Rare Breed: A Farming Year
Season 2
This 12 part series follows a dozen Irish farming families across an entire year. Working and living in harmony with nature we witness the highs and lows as they battle ever-changing weather and fluctuating commodity prices. Made for ITV.
12 Episodes
- January
E1Episode 1JanuaryJanuary's cold and wet weather keeps most livestock indoors, providing the farmers with the perfect opportunity to prepare for the coming months and seasons. Aware that any decisions could ultimately mean the difference between success and failure, they are careful when making crucial business plans for the year ahead. - March
E3Episode 3MarchSevere blizzards and Arctic temperatures plunge many of the farms into crisis, with thousands of sheep caught in snowdrifts and other livestock forced to spend weeks indoors. As feed prices continue to rise, the situation is considered a financial disaster and livelihoods are at stake. - April
E4Episode 4AprilThe spring blizzards have brought many farms to breaking point and the subsequent thaw reveals a new crisis - the ground is too sodden for livestock and silage is running out at several locations. For arable farmers, the typical calendar has been thrown into chaos, with some of them already a month behind sowing the year's crop. - May
E5Episode 5MayMany of the farmers attend the Balmoral Show at the former Maze prison site near Lisburn, Co Antrim, where they present livestock, sell produce and catch up with friends. With more than 80,000 visitors and around 500 exhibitors, the three-day agricultural event provides an ideal opportunity to do business with buyers from across the UK and Ireland. - August
E8Episode 8AugustCameras catch up with the farmers during August, when many of the farms are finally ready to harvest, calves are being born, and sheep are being sheared. Planning ahead never stops, and preparations for the following year are already in full swing, with grass sowing and drainage work being undertaken. - October
E10Episode 10OctoberAs the weather takes a turn in October, many farmers race to complete harvests and preparations are under way to ensure barns are ready to house animals for the coming winter months. Meanwhile, in Co Fermanagh, 11-year-old Robbie Savage begins his own venture - a new flock of Suffolk sheep.
