant thought,
as winter strengthens its grip on the land.
What better way to warm the spirits on a cold winter's night
than enjoying good company with some good old-fashioned Scottish entertainment?
Are we ready?
A ceilidh - a traditional Scottish musical gathering -
is held every year in Rogart's old school hall.
It's a chance for Robin and family and all the local villagers
and crofters to come together and raise the roof.
There's small people here, there's middle-aged people here,
there's old people here, there's me in here!
There's all sorts. No, there's no format.
And we just keep going and then we'll have supper in the middle of it,
do some more, and there's no telling what could end up at the end of the night.
CHEERING AND APPLAUSE
This is amazing. I mean, what a turn-out.
There must be 50, 60 people here.
And everybody seems to be playing.
Everybody seems to want to do something, which is just fantastic.
THEY SING AULD LANG SYNE
I'm just saying how utterly heart-warming is to see this amount of humanity
come from people from all over Rogart and how people just arrive on the top
of a windy hill in the middle of pitch blackness under a beautiful,
starry sky, and they all come to this tiny little room with a massive,
roaring fire, and it's just a very heart-warming thing to be part of.
There you go. You even get a kiss from your daughter. How's that? That's rare, isn't it?
Thank you, goodnight.
Next time... Come on, then.
..Janet and Alastair get to grips with some new technology...
"Please scan a tag."
Well, that's not worked, Alastair.
Chance, come here, come by. HE WHISTLES
..David and Sandra struggle with some headstrong sheep...
Come by, come by, come by, come by.
Jem, come by!
Chance, that'll do.
Now watch it, watch, watch, watch! Watch.
..and Stevie tries to save a baby buffalo's life.
It's definitely not looking too good for the wee fella at the moment.