Ear To the Ground

Series 32, Programme 4 – RTÉ One
Thursday, 28th November – 7pm
Repeated Sunday, 1st December – 1.10pm

Sheep Dipping
Sheep dipping is an essential way of controlling nasty parasites in a flock. But it’s typically a physically demanding job for the farmer. Unless that is, you use machinery to do it for you. Stephen Robb hitches a lift with certified sheep-dipper Jerry McCarthy who operates a mobile sheep dipping unit in Munster. Together they visit two Kerry sheep farms using Jerry’s services.

Hazel House Cafe
Cafe owner Niall Fitzharris had no experience of being a farmer when he bought a one acre plot of land in Leitrim in order to supply his business with fruit and veg. Darragh McCullough spent the day with Niall as they harvest the tomatoes, cucumbers, and lettuce needed for the cafe that day, and to learn more about what drove this city boy to embrace the good life.

Slowaters
SloWater is a pilot project jointly funded by the EPA and OPW. It is investigating nature-based flood
solutions and paying farmers to slow the flow of water off their lands in times of heavy rains, to help mitigate against the risk of flooding downstream. Dr Mary Bourke of Trinity College Dublin is heading the project and demonstrates to Ella McSweeney some of SloWaters’ measures on the farm of Patrick Gleeson and Caroline Bourke in Ballygow, Wexford.

L-R Ear To The Ground presenters Stephen Robb, Ella McSweeney and Darragh McCullough

Ear to the Ground is produced by indiepics for RTÉ.

For more information contact, Production Manager Sylvia Lynch – sylvia.l@indiepics.ie