Teenager Jo Lawrence has swapped travel and nightlife for getting up at dawn – to run her family’s farm in memory of her dad.
The 19-year-old was about to set off an a gap year to see the world when her dad Bob suddenly died of heart failure on market day at only 50.
Jo, who was then 17, rose early the next morning to check on the animals – and ended up scrapping her planned trip to step into Bob’s boots.
Now she is one of Britain’s youngest farmers, running the 200-acre sheep, beef and arable business with some help from her mum and brothers.
Home Farm in Allensmore, Herefordshire, will be featured in the new series of TV’s Springtime on the Farm, which starts on Easter Monday.
The land, which has been in the family for four generations, supports 580 Texel Cross Mule ewes plus this year’s flock of 980 lambs.
There are also 12 pedigree Beef Shorthorn cows, young stock of the same breed and Angus Cross dairy-bred calves reared on milk powder.
On top of all that Jo tends crops of wheat and oats as she works seven days a week, 365 days a year come rain or shine.
Her mother Sally, 53, looks after the paperwork and helps out during lambing season.
And there is help when she needs it from brother Fred, 17, and half-brother Steve.
Jo routinely puts in a 12-hour working day, which can go up to a gruelling 20 hours in the lambing season.
She said: “There’s no such thing as a lie in – I’m up around 6am to feed the stock and check on them.
"Whilst most people my age are going out, a night out for me leaves me with a three-day hangover, so I don’t go much.”
Recounting how she came to take charge of the farm just over two years ago she said: “Dad was taking some ewes to market and he collapsed and died.
“His truck and trailer were left in the car park so as soon as we left the hospital, I went straight to the market to pick them up and brought them home. That’s when I thought, ‘There’s a lot of sheep to look after here.’
“The next day I got up really early as I couldn’t sleep.
“I went round all the sheep and made sure everything was OK and it just went on from there.”
At the time, Jo was about to go to Australia and New Zealand for her gap year and had planned to work on a sheep station Down Under.
She said: “It was always my dream to travel first then come back and work on the farm. But when Dad died I didn’t think twice. I needed to stay.
“I was very lucky that Dad had taught me everything, we did everything together and shortly before he died he brought me into the decision making at the farm so we were already a team.”
Describing her typical day Jo said one of her first tasks is suckling the lambs.
She went on: “Then there is feeding and littering, if the animals are outside, then I move onto haying and doing lots of jobs on the farm.
“During lambing I can’t really sleep as I may be needed to help deliver them if they get into trouble.
“It’s a very long day and when I took over the farm I committed to the sheep and this is my passion.
“I wouldn’t change it for the world and I feel closer to Dad here. All I remember of him was him being on the farm.
"I’m sure he would be proud of me. The start of the lambing season is like Christmas to me. There’s nothing like a healthy new lamb to bring joy.”
Jo’s farm is one of several featured in the new series of TV hit Springtime on the Farm.
The Channel 5 show presented by Adam Henson and Helen Skelton showcases the amazing work done by farmers at the busiest time of their year.
It will be aired across four days from Easter Monday. The Covid-19 lockdown put it in jeopardy because parts of it are filmed “as live” at Cannon Hall Farm in South Yorkshire.
But it will still go on because the hosts film themselves from home on high-quality phone cameras with no TV crews needed.
Speaking about the virus crisis Jo added: “The lockdown has not affected me on the farm as it is quite an isolated existence.
“But it has affected me taking my stock to market as I can’t present them and get the best price.”
The show visits many other farms across Britain as far apart as Staffordshire and Stirling in Scotland.
- Springtime on the Farm begins on Easter Monday at 8pm on Channel 5.
