Christmas brings farming year to a close

The latest series has proved hugely successful with UTV viewers, attracting huge audiences each Monday night and beating BBC NI’s EastEnders on several occasions.

In the final episode of the series we see the farmers manage the wintry weather as the busy Christmas period fast approaches.

The worsening weather means Alison McCrabbe near Raphoe in Co Donegal and Ricky Cowan near Ballycarry in Antrim are forced to house their sheep flock sooner than normal.

Meanwhile, Moy Farmer Frank Donnelly is busy meeting the high demand for his mushroom crop. Near Toomebridge in Antrim, James Alexander reflects on the past year and offers his predictions for the year ahead.

Cavan farmer Richard Moeran’s turkeys are nearly ready for the table. He’s also busy filming an infomercial for farmers.

It’s also a busy month for Galway vegetable farmer Kenneth Keavey while it’s the start of the year for Matt Foley’s new tomato crop.

The series is produced for UTV by local independent production company Crawford McCann Television. Managing Director, Kelda Crawford-McCann said: “The success of this series is down to the incredible team making it and our amazing local farming families who gave us access to their lives throughout the year.

“I am delighted that so many UTV viewers have enjoyed watching the series just as much as we have had making it.”

Sponsored by Irwin’s Bakery and shot in High Definition, the series is narrated by UTV’s Mark McFadden.

Rare Breed – A Farming Year concludes on Monday, March 28, at 8pm.