This Farming Life - Episode Guide

It's autumn, the time of year to prepare for the mating season. Sea shepherd Sandy gathers in wild sheep from a remote Scottish island by boat.

In the west of Scotland in Argyll, husband and wife George and Sybil gather in their sheep from over six square miles of rugged mountainside.

Sandy and his fellow crofters gather in their sheep from the moor and club together to dip them in insecticide before mating time.

It's early winter and, although the weather is getting colder and darker, it's a time of year that brings new life on the farms.

As Christmas finally arrives, there are celebrations and a sad discovery in Martin's cattle shed.

John Scott and Martin Irvine head to the Stirling bull sales, each hoping to sell four of their best bulls.

Lambing season is just a month away. Martin tends to their 500 pregnant ewes and gets the lambing sheds ready with dad Stevie.

Spring arrives for the farmers. In the north, John is expecting more than 6,000 new lambs, so hires in extra staff.

Bobby's father's 90th birthday is looming and thoughts turn to who will run the farm when it's time to hand it on to the next generation.

In Argyll, Sybil prepares for George's 50th birthday. Bobby and Anne hold an open day to educate the public about farming.

Summer arrives at last. In the east of Scotland, Martin prepares two young bulls for the Royal Highland Show in Edinburgh.

In central Scotland, Bobby and Anne must gather their pregnant ewes from the hills ready for lambing. Bobby's father's 90th birthday is looming and thoughts turn to who will run the farm when it is time to hand it on to the next generation. In East of Inverness, Mel and Martin move into a caravan in the lambing shed to deal with the imminent arrival of hundreds of lambs. On the Isle of Lewis, Sandy makes tweed curtains for their holiday let and Ali cooks Easter buns.

In Argyll, Sybil prepares for George's 50th birthday and the arrival of her sister and niece from England. Sybil and George are also looking after a desperately ill cow. Julia K had a traumatic caesarean and is too weak to stand up on her own, so they decide to lift her to her feet twice a day using a sling and a forklift truck to help build her muscles up. East of Inverness, persistent rain means Martin's cattle and young calves are yet to be turned out of their winter sheds into the fields. Sybil's sister and niece arrive and there's tension over the question of who will take on the family farm in the future. In central Scotland near Loch Lomond, Bobby and Anne hold an open day to educate the public about farming. North of Aberdeen, John has to urgently call the vet when one of his heifers gets into difficulty calving. The vet decides on a caesarean but it's a major operation and there's no guarantee she, or her huge calf, will survive.

In the east of Scotland, Martin prepares two young bulls for the biggest event of the farming calendar, the Royal Highland Show in Edinburgh. First they need their nose rings, an accessory no bull can do without. Martin and Mel's wedding is also looming. Martin goes for his final kilt fitting and Mel meets her dad to discuss their plans. Ahead of the wedding they are 'blackened' by family and friends with feathers, flour and treacle in an old Scottish ritual. Back from their honeymoon, Martin and Mel must shear half their flock of sheep with a team of helpers. Then all the farmers travel to the Royal Highland Show, where Bobby enters a bake off, Sandy and Ali try to sell their mutton, John puts all his faith into his prize bull and Martin gets a surprise result when he enters a young novice bull into the competitions.

This final episode features all the farmers from across the year reflecting on what each season means to them. In autumn the programme revisits sea shepherding with Sandy on the Isle of Lewis in the Outer Hebrides. In the west in Argyll, Sybil and George gather in their sheep from over six square miles of mountainside. As winter descends over Scotland, the farmers reflect on this time of year. It's bitterly cold but this is also a time of new life for the farmers. It's a huge relief when spring arrives. Martin collects semen from his prize bull, and Sandy and Ali welcome two new calves to their croft. As summer arrives, the farmers can finally put their cattle out to the fields. Martin's have been indoors for eight months. Further west, Sybil and George welcome home their cattle from their winter sheds on another farm.

On Mull, new entrant farmers Janet and Alastair take their lambs to auction, inDumfries and Galloway, three generations of the Roan dairy-farming family enter a cow and a young heifer into competition at the South West Scotland Dairy Show, and in Argyll, hill farmers David and Sandra prepare for autumn by gathering in their sheep for a mineral dose and spreading slurry, while in the far north in the Highlands, crofters Robin and Penny's cattle are tested for bovine TB.

Our old friends newlyweds Mel and Martin Irvine return to the series and introduce their newest member of the family, four-month-old Erin. In Fife, buffalo farmer Stevie must select a new breeding bull from hisherd. Highland crofters Robin and Penny chase a runaway calf and Alastair has to leave Janet alone on Mull while he travels to the mainland to take an important deer-stalking test.

On Mull, Janet and Alastair put Owen, their new young virgin tup, to the test. Stevie risks the wrath of the buffalo mums when he ear-tags four newborn calves, early snow on the Western Highlands helps David gather his sheep and Martin, Mel and Erin hope for a windfall at the Carlisle bull sales.

As winter arrives, Stevie experiments with a radical buffalo feeding idea, David is anxious to find out if his cows are in calf, dairy farmers the Roan family set up a milkshake stand at the Dalbeattie Christmas lights-on event and Robin and Penny's family arrive in the Highlands for the annual festive ceilidh.

Dairy farmers Steven and Tracey Roan turn to technology to increase their chances of female calves, David and Sandra's hefted sheep go back to their homes on the hill, Janet and Alistair's new purchases prove problematic and Stevie and stockman Eddie go all out to save the life of a buffalo calf.

Alone on the farm, Mel must act fast to help a trapped bull, the Holstein Society assessor comes to judge the merits of the Roans' herd, an avian flu scare puts Robin and Penny's hens on lockdown and David is called to the rescue when a cow gets stuck in a bog.

Spring is in the air. On Mull, Highland cow Goldilocks gives Janet and Alastair a fright when a calving goes wrong.

Lambing and calving are in full swing. In Drummuir, Mel tries every trick in the book to help a first-time mum bond with her lambs.

Weaning time at the buffalo farm gives Stevie and his neighbours a sleepless night and a milk fever epidemic puts David and Sandra's cows in peril.

In Appin, David is beset by pests, and out on the hill his lambs are under threat from predators. In the Highlands, Robin and Penny makes use of the fine weather to cut peat, a cow undergoes open stomach surgery at the Roans' dairy farm, and Stevie decides to give his retired bull 007 a new assignment.

The sun is out and in the south of Scotland dairy farmers the Roans are struck down by silage fever; Janet and Alastair take a road trip to the mainland and find something very unusual in a group of young female sheep; crofters Robin and Penny's hopes for making money rest on sales of meat and pies at the biggest local food event of the year; and Stevie test-drives his new burger grill at Perth Races Ladies' Day.

It is midsummer and, in the final episode of the series, David and Sandra have to shear the sheep and start to train a month-old foal. Dairy farmers Stuart and Aylett Roan take a break from the cows to prepare for piglets, Robin and Penny's hay harvest is threatened by the weather, and Stevie reveals big plans for the future of his buffalo business.

As the new year begins, we meet three new farming families – father-and-son team Raymond and Johnny Irvine, Shetland sisters Kirsty and Aimee Budge and the Rodgers family in Co Down, Northern Ireland - and buffalo farmer Stevie Mitchell returns.

New entrant crofting couple Lynn and Sandra send their first pigs to slaughter. Raymond's best bull Major is injured in a brawl. The Rodgers hopes of Balmoral show hang on a clear TB test and buffalo farmer Stevie goes shopping in Holland.

Inspectors arrive to check Raymond and Johnny's subsidy claim. Kirsty and Aimee gather the flock in from St Ninian's Isle. Lynn and Sandra host their first workshop at the croft. The Beast from the East wreaks havoc on Stevie's buffalo farm.

A new family, dairy farmers the McLeans, are introduced. Raymond goes the extra mile to save his lambs. Stevie faces buffalo cow number 666, and Kirsty and Aimee take last year's calves to market.

The Rodgers face a final TB test. Animals arrive at Lynn and Sandra's croft. Raymond is kept guessing by his surrogate sheep and a calving boom starts at Kirsty and Aimee's farm.

In Shetland, Kirsty tackles her first breach birth. Stevie's favourite pygmy goat Ginger struggles to give birth to twins. Raymond's cows run amok on their way to the fields and the Rodgers take young heifer Nadia to the Balmoral Show.

Raymond tests the market for his cross-bred valais blacknose sheep. Lynn and Sandra go to their first ever auction to buy sheep and hens for the croft.

Lynn and Sandra face the danger of a drought on the croft. Stevie's buffalo herd go for a cooling dip in the loch. And at the Royal Highland Show, Raymond and Johnny aim high with their Charolais, while Aimee puts her pony skills to the test.

Lynn and Sandra harvest their first honey. The Rodgers give bull Mario a send-off. Raymond's flock is under threat from flystrike, and 50 of Stevie's buffalo escape.

Raymond and a team of volunteers give the valais blacknose sheep a bath. Kirsty and Tom rescue fallen sheep on the isle. Stevie attempts to milk his first buffalo.

Raymond and Jen take a busman's holiday to Switzerland. The McLeans host the Holstein Society and bad news forces Stevie to make a shocking decision.

Lynn and Sandra start an egg club. The Rodgers host a barbecue for the Young Farmers Club. Raymond and Johnny wean this year's lambs, and Kirsty and Aimee bring in the barley.

In Armadale, a hill farmer prepares for one of Europe's biggest sheep sales, while in Haweswater, a couple take on the biggest gamble of their lives by moving to a larger farm 10 miles north. An Aberdeenshire couple who began farming four years ago plan to raise baby ostriches, and a Northumberland shepherd prepares for the National English Sheepdog trials, and new farmers hatch ostriches.

Father and daughter team Frank and Georgia compete in the Westmoreland County Show, Matt and Murray deal with a DIY disaster and an escapee calf, and Emma and Ewan find out if their pedigree bull is firing on all cylinders.

The stags are roaring on Isla and George's farm. Matt and Murray shop for a new tup. Joyce rescues her ewes. Helen and Graham fear the worst for their poorly piglet.

Ewan trains JohnJo the bull. Isla and George fight to save a poorly deer calf. Matt and Dani reach an important milestone, and Joyce tries to get the best price for her calves.

Disaster strikes for Helen and Graham. Emma and Ewan receive bad news. Frank and Georgia introduce pygmy goat Pluto to the ladies, and Joyce heads to Edinburgh.

Helen and Graham's herd undergo blood tests, and Grey is introduced to sheep for the first time. Matt deals with an unexpected arrival, while Isla and George put their plans on hold.

Following six farming families in some of Scotland's most remote locations. Emma and Ewan move to their forever farm on Bute, while cousins Donald and David prepare for a busy lambing season.

Lambing is in full swing for the Cursiter family on Orkney, and it's full steam ahead for the Love family's dairy plans. Meanwhile, Emma and Ewan struggle to get to grips with their new farm.

Ronnie and Pete prepare for a leggy new arrival, Joanna embarks on a steep learning curve, and young farmer Sean nears the end of a bumper lambing season.

Emma and Ewan hatch a plan to breed peacocks, Barbara gets her pumpkin plan off to a strong start, and Ronnie and Pete turn to cutting-edge science.

Young farmer Sean hits the road for his annual sheep shearing trip, while the Love family press ahead with their dairy plans. Ronnie and Pete prepare for the Royal Highland Show.

Emma and Ewan earn their first pay cheque for the new farm, while Joanna and Donald press ahead with plans for their farm shop and Sean returns home to the family farm.

Emma and Ewan compete in the Bute Agricultural Show, Mike heads to Northern Ireland in search of a pedigree tup, and the drought causes problems for the Love family in Stranraer.

Barbara launches her first sunflower afternoon tea event, Sean and the family are faced with tragedy, and plans finally become reality for the Love family in Stranraer.

Emma and Ewan head to Kelso Ram Sales in search of three new tups. In Orkney, Sean joins the ranks of farmers selling stock online, and it's harvest time in Fife.

Pumpkin season arrives at the Girvans' farm in Loch Ness, Kayleigh's milkshakes go down a treat, and Emma and Ewan put their new tups to the test.

The first snowfall of winter arrives. In Orkney, Sean works with his dad Michael and uncle Martin in stormy weather to bring their cows in for shelter. Later, Sean reveals he's one step closer to the dream of owning his own farm.

In Stranraer, it's launch day for the Love family's new dairy business, but first Kayleigh has to get up to speed on the new vending machine.
Afterwards, the whole family come together to celebrate dad Andy's birthday and reflect on the year gone by.

In Loch Ness, it's down to the wire with just a couple of weeks to go until Joanna and Donald open their new farm shop. With a mountain of tasks to complete before doors open, plans are thrown out the window when Cilla, their family dog, gives birth to her litter of puppies early, and one of Donald's cows needs an emergency caesarean.

In Loch Ness, the countdown to Christmas begins. Donald and Joanna hit a few teething problems as they open their new farm shop in the middle of a winter storm. Later, with their reindeer event in full swing, they reflect on their year of change.

In Fife, brothers Mike and Pete work in stormy weather to bring the cows in for their first pregnancy scanning, which will reveal how successful their new joint venture has been. The whole family gets involved with a local Clydesdale horse show, in which young colt foal Rocky competes against his older stable mate, Maximus.

As Emma and Ewan near the end of their first year on their new farm in Bute, they are taking the time to return to what they know and love best: training sheepdogs. Later, they reveal a new business plan, which draws on both their strengths.

Robert finds out how many of his cattle are pregnant in the Cairngorms, the MacDonald's test out their potato harvester in North Uist, and Nikki and Ollie's cow goes into labour.

The Barclays are finding their feet with the new Fat Lamb business. Rachel and Camy head to Lairg to buy more ewes. Nikki and Ollie find out if their favourite buffalo is pregnant.

In North Uist, the Highland cattle are moved to a tidal island, and pregnancy is scanned. It's showtime for Camy and Rachel, and in the Cairngorms, Jenni expands her animal menagerie.

Fraser and Carianne head to the mainland to buy new tups. The Barclay family prepare their sheep for the Lanark Winter Show, while Nikki and Ollie try their hand at farming rabbits.

A deep freeze scuppers plans for the Barclays in South Ayrshire. Nikki and Ollie sell their produce at a Christmas farmers' market. Robert gets to work on the new alpaca arena.

Carianne takes a bull to the Oban Highland Show. The Barclays are up all hours as they start lambing. Rachel and Camy gather in their ewes for an important pregnancy scan.

Rachel and Camy prepare to welcome this year's Park Cheviot lambs. Nikki and Ollie's rabbit breeding programme bears fruit. Robert heads to market to sell last year's calves.

Jenni moves her alpacas to their new arena. The MacDonalds organise a massive breakfast run for their pregnant cows. Nikki and Ollie invest in a new honesty shack.

Carianne searches for the missing mother of a newborn calf. Rachel and Camy are on the hills tending to their Cheviots. John and Heather help to deliver their Beltex lambs.

Robert calls out the vet for a sick ewe. Nikki and Ollie taste their rabbit meat at a local restaurant. The Barclays prepare their best sheep for show season.

Jenni's alpacas get their annual short back and sides, the MacDonald's cattle make an epic journey across a tidal sandbar, while Nikki and Ollie down tools for Gala Day.

The Barclay boys hope to win the coveted Young Handler trophy at the Royal Highland Show. Rachel and Camy put their hopes in lamb patch. Nikki and Ollie open their doors to the public.

It's a big year as Nick prepares to take over the family farm from dad, Derek. Jo and Andy await the fate of their swamped crops, and Paul and Mel trade farm tools for fish and chips.

A chasm appears in Andy and Jo's wheat field, single mum Sally pregnancy-scans her ewes, while the Imrie family discuss an events business set-up to take pressure off the farm.

The Imries wrestle stubborn pigs, while it's Nick's easycare sheep versus dad's trad breeds. On Papa Westray, Paul's ram has had a secret rendezvous with two ewes.

John and Antoinette have their hands full, as Ben's had to take a full-time job. The Morrises have a very difficult lambing, and Sally gets some long awaited news.

With no hospital on Papay, Mel must have her baby on mainland Orkney. Nick and Derek fight to keep a calf alive and a nursery group get a lambing surprise at the Imrie family farm.