A Farmer’s Life For Me

6:00pm – Tuesday, April 10 on ABC1

Nine couples of would-be farmers have been whittled down to just two by self-made pig farmer, Jimmy Doherty. He faces his toughest decision yet, as he must announce who should have the chance to run their very own 10-hectare farm for a year.

To help him make up his mind, he has come up with the farming day from hell. Each couple must undergo a daunting series of livestock and arable challenges that involve herding and shearing sheep and ploughing and seeding land.

But the most difficult test of all is when the fledgling farmers must present their business plan for what they would do with the farm if they won. Emotions run high as everyone knows any mistake at this stage could end in disaster.

6:00pm – Tuesday, April 3 on ABC1

Three couples are left to compete for the big prize.

Jimmy wants to see who can cope with problems associated with largescale farming. He takes the couples to a fruit farm in Essex where he challenges their skills to harvest a bumper crop of strawberries.

He gives each couple a polytunnel (a tunnel made of polyethylene used to grow plants that require higher temperatures) of ripe strawberries to pick, also with the help of three pickers whom they choose themselves. They must then sell their produce wherever possible.

Jimmy also judges their capability on the amount of unpicked strawberries left behind.

6:00pm – Tuesday, March 20 on ABC1

This week, Jimmy Doherty’s fledgling farmers are tested on their ability to make money from poultry.

After a brief introduction to the industry that includes mastering the techniques of turkey insemination, the five remaining couples must decide what type of birds they want to rear. However, it’s not an easy choice with options ranging from emus to ducks.

Building fox-proof housing also proves too much for some as the weather takes a turn for the worse, but the toughest challenge of all comes when they must turn their poultry into profitable products.

Jimmy inspects their efforts before deciding which couple will be next to go home.

6:00pm – Tuesday, March 13 on ABC1

Six couples are left fighting to win the big prize.

Jimmy wants to see who has a head for business to come up with unique, profitable products to sell at a farmer’s market.

The fledgling farmers are each given the same amount of fruit and vegetables to turn into produce that represents a harvest from a small farm.

It is a huge task and several run into trouble when they don’t manage to finish their products in time.

Unfortunately, Ian and Stephen have to leave the competition due to Ian’s severe eye problem. He needs to have an operation, so reluctantly they farewell the other couples and Jimmy must make a quick decision.

6:00pm – Tuesday, February 28 on ABC1

Eight couples are left fighting for the chance to run their own farm in Suffolk.

Jimmy Doherty tests them in the competitive world of pig farming. They must learn how to groom and exhibit prize-winning pigs at agricultural events and come up with profitable pork products.

Learning how to section a pig’s carcass at the butchery is a little daunting for some couples, but it is an important part of their challenge.

However, when pigs escape from their pens and recipes go disastrously wrong, some of the couples know their farming dreams could soon be over.

6:00pm – Tuesday, February 21 on ABC1

Nine British couples with a dream of leaving the rat race, have the opportunity of a lifetime when they compete to win a sensational prize of running a farm in Suffolk for a year.

From factory workers to city execs, they all share a passion for the outdoor life, but do they have what it takes to make it in farming.

Each week, self-made pig farmer, Jimmy Doherty, will introduce the couples to a different aspect of the business from sheep herding to butchery, breeding livestock to creating and marketing their own produce.

There’s plenty of muck, mud and mishaps as the couples find out just how difficult it is to run a successful farm.

Jimmy will decide who will leave the show each week.

This week, the nine couples must choose a plot of land and show how they would run it to turn a profit.

They have three days and a budget of 1780 dollars to work on their challenge.

From ploughing to buying and housing livestock, this tough first challenge soon sorts the wheat from the chaff.