Rare Breed cameras capture life on Larne community farm

Jubilee community farm is the first of its type in Northern Ireland as it is funded by a group of like-minded people with a passion for growing their own food.

Viewers will hear from Jonny Hanson, who runs Jubilee, as part of the ground-breaking year-in-the-life documentary series charting the reality of farming here.

Opened in 2019, Jubilee Farm has a market garden, pigs, geese and goats.

Jonny studied snow leopards in Nepal before taking on the farm and jokes about farming preparing you for parenthood: “You shovel it in one end, shovel it out at the other, trying not to lose your life or your sanity!”

Jonny adds: “In an era and season of disconnection, community farms provide connection - with ourselves, with our food, with each other and with the world around us.

“A year in the life of Jubilee Farm shows the ups, downs and significance of the community farming model for addressing the interlinked environmental, social and economic challenges and opportunities of the 21st century. Make sure to tune in!”

The series, in its ninth year, features several people including three families whose daughters are stepping up to look after the family business, along with a young couple running a dairy enterprise in Fermanagh.

In the first episode, viewers also meet James Alexander, a familiar face to Rare Breed fans. He farms cattle and sheep with his family near Randalstown, Antrim. James produces in-calf cattle to sell on to other farmers and has developed his sheep flock since he last took part in the series.

Tony Curry, programmes editor at UTV, said: “Rare Breed – A Farming Year has become a firm favourite amongst UTV viewers, and once again, each of the 12 episodes take us through the year, and this year more than most, we see the realities of modern farming and get an armchair view into the lives of the people who carry on this vital tradition and industry.

“I’m sure the series will entertain, educate and delight in equal measure.”

The series is produced by Belfast’s Strident Media and is narrated by UTV’s Mark McFadden. Sponsored by Moy Park, Rare Breed – A Farming Year starts on Tuesday at 7.30pm on UTV.

Click here to read: Larne’s Jubilee Farm project receives two social enterprise awards

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