Our Farm Next Door's Amanda Owen makes sad admission as she reflects on her future
The latest episode of Our Farm Next Door has seen Amanda Owen confront the stark realities of life at Ravenseat.
Ravenseat Farm was recently enveloped in a thick layer of snow, and while the Owen children delighted in the frosty scene, parents Amanda and Clive shared their concerns about the impact on their flock.
Clive voiced his unease, remarking, "January and February were funny months, and anything could happen. That Beast from the East was quite nasty. The kids were little, and we had no electricity for a week."
READ MORE - Gary Lineker's 'weird' set-up with ex wife and bold romance claim that shocked mates
READ MORE - Royal cleaning expert shares 10-minute trick for sparkling taps using 90p item
He further reflected on the challenges that come with farming, noting, "You know, everybody gets a little bit of snow, but it can be absolutely unbelievable here, and you've got to be careful, otherwise it'll have you out of business."
Amanda weighed in on the situation: "When that snow hits, it can be exhausting. It can be exhausting mentally and physically. Day one, day two, yeah, it is fun, day four, five, six, seven, and beyond, it is a real test," reports Gloucestershire Live.
(Image: Channel 4)
Clive also revealed the heartache they've experienced over the years due to heavy snowfalls claiming the lives of many sheep, saying, "In my time, there have been some pretty, pretty awful occasions where we've lost quite a lot of sheep under snow."
He lamented the difficulty of such situations, adding, "It's so vast out there that if they're not where you think they are, then it is a needle in a haystack."
Reflecting on her ability to overcome previous challenges, Amanda remarked, "In those situations, it's good to look back in hindsight and say, 'You know what we got through that'."
Amanda has also opened up about the particular mindset needed for her line of work, especially when faced with adverse weather. She said: "There's this thing whereby, the worse the weather gets, you should, in theory, want to spend more time inside by the fire, but when you're farming, you want to spend more time outside because you need to take care of the animals."
She further shared her thoughts on facing a frosty morning: "On a day like today, when you see that light shine through the window and you know that it's icy and snowy out there, you don't pull the duvet over your head; you're like, 'Let me at it'."
Amanda believes that such determination is crucial for anyone in the farming profession, musing, "Because that's what you have to do. And I always think to myself, 'the day that you don't want to do that, you've got to quit'."
The Owens family's adventures are set to continue in the new episode of Our Farm Next Door, which airs tonight. The upcoming instalment promises to show: "Spring finally arrives in Swaledale and the Owens gear up for another busy lambing season - but there is still the task of putting the ancient hearth stone back in place in front of the fire."
Additionally, viewers can expect to see touching scenes such as "Amanda, Edith and Clemmie enjoy a picnic as builder Richard gets on with laying a stone floor on top of new cosy underfloor heating, while the kids collect frogspawn."
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Daily Mirror
4 days ago
- Daily Mirror
Our Yorkshire Farm's Amanda Owen reflects on farm future as she makes candid admission
Our Yorkshire Farm's Amanda Owen was faced with extreme weather Channel 4 broadcast a repeat episode of Our Farm Next Door: Amanda, Clive and Kids on Saturday evening. The episode, which originally aired earlier this year from the second series, showed the farm facing harsh weather conditions as it became blanketed in snow, with the family struggling to safeguard their expectant sheep spread across the hillsides. Clive expressed his worries about the snow, saying: "January and February were funny months, and anything can happen. That Beast from the East was quite nasty, the kids were little and we had no electric for a week." He continued: "You know, everybody gets a little bit of snow, but it can be absolutely unbelievable here, and you've got to be careful, otherwise it'll have you out of business." Amanda shared her thoughts on the bitter snow conditions: "When that snow hits, it can be exhausting. It can be exhausting mentally and physically. Day one, day two, yeah, it is fun, day four, five, six, seven, and beyond, it is a real test.", reports Gloucestershire Live. Further into the programme, Amanda made a frank confession about farming, particularly during severe weather conditions. Whilst caring for the horses, she revealed: "On a day like today, when you see that light shine through the window and you know that it's icy and snowy out there, you don't pull the duvet over your head; you're like, 'Let me at it'." She pondered: "Because that's what you have to do. And I always think to myself, 'the day that you don't want to do that, you've got to quit'." Initially hitting our screens in 2018, Our Yorkshire Farm showcased the extraordinary way of life of Clive and Amanda Owen with their nine youngsters at their remote sheep farm in Yorkshire. Amanda and Clive are mum and dad to nine children: Raven, Reuben, Miles, Edith, Violet, Sidney, Annas, Clementine, and Nancy. The beloved documentary programme concluded in 2022 after Amanda and Clive's split. Continuing to enchant viewers, the Owens have made a comeback with the following instalment of their journey in Our Farm Next Door, following the family's escapades as they restore a period farmhouse situated in the picturesque Yorkshire Dales countryside. The 1800s dwelling sits in Swaledale close to Ravenseat Farm and bears the name Anty John in honour of a previous occupant called Anthony John Clarkson. In the final instalment of series two, Amanda gathered the entire brood to unveil the most recent progress in their continuing restoration project following 20 months of grafting, highlighting "how far we've got and how far we've got to go". Our Farm Next Door is available to watch on All 4.
Telegraph
4 days ago
- Telegraph
Hundreds of trees die after Labour-led council ‘fails to water them'
A spokesman for the Labour-led authority told the BBC the tree deaths were caused by 'exceptionally dry and warm weather'. They said: 'The trees were planted earlier this year and were watered when they went in and whilst they were getting established. 'Sadly, despite our best endeavours throughout the season, because of the exceptionally dry and warm weather we have had this year, a higher than normal number of saplings have failed.' Clive Rickaby, a Merrybent resident, accused the council of 'tick box behaviour' and not caring about the long-term future of the trees. 'A complete waste of taxpayers' money' Speaking to the BBC, Mr Rickaby said: 'It is absolutely ridiculous, just a complete waste of taxpayers' money. 'If they don't have a big enough team to water them, then they should not plant them.' The council has committed to removing the dead trees and trying to replace them next planting season. The UK has just endured its fourth heatwave of the summer, with temperatures exceeding 30 degrees last week, while there was only 2mm of rainfall overall in the week ending Aug 12. While the heatwave amplified current drought conditions, there has been no change to the Environment Agency's drought status this week. 'Prolonged dry weather' The government has classified the North East, where Darlington is, as in a period of 'prolonged dry weather'. Nearby regions of Yorkshire, Cumbria, Lancashire and Greater Manchester have been classified as being in ' drought '. More than 8.5 million households are currently also affected by hosepipe bans. South East Water, Southern Water, Thames Water and Yorkshire Water have all issued hosepipe bans due to a lack of rain this summer, following the second driest spring on record for England and the sixth overall across the UK. There is currently no hosepipe ban in Darlington. It comes as experts have claimed that planting trees is a good way of keeping cities cool ahead of future heatwaves. Scientists believe that planting more trees could cut air temperatures by up to 5C. 'Increase tree coverage' Philip Jones, a professor from the Welsh School of Architecture, said temperature reductions from tree coverage were 'significant'. The UK climate change committee previously reported that heat-related deaths could rise from 3,000 in 2022 to more than 10,000 in an average year by 2050. Professor Jones said that to cool an area by 4-5C, 'we've got to increase the tree coverage to somewhere in the order of 30-40 per cent'. A Darlington Borough spokesman said: 'The trees were planted earlier this year and were watered when they went in and whilst they were getting established. 'Sadly, despite our best endeavours throughout the season, because of the exceptionally dry and warm weather we have had this year, a higher than normal number of saplings have failed. 'We will take out those that have died and will look at replacing them, where we can, in the next planting season.'
Daily Mirror
26-07-2025
- Daily Mirror
BBC Countryfile's Adam Henson leaves fans 'very sad' with 'worrying' update
Countryfile presenter Adam Henson took to social media to share a video of his farm, which he runs in the Cotswolds Countryfile viewers were left feeling "very sad" as Adam Henson delivered a "worrying" update on the state of his Cotswold farm. Away from the cameras, Adam tends to his farm, a legacy passed down by his father. He's known for sharing the realities of farm life with his Instagram fans, including both triumphs and tribulations. Yet, his latest Instagram post raised alarm bells among his followers when Adam revealed that a severe drought was wreaking havoc on his crops. Accompanying a video that highlighted the parched earth, Adam captioned: "The drought has brought real challenges to both our crops and livestock." He continued with a glimmer of hope: "Thankfully, it has rained since filming, and we're starting to see signs of recovery in our grassland," reports Gloucestershire Live. In the brief video, Adam expressed his concerns: "I wanted to talk to you about how the heat and drought have affected the farm, both in our grassland, our livestock, and our arable cropping." He elaborated on the local conditions: "Up here on top of the Cotswolds, we've got very thin soil known as Cotswold brash. So it's thin and very stony, and droughts out very quickly. And so, as you can see in this field, it's just brown. We have had a little bit of rain over the last couple of days, and it's cloudy today, but look at the ground here. It's just brown and looks incredibly dead." Adam painted a stark picture of the current farming struggles, remarking: "Usually there'd be green grass growing in here for the sheep to graze on, to produce milk to feed their lambs, and the muck you can see on the ground is rock hard and hasn't been washed in by the rain and pulled down into the soil by the dung beetles and the worms." He went on to describe the dire conditions: "So there's this brown, dead grass covered in sheep muck, which is really not good for farming. So a lot of farmers across the country, whether they're dairy, beef, or sheep farmers, have had their animals on full winter rations." Wrapping up his message, Adam said, "Of course, in the winter months, the grass stops growing, and then you have to feed them hay and silage that you've cut during the summer." He further explained the unusual measures taken due to the harsh conditions: "But already, even though now in the middle of the summer, they'd usually be grazing the grass we're feeding them that hay and silage to give them fine to eat because, basically, there's nothing for them out here." The video has since sparked a wave of support in the comments section, with fans commending Adam for shedding light on such a critical topic, while others expressed their worries for the farmer's plight. One admirer lauded Adam's efforts: "Great video, Adam. What a tough year our farmers have had. Here's to hoping we get some proper rain soon." Another shared their concern: "Worrying times," and a third added their voice: "Very sad to see, I have the opposite, rain, wet, humid, and high worm forecasts!". A different user praised the informative nature of the post: "Good educational post, this one, Adam." Yet another follower expressed appreciation for the awareness raised: "It's been awful. Thanks, @adamhenson_, for highlighting this." One supporter concurred: "Awful, nobody thinks about that. Great eye opener."
