Springtime on the Farm welcomes the new arrivals

In 2010, the BBC’s Horizon told the remarkable story of the Nebra sky disc, an unassuming circle of green metal with gold-coloured depictions of the sun, moon and stars.

Dated to the Bronze Age, it turned out to be the oldest concrete depiction of astronomical phenomena known from anywhere in the world. In June 2013, the disc was included in the UNESCO Memory of the World Register and dubbed “one of the most important archaeological finds of the 20th century”.

While people in ancient times may have relied on bits of metal and celestial events to determine the changing seasons, in this digital age, we rely on Helen Skelton, Adam Henson and Jules Hudson to let us know when spring has properly sprung.

The trio of presenters are at Cannon Hall Farm until Friday, providing local and national updates from their South Yorkshire base, as well as other family farms up and down the UK.

In this edition, the Nicholson brothers pull out all the stops to save the life of a ‘Spitti lamb’, a rare type of Swiss Valais sheep. Meanwhile, a foal from much-loved Shire horse Ruby fights to recover from a difficult birth, and cameras visit a remote farm in the Pennines, where spring tends to arrive a little later than across the rest of northern England.

Adam Henson reports from his farm in the heart of the Cotswolds, which has welcomed hundreds of newborn lambs so far this year. Plus, the team reveals how you can best support your nearest food producers and farm shops.

As the week rolls on, JB Gill joins the presenters to cover all the drama of day and night as farmers burn the candle at both ends to keep up with the hundreds of lambs being born around the country.

Adam Henson sorts out his horned rams and Cannon Hall Farm favourite, Shire horse Blossom, heads to a stud farm in search of a new mate.

Plus, JB Gill learns that you don’t have to own acres of land to be a farmer as the show’s cameras head to the wild North York Moors.

Thursday sees Adam Henson take a brief break from lambing for some urgent work with his herd of dairy cows, while farming brothers Rob and Dave Nicholson head to a right royal farm for inspiration about a rare breed of pigs.

JB Gill meets a couple who live self-sustainably in search of the good life, before we visit a South Wales farmer who cares for some stunning wild ponies.

The series concludes with a return to Cannon Hall Farm, where excitement mounts as Coco the Highland cow is about to give birth.

Meanwhile, it’s busier than ever at Adam Henson’s farm in the Cotswolds, Yorkshire Vet Julian Norton is on duty, and farmer Ruth takes her precious Shire horse Rosie to her first country show.

Over in the midlands, JB Gill heads to a farm with some unique animals, and we meet a farming family who traded the south of England for the glory of the Scottish countryside.