April on the Farm: soil, seeds and offspring

On a farm the children work too: whilst the men are in the field with the tractors, the youngsters fetch hay for the ponies and mend a puncture.

It’s all hands to the tractor as dry days enable harrowing, rolling and drilling of oats in Welshpool fields. The cows and their calves are eating hay – between itching, scratching and licking - as a cold snap has put paid to the grass growing. Hay is needed for the ponies, too and is fetched by the farm children, with help from Patsy the Welsh sheepdog and McConkey the Donkey. Lambs are born amongst the daffodils and one of Patsy’s pups is off to The Netherlands with its new owner.

Ion Trant was born and brought up on Dovea Farm, Tipperary, Ireland. He went on to study agriculture in Canada and then moved to Wales to work at the Welsh Plant Breeding Station in Aberystwyth where he met his future wife, Janet Owen of Maesmawr Hall, Welshpool, both of them working on developing improved grasses for upland farms with George Stapledon. The Trants farmed at Maesmawr Hall and the adjoining farm Cefn Du, and Esgairdraenllwyn at Llaithddu, Llandrindod, where Janet bred Welsh Black cattle crossed with Herefords. Ion created/filmed the "Country Close-Up" series for children (BBC - 1956-62), using footage of his own 3 for the programmes. He subsequently obtained work as a freelance cameraman.