Sixth Former's family farm is a winner on BBC programme

A Sixth Former has made an appearance on a BBC TV programme which highlights the hard work of farming families.  

Dan G (O, UVI) appeared on The Farmer’s Country Showdown, a series that celebrates inspirational farming families and the rural events where they showcase their hard work.  

Dan said: “Over the course of Summer 2022, I spent two days filming for the BBC Farmer’s Country Showdown.  

“For those unfamiliar the series follows farmers and their families preparing and showing at agricultural shows, giving the public an insight as to what goes on preparing the animals the day before and showing them at the show itself. These shows are attended by 1000s of people with the largest ones spread over multiple days, however we spent the day filming at Tenbury show, one of our local shows. 

“The first day was a very intense day of filming, showing the farm itself, the animals that we keep on the farm, the preparing of the animals, as well as interviews throughout. Although watered down (as preparation for shows takes months) the filming of the episode captured the essence of the mad rush the day before a show, with last minute preparations and uncertain changes of plans. The process spanned the majority of the day and was a great way to prepare for the show day itself. 

“The second day of filming showed my family arriving at Tenbury show, setting up pens for the animals and making any last minute touch ups to the fleeces of the sheep. We were filmed showing the animals which consists of standing the animal up correctly as well as loosing them to allow the judge to see how the animal moves by itself.  

“After a very successful day we went forward to two different championships, the Interbreed, and the Interbreed group of 3. To finish off the day we ended up winning the Interbreed group of 3 Sheep, with the other family in the episode winning the Interbreed, a great way to round up the episode. 

“Overall, the process was new and exciting, but equally nerve wracking and put pressure on to perform at the best possible level. It was a brilliant experience which I was lucky to have and helped to give the farm and my flock of Border Leicesters some time in the spotlight.” 

You can watch Dan's episode of The Farmer's Country Showdown on BBC iPlayer.