Lots happening on Harry's Farm at the moment, new stone walls being built, wild-bird feed areas going in, the cows are back and where to buy grass-fed beef. I hope you enjoy the video!
I can't put into words how grateful I am that you're keeping traditional craftsmen like that in work. I grew up in the countryside, working the land with my father as a boy, and it gave me a real appreciation for the land around me. The British countryside (and cotswolds in particular) have thier own unique charm, due in no small part because of those beautiful old dry stone walls. This coupled with the obvious care for the wildlife around you (the lush meadow that you really seem to have a great affection for, the bird feed you've sown, the land you're resting) just really speaks to the character and decency of yourself as a genuinely good and decent man. Thank you for your continued generosity at giving us and the wider world, this window into your passions.
@@thetessellater9163, you wanted to be born, into a farming family? That means you wanted to be born into a farming family, before you were born! Do you, perhaps, mean, you WISHED you had been born into a farming family?
Snipersight00 yep when we are eventually allowed back out it will be strange how it unfolds. Even after a vaccine if we haven’t shook hands for 6 or 12 months will we be reprogrammed into not doing it ? Who knows.
Well, I take my hat off to you sir. Not only a grafter, but a custodian of the very fabric of the countryside...a side of farming that surely goes mostly unnoticed.
Bib The Boulder Thanks. I think that’s the least understood element of being a farmer, it’s all about being a custodian of the countryside, which 99.9% of the non-farming population seemingly fail to realise.
There would have been many, many more a century ago before mechanisation started to make larger fields more attractive to farm, and before labour costs began to increase to a point where it became uneconomic to maintain walls.
Hi from Florida. My wife and I had a flat in Cheltenham, loved to drive in the country and always admired the stone walls. Glad to see you keeping yours up. Happy to see more video of the wall building.
Among the best Harry's Farm to date. How I would love to chat with Mark: treasured skills, perfect sense of humor, and that enchanting accent. What a Farm! PS Brings back memories of six years at Michigan State University, one of the largest agricultural schools in the world. The fields near campus, the barns down the road, the smell over the entire campus of manure spreading in the spring, and the always anticipated agricultural fair, the yearly Ag Expo. Much loved. Much missed. Never forgotten.
How have I only just discovered this channel?!? We even share the same tractor brand!! (that's on farming sim for me - my son's fault). Awesome stuff - if you were more local I'd pop down for a visit! Obviously if you're ever in the NE post-lockdown pop in for a cuppa. 😀👍 Andy Mac
Stone walls are wonderful, and such an integral part of the British countryside. When I look at the sheer quantity of stone walls in places like Yorkshire and the Cotswolds, the mind boggles at just how many millions of man hours have gone into these. They really are one of the man made wonders of the world.
Through my life I've been very lucky to see and use many of the old crafts. I used to live near The Forest of Dean and witnessed the Free miners who worked small coal mines. Then travelling the roads of the Cotswold's the stone walling, But best of all was an Irish carpenter who had worked for Harland & Wolf Belfast, fitting out passenger ship cabins. He carried all his hand tools in a small suitcase type wooden tool box. No power tools, or extension cables just worn from years of work not abuse hand tools. What he did with those saws, planes and chisels and an odd bit of wood is amazing. Best of all he was passing on all his skills to his apprenticed son. Harry reminds me of Raymond Baxter who I had the pleasure of knowing in his later years, we shared a passion for the old Dunkirk Little Ships. It's the easy going but to the point narration, well done Harry.
Harry I really enjoy your videos about the Farm (and the Garage too of course, I found that channel first), they’re absolutely fantastic! I loved seeing the stone-walling, I live up in north Wales and cannot believe how they built walls in some of the places I’ve seen them (up on the sides of mountains etc.)! I enjoyed listening to the chap’s accent too, I grew up on the Hampshire/Dorset border and (although I love Wales) I sometimes miss small things about the English countryside. Thank you.
Bloody fabulous artistry there Harry. You didn't introduce your lovely little dog. Love this channel Harry have no interest in farming myself but with you as the star they are great you have a knack my friend
Harry, you're an absolute role model. A world where every farmer, rancher, or large land owner (not to mention _person_ ) was as considerate, thoughtful, and conscientious as you would truly be a much more lovely world, thank you!
A true custodian of the land; an example to us all, Harry. I'm sure the local wild-bird population will appreciate your efforts and those Sussex cattle are looking a treat - typical blocky shape. Stone walls are such a thing of beauty - well worth all the hours and days put into them.
Harry for small plots i.e. grass seed / bird cover, i find the fiddle works fine. Plus you get free exercise. Love your film's Harry..Good luck from Ireland.
On the farm I worked on in Scotland way back in the day the broadcaster was the back axle from a prewar Armstrong Siddeley, rotated so the diff pointed upwards and fitted with a vaned wooden disc. The hopper was an upturned milk churn with the bottom cut off and the metering valve was a piece of aluminium in a slot at the neck. And it worked!
Hi Harry, I love these short films. I've made a documentary for a farming group here in Yorkshire and followed the farming year throughout, and it's transfixing to see how much knowledge you have and how much detail you pack in to each of these films. Thank you and keep going!!
Dry stone walling is the perfect solution, all the stones from the field used to build your borders. These are gorgeous compared the Connemara walls in the west of Ireland where I’m from, very functional
Connemara… it's a wonderful place. I like it and I miss it. I went maybe 15x travelling. I suggest all travellers the Heritage Center Dan O'hara homestade with Martin Walsh who present it and sing old song.
Love it Harry. We really are just custodians of the land. Its up to us to look after Mother nature an all the good things past generations left behind.
Interesting to see your walls, due to go on my 2nd dry stone walling course here in Yorkshire. Technique similar but stones very different. The great thing is they will be there In a 100 years time !!
Harry... you must be the best dressed farmer in all of England... :-) ... It's all checkered shirts and High vis vests here in Australia... Loving the Farm video's They are so "happy" and informative. Cheers
I’m having a new home built in Texas and my wife absolutely loves everything “British.” So, I’m considering having a stone wall built on our property to make her smile everyday. I sure wish Mark loved near Georgetown, TX. He’s a true craftsman! Thanks for the wonderful video, Harry.
It's been so good to see the building of the stone wall and listen to your stonemason explaining what he's doing and why. Your wall looks great and it makes sense to use a resource that you have. Thank you for another very enjoyable video. God bless from Northern Ireland.
Remarkable to see the differences with British cattle farming, and beef in particular. Here in NZ it’s almost entirely dairy cattle and they’re farmed extremely intensively, usually an easy 100 per acre and with much longer, thicker grass with none of the plant variety seen here
Cotswold drystone walling is noticeably different from Yorkshire drystone walling. Your stones are flatter and smaller and there aren't any rows of big flat 'through' stones linking both faces together. Most well laid drystone walls will easily last 200 years, unless sheep learn to jump on them, (or tourists climb them), so the effort invested is worthwhile.
I appreciate you keeping the stone wall builder busy! It is really as you say, an art form. It makes the area beautiful, and you are doing your part to keep the heritage alive.
Another very interesting video of life on the farm. The dry stone walling is a real art and the chap building the wall must be very skilled in his profession . Well done to him.
Thank again for showing us all the thought that goes into a modern farm albeit one that tries to adhere to older ways. I love that you put seed down to feed the birds and provide coverage for ground nesters. Cheers.
What a uplift just watching this ,the skills of farming ,the depth of knowledge,a heart of passion for the farm ,I live in North Yorkshire ,a lot of dry stone walls , it amazes how some people have no respect for the countryside ,driving to fast and knocking walls down,parking and ploughing the verges up ,stupid barbecues starting fires and fly tipping ,why do these people do this when people of good honest endeavour are day by day 365 days of the year putting food on our plates ,walling and hedging are such skills ,thanks Harry looking forward to next production ,come on people support uk farmers ,buy uk seasonal food ,badger your mp for support to our precious uk farms ,
Hello Harry. IL be inspecting that walling. Up to the last foot and mouth hecademic I was a Dry stone Waller of 35 years experience. I'm retired from the walling job now. I'm 66 .
I worked as a groundsman maintaining sports turf for 10 years, so i know your pain when it comes to setting spreaders up for throwing seed or fertiliser, many a time i have had yellow lines where i have missed or dark green lines where i have overlapped 😂 as you say its all ‘ish’
It looks like summer there, here in New Hampshire USA the trees are just showing some green. Wall building looks to be back breaking, I'm old and can't bend a bit without intense back pain. We have a lot of stone walls in NH but none like those, our rocks are rounder, none of that sedimentary rock, all glacier worn granite.
Thank you for taking the time to give us an insight into the working of your farm, it’s extremely interesting to see the highs and lows. Looking at the weather and condition of the soil now and then we look back several months to when you were wading in three feet of water. Keep them coming, look foreword to the next one. A big thank you to you and to your assistants.
I have to admit I've been loving lock-down because I've got most of my meat locally sourced from nearby Scottish farms. The meat is soo much tastier and when cooked it produces such little fat in comparison to supermarket bought burgers etc.
Thanks Harry, great video, I enjoy the livestock and pasture management content, you and Greg Judy, Regenerative Rancher, are my favourites, both very informative, especially for me, an armchair farmer. Thanks
I had a go at dry walling many moons ago, with very mixed results! Mark makes it look so easy, although my back aches from watching! Another excellent video Harry, thanks.
My granddad taught me how to build a drystone wall as a kid 30 years ago (not as good as this I suspect!). Looking back it was a lot of fun and I wish I had a reason to build one now.
Having been brought up around farming with most of my fathers side of the family being estate managers or tenant farmers it is in my blood - and along with my great love of all things automotive and engineering, Harry's Farm and Garage just hit the spot - in a way they are bitter sweet as I was pushed away from farming and indeed cars when I was stepping out into the wide world many years ago and ended up on a different path. So living vicariously through these video spots from Harry makes me think of a lot of what if's. I see Harry as a modern day - Jack Hargreaves - I think he could easily make a new 'Out of Town' type series - The Cotswold area being full of local trades that need to be brought to a wider audience but without losing the fact we live in 2020.
