Latest news with #shepherd
BBC News
2 days ago
- General
- BBC News
National sheepdog champion hopes to defend title in Penrith
A sheepdog trial champion says the skills needed to train the herding dogs are in danger of being Philip Walton and his border collie Scott, from Hethersgill, Cumbria, hope to defend their English championship title at the national sheepdog trials in Penrith this weekend. Farmers have worked with sheepdogs for thousands of years, but Mr Walton said he was anxious about the future. He said it was difficult to get young people involved in sheepdog training, adding: "The dogs are there for the management of the sheep, and if that's lost, it will all be lost, and disappear." Mr Walton said he and Scott were so close he viewed the dog as "part-human". "He can understand what I'm thinking and sometimes he knows more than me." Mr Walton said it had taken hours and hours of work to train Scott over the last seven years, but his collie had now become so good at the job that "he can take the lead". "He's a very willing dog," he said. "He'll go to the end of the earth for me. He has a very great understanding of sheep, how to handle sheep."He explained how the sheep respected his border collie and sheepdogs could not just be "bullies"."Some dogs can upset sheep just going through the gate into the field. And then there's other ones."As well as herding sheep, Scott looks after them. He often finds sheep that have fallen down holes, and those buried deep in the snow. But they are skills Mr Walton fears will be lost, as fewer farmers have the time or need to train up the dogs. He said the skills were disappearing at the same time as there were fewer sheep on the fells, and a lot less collie dogs were wanted to shepherd the sheep. Mr Walton and Scott became English champions at the National Sheepdog Trials last trials, organised by the International Sheep Dog Society, are one of four being held across England, Wales, Ireland and demonstrate their dogs' ability to control sheep in a bid to qualify for the international trials, which will be held near Wrexham in Walton and Scott will learn if they have managed to keep hold of their winning trophy on 17 August. Follow BBC Cumbria on X, Facebook, Nextdoor and Instagram.
CBC
4 days ago
- General
- CBC
Hundreds of goats put to work taming overgrown plants in Nose Hill Park
The City of Calgary has brought in 800 goats to snack on invasive and overgrown plants in part of Nose Hill Park. Shepherd and self-described goat lady Jeannette Hall says the animals are specially trained to target specific plants.
The Guardian
10-08-2025
- Entertainment
- The Guardian
‘I didn't realise pigs were like, massive': the London rapper who fell in love with farming
In Hood 2 Farm, a 76-year-old shepherd is explaining his daily routine. 'There's only my wife and I, and when she gets out of bed, I get in, and when I get out of bed, she gets in,' he says. The south London rapper Fekky pauses, before saying: 'If you don't mind me asking, if she's getting out of bed, you're getting in bed, when are you … hugging up, man?' The farmer laughs and replies: 'It's not happening, chap!' to Fekky's clear horror. This kind of interaction is common on Hood 2 Farm, a unique and genuinely inspired YouTube series about the rapper's attempt to become the steward of his own farm. Across eight 30-minute episodes, he meets farmers from around the UK and learns basics such as milking cows, shearing sheep and driving tractors. The resulting show wraps genuine insight about agricultural practice in the screwball energy of classic British comedy, thanks to Fekky's perpetual fish-out-of-water spirit – he is fond of wearing a Gucci cap on the farm – and clear passion for nature. With some episodes netting well over 100,000 views, the unconventional series has been a hit, and Fekky says he plans to continue with future seasons. Fekky, 38, says the idea began before lockdown, when he went on holiday to Thailand to decompress from the pressures of life in the music industry. As a rapper, Fekky has played to crowds of thousands, appeared alongside Dizzee Rascal, collaborated with Skepta and started his own label, F Music, but has often talked about his struggles with alcohol use and anxiety. 'After my long music career, I just decided to have a break – a lot of it gets very busy and gets wild,' he says over a video call. 'I just fell in love with nature in Thailand.' When he got home, London was plunged into lockdown, and he began gardening as a way to pass the time, documenting his progress on social media. 'I realised there were a lot of people that were engaged and loved seeing me doing it, I think because I was a fish out of water,' he says. He decided he 'wanted to live in nature full time', so he bought a plot of land – which he has dubbed F Manor – and decided to leave London for good, while continuing to post farm content. 'I just said to myself that I should basically learn farming but show everyone that's watching, especially the youth, what I'm doing – so as I'm learning, they can learn,' he says. The posts were a runaway success, and people began messaging him asking when his next piece of farm content would go live, 'so it made sense for me to do a show about farming'. The only problem, of course, was that he 'didn't know nothing' about farming, and had never set foot on a farm until he bought one. His family back in Nigeria are farmers, he says, 'so I knew it must be something in the family, but I had no idea'. When he decided to visit other farms, he was shocked by how little he knew about where our food comes from. 'A pig farm is like … I thought pigs were small, like that' – he holds his hands about 10 inches apart – 'I didn't realise pigs were, like, massive,' he says, still astounded. 'You see food on a plate, but you never think about where it's coming from. The first thing I learned about having chickens was like … it's weird to think you're eating chicken … but then I love my chickens, if that makes sense.' You can see Fekky experiencing all this in real time on Hood 2 Farm, which rivals some sitcoms in its laughs-per-minute ratio. It's amazing to see how game Fekky is to puncture his own tough-guy rapper image. In the first episode, he gets hit in the face by a cow's tail while attempting to milk it, admits he previously thought a cow's teats were 'willies', and asks a farmer whether milk is actually just semen – to her dumbstruck confusion. In Fekky's mind, there hasn't been a single wildest moment of learning to farm – the entire process has been totally shocking. 'A cow tried to hit me!' he says. 'Even sheep, I was trying to herd sheep, and it was just crazy – they're going everywhere! And I never thought I would have 10,000 bees all over me. You're just walking straight into that craziness. Just being comfortable around animals was the hardest part – all the animals are big, and if you run into something where you don't know what it can do, there's a danger element. But it didn't end up being dangerous, you just feel a bit, like, out of your depth.' The feeling of being around the animals, he says, isn't so dissimilar to being on stage. 'You're stepping into the unknown every time,' he says. 'The similarity is the adrenaline rush you get when performing on stage or when I'm with animals – because, like I said, it feels dangerous – but then after that, it's like, it's all right.' Since making the pivot to farm life, Fekky has found that his friends and family have been more than supportive – 'a lot of my rapper friends all want to come to the farm' – and have been amazed to find that growing your own food can come with benefits on multiple levels. 'When I give my eggs, which I get from my chickens, to my friends, they say they taste so much better than from any shop,' he says. 'I think I've opened people's eyes to eating food that you're growing yourself. Something about it just tastes real.' The greatest benefit for him personally, he says, is on his overall mental health and wellbeing. 'I think nature in general is very healing, and we live a very wild lifestyle as rappers; hotel to hotel, show to show,' he says. 'Going into farming gives you the balance. We shouldn't pigeonhole ourselves to one thing in our careers. After a while, you should start thinking about how diverse you can be, and what else can you do in life? Even if it's just a hobby.' That's the lesson he wants to impart to black British kids who might be watching. 'I just hope the youth understand that where you start in life is not where you finish. You have to explore the world and open your thoughts. I think when we grow up, you see people like myself being rappers or footballers, and these are the most cliche careers that people think you have to go into to make it. I want you to understand that you can be you, you can explore, you can do farming, and you'll be accepted and find happiness.' Hood 2 Farm is on YouTube
BBC News
15-05-2025
- General
- BBC News
How an orphaned Devon lamb changed estate agent's life
Flashy cars, a prestige job and plenty of money - high-flying estate Stephen Keighley had it all. Underneath, he knew "something was badly wrong"."One morning I was driving to work, and tears started coming down my face," he said."I pulled over, rang into work and said, 'I'm not coming in' and they said, 'will you be back tomorrow' and I said, 'No I'm never coming back' and that was it."Mr Keighley left his London life of 25 years and moved back to Cornwall, where he had grown up. Despite being back home, he still struggled. That was until five years ago when a friend gave him an orphaned lamb named Benny to care for - giving him a purpose that "changed his life". "Having to care for Benny 24/7 and help him survive gave me a motivation and a purpose in life that perhaps I had been missing for a few years," Mr Keighley explained."My mental health wasn't in the greatest place in the world and perhaps Benny came along at the right time for me."Mr Keighley, who grew up in Launceston, then bought two more sheep to keep Benny company and soon realised he had found his calling - to be a shepherd. He now has a flock of 38 rare breed sheep having swapped his office for fields near Vixen Tor on Dartmoor, in Devon. "It's a complete and utter contrast from what I was doing and what I did for the majority of my life," he said."I used to drag myself out of bed when the alarm went off, put on a sharp suit and go to work."Now I spend my days in tatty clothes covered in sheep poo, but I no longer need an alarm - as soon as the sun comes up, I can't wait to get out here."He said he would not change a thing."I've learnt a lot from sheep in terms of life experience," he said."They've taught me how to just 'be'."Just to stand back and watch their social interactions, the way they happily spend their days happily grazing and lying around, that taught me life doesn't have to be as fast-paced as mine had been."It's given me time to reflect and to work out what's important in life." As for Benny, he is now a fully grown ram. Mr Keighley, who kept him as a pet, said he was definitely not for sale.
BreakingNews.ie
10-05-2025
- Politics
- BreakingNews.ie
Pope Leo XIV described as 'man with the smell of sheep' by Peru bishop
The current bishop of the Peruvian city of Chiclayo where polyglot Pope Leo XIV used to live and work has said he is certain the new head of the Catholic Church will continue in the footsteps of his predecessor and described him as a 'man with the smell of sheep.' US-born Robert Prevost, an American who also has Peruvian nationality and did years of missionary work in the South American country, was appointed Bishop of Chiclayo on September 26th, 2015 by Pope Francis. Advertisement He left the city in north-west Peru after being called to Rome in January 2023. Chiclayo's current Bishop, Monsignor Edinson Edgardo Farfan Cordova, used the sheep analogy to describe the new Pope as a 'shepherd among people' in his glowing appraisal of the 69-year-old who is the 267th occupant of the throne of St Peter. Reacting to the news of his election, he said: 'I am convinced Pope Leo XIV will continue the line of communion and closeness to the poor that marked the pontificate of Francis. 'I am certain the new Pope will give continuity to this work in his preferential option for the poor. He has been marked by the reality of our peripheries and by the synodal spirit promoted by Francis. Advertisement Speaking after photos were published in Peruvian newspapers overnight showing Robert Prevost as a younger man on horseback during his time in the South American country, he added: 'There are photos of him crossing the Piura hills. 'He was a shepherd among people, a man with the smell of sheep. 'Leo XIV is not only a pope for the world, he is also a spiritual son of Peru, a shepherd who knows our mountains, our parishes, our hopes.' Peru's president has described Pope Leo XIV as Peruvian 'by choice and conviction' despite the fact he was born in Chicago to a United States Navy World War II veteran of Italian and French descent and a mum who was the daughter of Louisiana Creole parents of African, French and Spanish descent. Advertisement She said: 'He chose to be one of us, to live among us and to carry in his heart the faith, culture and dreams of this country' before adding: 'The pope is Peruvian; God loves Peru.' In his first appearance from the Vatican balcony, Leo XIV briefly switched from Italian to Spanish to address the faithful 'from my beloved diocese of Chiclayo, in Peru', where he served as bishop for nearly a decade.
