Episode 2
After his grandfather's death, James Rebanks's family face a difficult financial decision about the farm. Read by Bryan Dick.
After his grandfather's death, James Rebanks's family face a difficult financial decision about the farm.
James Rebanks is the first son of a shepherd, who was the first son of a shepherd himself, he and his family have lived and worked in and around the Lake District for generations.
An increasingly marginalised and precarious livelihood - it costs Β£1 to sheer a sheep, yet each fleece is worth only 40p - Rebanks' anger at the way small farmers are treated, and his passion for continuing his ancestors way of life, is palpable. Through his eyes, we see that the Lake District is not a playground or a scenic backdrop, it's a working landscape that needs sheep and its farmers to survive.
James Rebanks has a huge following on Twitter @herdyshepherd1 where you can see photographs detailing day to day life on the farm - including his fine flock of Herdwick sheep and, the latest additions to the workforce, sheepdog Floss's ten puppies.
Read by Bryan Dick
Written by James Rebanks
Abridged by Sian Preece
Producer: Kirsteen Cameron.
First broadcast on Βι¶ΉΤΌΕΔ Radio 4 in April 2015.
Last on
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James Rebanks explains what his life is like and why it appeals to so many people.
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The Global Farm featuring James Rebanks
Four farmers from four continents compare sheep with buffalo and talk tractors
Credits
| Role | Contributor |
|---|---|
| Reader | Bryan Dick |
| Author | James Rebanks |
| Abridger | Sian Preece |
| Producer | Kirsteen Cameron |
Broadcasts
Tue 14 Apr 2015 09:45Βι¶ΉΤΌΕΔ Radio 4 FM- Wed 15 Apr 2015 00:30Βι¶ΉΤΌΕΔ Radio 4
- Tue 29 Mar 2016 14:45Βι¶ΉΤΌΕΔ Radio 4 Extra
- Wed 30 Mar 2016 02:45Βι¶ΉΤΌΕΔ Radio 4 Extra
- Tue 21 Jan 2020 14:45Βι¶ΉΤΌΕΔ Radio 4 Extra
- Wed 22 Jan 2020 02:45Βι¶ΉΤΌΕΔ Radio 4 Extra
James Rebanks: On Your Farm
Caz Graham Caz joins James herding sheep back to the fells for summer.
The Shepherd's Life - Are Ewe A Shepherd at Heart?
Take our quiz and discover if you can tell your heft from your herd.
One shepherd and his beloved Herdwick sheep
James Rebanks reflects on the worldwide response to The Shepherd's Life.
James Rebanks: "People like us are married to the landscape"
James Rebanks on his connection to the land and the farmers that went before him
Nine things you never knew about sheep
James Rebanks reveals some surprising facts about ewes, rams and lambs.
A Sheepdog's Life
If there were a prize for the world's cutest puppy, Floss would have won.