farming

Countryfile – Rockingham Castle: John Craven and Anita Rani get into the Christmas spirit at Rockingham Castle, which is celebrating its 950th anniversary. Anita discovers that Charles Dickens was a regular visitor during the festive season, and would perform plays not only for the Lords and Ladies but also the servants. Anita forages for greenery to make a Christmas wreath, and John joins a wildlife survey to discover what is making their Christmas home in the castle’s famous elephant yew hedge.       Chef and food writer Romy Gill is hard at work in Rockingham’s kitchen to create Christmas […]

Landward episode 26 2022: Dougie takes a winter walk at Loch Lubnaig in the Loch Lomond and Trossachs National Park in a special festive programme looking back on 2022. He revisits the stories that Anne, Arlene, Cammy, Rosie and Shahbaz have reported on this year. Dougie reflects on the big themes, best places and inspiring people the team have met as they travelled thousands of miles in every direction across the stunning Scottish countryside.       Landward episode 25 2022 is a long-running Scottish television programme focusing on agricultural and rural issues, produced and broadcast by BBC Scotland. The

Countryfile – Rural Power: Rural households are more vulnerable to the current energy crisis and fuel poverty due to lower wages, poorly insulated buildings and a heavy reliance on cars. However, there are some communities that are finding ways to take power into their own hands – literally. Ellie Harrison heads to Bethesda, a village in rural north west Wales built around former slate quarries and the River Ogwen that is now home to a growing community of energy self-sufficiency.       With hydro pumps, solar panels, e-transport, energy wardens and repurposed buildings, this local community has found a

Landward episode 25 2022: With the festive season fast approaching, Dougie visits a farm near Buchlyvie, in Stirlingshire, that has diversified from producing beef to growing Christmas trees. He lends a hand as people come along to cut their own trees. Elsewhere, Rosie is in Ullapool to help the community build this year’s creel Christmas tree, while Cammy visits young farmers taking part in the trial of an app that tracks low-level mental health.       Anne is near Strathdon to find out out how avian flu is affecting poultry farmers producing Christmas turkeys. Avian flu, also known as

Countryfile – Winter Wonders: Anita Rani is at the world-famous Wildfowl and Wetlands Trust in Slimbridge, a centre of research and conservation founded by Sir Peter Scott in 1946, to discover some wonderful winter sights. Anita waits for one of the most magical moments in the Slimbridge calendar, the arrival of Bewick’s swans. Having flown all the way from Russia, these rarest and smallest of swans land here to spend the winter in warmer climes – a phenomenon known to locals as ‘swanfall’.       Anita meets Mary, one of the original ‘swan girls’, who explains how she used

Countryfile – Inclusive Farming: Matt Baker rolls up his sleeves to help out on a remarkable smallholding in Bedfordshire. Farmer Mike Duxbury lost his sight at the age of six due to glaucoma, but that didn’t stop him from achieving his dream to farm. Touch and sound enable him to navigate the farm and take on anything that needs doing, from checking livestock to wielding power tools to build animal enclosures. And Mike is determined to inspire young people with disabilities to get into agriculture by running practical courses.       Meanwhile, Joe Crowley investigates if enough is being

Countryfile – Plant Britain Finale: As Countryfile’s Plant Britain initiative to plant three-quarters of a million trees across the UK reaches its climax, John Craven and Ellie Harrison are at the Countryfile wood in Cheshire. Planting here began just two years ago, but John and Ellie discover how the saplings are already helping nature. Ellie also checks out the positive impact trees have on the planet, from seed to deadwood. Charlotte Smith finds out how community gardens are changing lives and discovers the fascinating underground system that enables trees to talk to each other.       Tom Heap visits

Countryfile – Mount Edgcumbe Country Park: Margherita Taylor visits Mount Edgecumbe Country Park in Cornwall to mark Remembrance Sunday. She discovers how ex-servicemen and women are being helped to heal old wounds and develop new skills for the future. For many veterans, the transition from military to civilian life can be tough, but dedicated charities and initiatives can help to give them a new start in life – from solace and healing in nature to training in cutting-edge technology in the battle against poaching and deforestation across the globe.       Charlotte Smith meets farmers dealing with eye-watering energy