BBC TV programme to feature pioneering work of Alnwick sheep farmer

James Drummond, from Lemmington Hill Head, is one of the country’s leading sheep and beef breeders.

When he took over the family farm from his dad, Tony, he started making exciting changes using modern breeding and farming techniques.

Those are the focus of We Are England: Shaking Up Our Sheep Farm, on BBC tonight (Friday) at 7.30pm.

For years, sheep have been traditionally bred with farmers judging their look and weight by eye.

But James wants to bring his farm into the 21st century by using selective breeding and data capture to produce sheep with desirable genetic traits. He is one of only 10% of farmers in the UK with performance recorded flocks.

James uses a mobile app to easily record large amounts of information about his animals and the land they graze, then uses that data to make better-informed decisions about his 1,950 sheep and cattle.

This has increased the farm’s profitability and ensures his 220 hectares of land are farmed as sustainably as possible.

Alongside this he’s growing a unique mixture of plants and herbs for the sheep to eat and planting rows of hedges to keep them protected. He wants to farm with nature in mind and use new technologies, to create a profitable and sustainable farm for the future.

In Shaking Up Our Sheep Farm, James and his family work through a busy lambing season and viewers see how his big vision is coming to life.