[shetlandpaul]

would be nice to see them doing real farm work.

[Sandy]

I couldn't work out why they had to set up their stall in, what looked like, the middle of the day, surly in order to set up any market stall, you need to be there as early as you can and before 8.00am, so how long WAS their day, I cannot imagine setting up a stall, leaving it to drive to Finnish cooking something and if so, why didn't just one of them go to finish off the cooking while the other sets up the stall!!!

[ellied]

I wonder how the genuine farmers at this market felt about all the extra stalls, funded produce by the BBC, being sold apprentice style for pennies just to make a little more cash at the end of a 3 hour sale?  Undercutting those whose livelihoods depend on what they sell just for the novelty of the numpties playing

I felt sorry for the guys who had to leave but Jimmy should have thrown those bickering idiots out - where is it viable to spend an entire day making a logo before you know what you're going to sell?  No wonder they ran out of time and left their stall unattended, they hadn't a clue about the idea of "task in hand" and I'd have slapped the miserable fireman personally and then got on with the job, done it myself and not cried at the end that I was letting Jimmy down  Jeez, if that's how they work together I'd say no thanks and walk if I were her  She could try her hand at smallholding while he continues to be a firefighter and brings in the money but left her alone to get on with it

Was the profit actual profit over the expenses or their actual takings (ie loss) - it wasn't clear at all

Still, at least no animals suffered during the making of this particular episode  I wonder what they'll make them do with chickens?  Sell chicken burgers and cans of pop I presume, or draw pictures of how they would do so..

Oh yes, one more thing - the winners get to farm "properly for a year" based on acquiring the entire farm of, wait for it, 50 acres   They get all funding paid for that period, so presumably free equipment, tractors, feed etc and one would assume free vet treatment for any mistakes they make with their livestock as well as routine costs.  And no doubt the BBC has a big insurance cover for their activities if they poison the public with uncooked meat, given they've no food hygiene training and breached every piece of legislation on food selling on that show alone let alone previous weeks and whatever they mess up in the winning year   Well if most of us had 50 acres and full funding for a year I reckon we could make a "profit" too, but not many farmers can profitably farm 50 acres on their own funding as far as I know   That's why "proper farming" is measured in hundreds of acres surely, to get some sense of value from the scale

[Fowgill Farm]

I heard Jimmy say they had to be ready to sell at 11am so i assumed it was the Sunday market not the regular weekday one but then i heard some of them talking about getting custom from offices etc which wouldn't be so on a Sunday. Clever editing makes me think it was filmed on a couple of days not just the one it didn't sem awfully busy as most Sunday markets are! Suspect the other market sellers wouldn't be too pleased either!

[sabrina]

I did wonder about the Food Hygiene as I thought you had to pass a coarse before being allowed to sell food to the public. My Oh was getting so mad at the way the fireman was carring on, you would have thought that taking into account what his real job is he would know how to work as a team. She needs to get rid. As most have said its just a show but for people who know nothing about farming and what it involves may think this is the real thing 

[robert waddell]

i once assisted in the recovery of a horse that the fire service were  atentending there was one female fireperson her job was to hold the floodlight above her head and the only words spoken to her were snapped orders not surprising he went in the cream puff

[Frieslandfilly]

Hmmmm interesting one this one.

As I have never run a market stall, I couldn't really shout at the TV or laugh at the errors, but I did think that for someone in my position who may think about it in the future there were some good ideas and some to avoid, so on that basis, not bad.

As for the couples, I think they should have gone, arguing about things is one thing as long as you come to a mutual decision, they are on a collision course and not just on the programme me thinks!! I think the older couple would be well suited to a smallholding and a farmers market, of course it was all edited but they seem to work solidly and steadily together and get the job done, true they do not have fancy ideas like the marketing couple but I would personally rather buy from them if I was shopping.

One thing that did strike me was the comment at the beginning  about the lettuce, chopping it up and shoving it a bag, its about making as much money as possible!! I struggle with this one, if I was shopping at a farmers market I would be very dissapointed to see chopped up lettuce in a bag!!  I know they drafted someone in for that but that just seems to imply that (for Jimmy at least) running a farm is akin to selling at the supermarket, very dissapointing.

Anyway I look forward to the chicken episode next week, should be entertaining if nothing else, I at least think they should have a little bit at the end with someone showing them how it could be done properly!

[robate55]

Dis they actually say the it was a farmers market or just imply it. The place they were sellin looked awfully like the ordinary market that happens in central Ipswich to me. That would mean that they could get round selling locally grown produce as they did. It also did not seem to be hitting the best outlet for local home grown produce as a proper farmers market might
Rose

[farmer-mike]

why would anyone want to compete for 25 acres in england?
Here in France you can buy my whole farm 6o acres+,  subsidies all in place,  with a 3 bedroom house for  295000 euros !

[chriso]

Right I'm off to France 

[farmer-mike]

i'll meet you at the airport !
really tho' farms are very much cheaper here , and income is more than in uk.
i'm selling up cause its time for me to retire.

[ellied]

I'd seriously consider emigrating if I could afford to transport my animals as well

But the problem with France, for me, is the level of French I (don't) have and I couldn't go to an expat community in Ibiza or somewhere   Canada would be fab but cost of exporting animals there isn't a starter

So I guess I'm still looking in Scotland then

[northfifeduckling]

to be honest, I was a bit bored by the last one. And I'm not sure about how the figures added up - what were the couples given upfront as investment and what was turnover or profit? And on the general topic of farmers' markets - they are ridiculous in this country, I thought that was only the case in Fife, lol. Has anyone ever been to a market on the Continent (other than the folks who live there ) - these ARE markets - with proper food!!! At competitive prices and lots and lots of it!!!!! And people actually go to shop there rather than at the supermarkets!

[farmer-mike]

I have to disagree about cost of living income etc.
Having farmed here for 10 years , arriving with not one single word of French, and not mixing with expats , I have found it a challenge but not insurmountable .
re income: all subsidies are calculated in euros , so are the same in theory throughout europe. But when was the last time a british farmer got wet weather , dry weather , cold weather , hot weather payments ? I have had them all . When there was little hay around , did the British farmer get transport for the imported hay free? we did .
When it is a bad spring did the British farmer get his land tax refunded ? we did .
A bad harvest and we got 45% of our social charges refunded !!
I average over 100 euros ( about 80 pounds) and have done for many years, per lamb at 43 kilos live weight . what average do british farmers get?
My equivalent community charge for a 3 bed detached house is 51 euros per year !!!
Health care is second to none , and W.H.O. figures show life expectancy in France is 7 years more than Britain.
Return to UK? you have to be joking

[waterhouse]

I hate this "dump a couple a week" thing, done to music intended to build suspense.  Jimmy's crap at doing it, always looks uncomfortable while Alan Sugar is happy as bad guy.  I preferred the Michel Roux version where the whole group stayed through to the end and allowed a more balanced assessment to be made.

Trouble is it's entertainment not farming and they need piccies of people arguing, making a complete horlicks and weeping so that we can enjoy someone else's misery.

I think he's right about the marketing and selling thing though.  The best technical farmer ain't going to live off a smallholding unless he/she can get people to want to pay money for the product time and time again.