Down on the Farm Update 3

Michael's niece and sister

Here are the latest updates from our Down on the Farm documentary commission film makers. 

​With Spring well and truly on its way things are definitely livening up Down on the Farm...

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Michael: March was indeed a busy time for the Balsdon Family. The sheep required constant care and every day saw each member undertake the same responsibilities. The sheep needed to be fed, drenched, moved around and the pens needed to be bedded up with fresh straw and eventually the sheep would be moved out of the farm and into the neighbouring fields.

During the month I focused on the daily routines with the filming centring around what Mum and Mel do on a daily basis. Mum and and Mel are usually the main people that work on the farm whilst Dad transports the sheep and also tends to the cattle who are calving at this time of year. They are the two people that are responsible for monitoring the sheep and making sure that the lambs are born without any complications.

On March 21st I interviewed Mel while she undertook one of her night shifts. I asked her what the purpose of night shifts were and also delved into her feelings about farming and I even asked her if she ever wanted to do anything else instead of farming. This for me gave great insight into why Mel works on the farm as I never took the time to ask her in the 19 years that I've been her brother and it was great to get to know my sister a bit better.

I also filmed my three year old niece Lola as she helped Mel out on the farm. Her enthusiasm and want to help out is remarkable especially because of how young she is. It was great seeing Mel showing Lola how to iodine the lambs, in order to stop any infection occurring in them, as it highlights how farming does help to strengthen the bond that they have.

The amount of footage I was able to gather was staggering and I'm not even finished yet with final interviews with the family and the interview with my sister Stacey while she is down helping still needing to be conducted as well as the filming of the lambs being put in the fields needed to be documented.

Follow Michael's Down on the Farm blog on his website.

Michael's sister and mum working with the lambs

Michael behind the camera

Michael's niece amongst the sheep

Michael gets a little help

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Holly & Jo: On Friday 22nd February Holly and Jo of Black Bark Films and Dee Butterly of the Landworkers’ Alliance travelled down to Down Farm in Winkleigh, North Devon to visit Liv James as part of the Down the Farm Moving Image commission. We took this opportunity to meet Liv and Henry, take a tour of the farm and get to know each other a bit better over soup on a blustery sunny day.

Polytunnels at Down Farm

Inside the polytunnel

Liv with the salads

Down Farm itself is located on the top of a hill with a view of Exmoor on one side and Dartmoor on the other. The growing field is south facing and the wind is relentless all year round. It’s beautiful, in direct sunlight for most of the day (on the days when the sun is out), and a polytunnel sits right in the middle.

We spent time discussing the logistics of the filming and the farm based events coming up throughout the year - any opportunities that might provide good moments to capture, such as the erection of a polytunnel in August, or a cob pizza oven earlier in the season. The harvesting of the farm produce starts in June, and Liv and Henry work with others to run the aptly named Harvest, a cooperative shop and education programme in Okehampton, as well as attending other farmers' markets as well as the day to day running of the market garden.

Over lunch we discussed how it feels to be a young woman moving from London to North Devon, the difference in their lives now - the perks of knowing if the surf is good by the view from the market garden, as opposed to the cultural diversity of East London. Rather than Liv’s previous life working in communications and marketing in the corporate sustainability sector in city, they are now focused on re-localising the food system - food politics at the local level rather than the global.

Henry mentioned that growing organic food locally ticks all the boxes when it comes to food politics. It’s tangible, positive and engaging. It’s not just romanticism. "A good farming system is the answer to a lot of things." Liv says at the end of the conversation. This is one of the angles that we want to explore in the film as we spend the coming months storyboarding and planning, liaising with potential composers and firming up the dates for our summer shoot. ​“I’ve never felt so stretched and pushed, and learning every day, it’s beyond anything I’ve ever expected, so much more than corporate sustainability.” - Liv James

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Linda enjoying her work!

Linda: It was lovely to be back on the farm at the end of March, I was greeted with glorious weather again and homemade soup and bread with Rose and Freddy. After lunch Rose and I went on a walk with Bailey (dog) around the farm, the fields were looking beautiful, Rose spoke about the tree planting and fences that had been built since my last visit. 

Since my last visit two of the young calves died as they contracted pneumonia. The calves were now on the other side of the shed and had a new daily routine for bedding. Both Rose and Freddy spoke about how machinery has helped them keep going especially as they are getting older. The bedding up is still strenuous but manageable as they are both so fit and strong. The older cattle were now in a different field this time and were awaiting their TB results, hopefully with the all clear; some would be off to market soon. Freddy enjoyed taking me to spend some time with them in the field, they were as friendly and inquisitive as last time! As Freddy arrives, the cattle immediately come over and announce their arrival.

Rose also spent some time talking with me about growing up on a farm, and she enjoyed sharing old photos from their photo albums.

Dinnertime for Rose and Freddy's cattle

Rose and Freddy are such a team, and both care deeply for their livestock. Their cattle are happy and always a joy to see. The farm it is a very beautiful place and I can see why Freddy and Rose both talk about how lucky they are to have those moments of reflection. I'm hoping to return again in May for a day to capture the young cattle as they are moved into the fields for the first time.

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​Florence: At the start of April I did some more filming with the Eveleighs as they came to the end of their lambing season - it was the first time I’d seen this first hand and it was an amazing experience to capture on film.

New lamb at the Eveleigh's

I also spent a happy afternoon zooming around on the back of a quad bike (capturing some very shaky footage!) and having my first ride in a tractor. However, no one visits West Ilkerton during lambing without getting involved, and farmer Chris made his debut as a filmmaker capturing this clip of me delivering a very large ram lamb (which of course has been christened Florence!). Sarah talked me through the process and it was such a privilege to be one of the team for this lovely sunny birth. ​

video clip of Florence delivering her namesake!

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James at work

James: Since winning the commission, my professional life has changed exponentially.  A personal milestone was achieved late in March, when I won a Craft Award for motion graphics from the Royal Television Society – Devon & Cornwall. I’ve had a blast flexing my creative muscles on the national stage and am truly excited to focus my attention on the Down on the Farm commission.

In terms of ‘Get Big, Get Different or Get Out’ I’ve been extremely busy, completing the pre-production phase of the film in late February, and have secured the equipment, crew and permissions needed for shooting. I am in the midst of putting together a comprehensive production document, which I am hoping will support the film and its findings across the research portion of pre-production, as well as informing potential audiences of the complete process across the films production.

During this time, I have also been building a relationship with my contributor, Wayne Copp. We’ve arranged a 3-day shooting phase in late May and are both itching to get started. I have recruited Curtis Pyke (former work experience student at North Devon Moving Image) as a camera assistant. Curtis is a first-year student at UWE (University of West England) and is an amateur drone pilot and cameraman.
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I feel 100% confident that we are fully prepared and are ready to enter the shooting phase of the project and I can’t wait to release some product stills, behind the scenes shots and of course – the final piece in November 2019.

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Thank you to all our project funders and partners who are making this exciting project happen!