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Countryfile

In the first of two special episodes, presenters Adam Henson and Sean Fletcher join the Martin family on their arable farm in Cambridgeshire at the busiest time of year. Harvest can be financially ‘make or break’ for many farmers like Tom Martin, where success can determine the future of a farm.

Adam meets Tom out in the field to hear about the stresses this time of year brings and learns how his passion for regenerative farming methods are supporting wildlife surrounding his farm.

Sean meets an artisan beekeeper who is also benefiting from the synergy between farming and nature on the farm. Simon Croson has brought along his mobile hives so that his bees can feed on the nectar of Tom’s strong-smelling buckwheat crop. The result is a unique-tasting honey harvest.

The Martins are passionate about their community and Tom’s wife Lisa runs a community outreach. Lisa gives a tour of their garden and highlights why it’s so important to battle rural loneliness. We also discover how the garden produce forms part of a traditional ‘field tea’ for workers after a long day harvesting. Further afield, it’s also harvest time for young farmers Emily and Crawford, who are learning about their profession through the trials and tribulations of working on the job.

Joe Crowley investigates concerns that the UK apple industry is at risk of collapse and how many of our favourite UK-grown apples could be in short supply on supermarket shelves.