NEXT Tuesday (April 13), marks the final episode of the popular UTV programme, Rare Breed, which has delighted Fermanagh viewers as they followed Andrew and Margaret Little through the farming year.

The final episode of the current series is set in December, which means all kinds of different things to the featured farmers after a difficult and challenging 2020.

The show will visit all seven families as they get on with the cycle of farming, be that breeding, growing and animal welfare, and they share with the viewers what the year has taught them.

Fermanagh viewers will of course be keeping an eye out for Andrew and Margaret Little, farmers from near Tempo, who are busy working with a new set of calves in the final episode.

In it, Andrew and Margaret are shown to have their hands full with a batch of new calves, with Margaret capturing the work for her social media platforms.

She loves to share her journey into farming with her followers, and keeps busy weighing new calves.

They’ve had a successful year and have run out of space for them all, but she has plans to create more pens for next year (2021).

Andrew loves that no two days are the same for them, with Margaret pointing out that especially this year (late 2020, at the time of filming), “the wee small victories are pretty good.”

The Littles are just two of the many farmers featured in the show, who've also proved a hit with viewers.

Vegetable farmer Emily McGowan from Comber finds herself at the wholesalers in Belfast at 4.30am to pick up additional produce – exotic fruit and veg that can’t be grown locally.

She has big ambitions to develop the online side of the business, given the shop is quite small.

Dad Adrian had enjoyed the ‘youthful energy’ that the young ones have brought, and enjoys sharing the joys of farming with Emily – especially the early starts.

Still in Comber, Claire Shearer’s horses are getting a visit from their dentist.

Horses can grind teeth away very quickly, so the equine dental technician checks them over and gives them a good scrape and brush.

Claire describes the year as ‘emotional and stressful’, having lost her grandfather and not being able to show any of the horses, but she’s looking forward to the arrival of a new foal in February.

There’s no Christmas wind-down at James Alexander’s farm near Randalstown. He’s decided to trial a new system of working, starting with an online sale of livestock in the New Year.

He plans to sell 50 and is enjoying getting them ready for the sale, and he points out the importance of always learning from experts.

In Tyrone, Des Kelly is selecting cows to start a new circle of life. As they do this, Des and assistant Rodrigo clean and clip the cattle to prevent them from overheating while housed during the winter months.

He points out that Covid or no Covid, the cycle of farming "drags you along" as farming happens anyway.

He’s glad of a bit of quiet in December before the new lambs come in the New Year.

As the year draws to a close, the Preston family is gathering the flock at their farm near Gortin, in Tyrone. They’re moving them on to fresh pasture and selecting stock to sell at the Christmas sales in England. Kenny laughs: “You’re always moving sheep!”

He’s keen for shows to go ahead in 2021, and Zara talks about her recent Young Farmer success.

The last stop in the series is to Glynn, near Larne, where Jonny Hanson is mulling over the farm’s second year.

He’s had a ‘mixed bag’ of a year, with financial and logistical challenges, but he’s happy there is new life round the corner, and wants the farm to flourish.

As ever, UTV’s Mark McFadden narrates the series, that is sponsored by Moy Park, with Rare Breed – A Farming Year concluding next Tuesday, April 13 at 7.30pm on UTV.

As they say on all great movie sets: "That’s a wrap" – until of course next year, when there'll be a set of new farming families for the next series of Rare Breed.