‘Big Week on the Farm’ back tonight on RTÉ One

Big Week on the Farm will broadcast live every evening from a purpose built studio on the fields of the O’Sullivan Family’s dairy farm, in the Deise County in Co Waterford. The series is co-funded with RTÉ by Science Foundation Ireland and the Broadcasting Authority of Ireland.

Ella McSweeney, Áine Lawlor, and celebrity guest presenters, Deirdre O’Kane, Alison Spittle, Sean O’Brien and Lee Chin will descend on the O’Sullivan family’s dairy farm, amidst the chaos of spring calving and milking.

The ‘Big Week on the Farm’ studio which will host a 150-strong live studio audience, in a field overlooking Dungarvan Bay where the cattle of Gillian and Neil O’Sullivan usually graze.

Location presenters Darragh McCullough and Helen Carroll will be broadcasting live from ten different farms across the country; two different farms a night.  They’ll witness the makeover of a cow as it is prepared for a live sale at an evening mart, the difficulties of being the only producer based on an island, the girls school which is rearing Aberdeen Angus Cows and a world record attempt to gather the largest collection of Massey Ferguson tractors in one place to name a few.

‘Big Week on the Farm’ will also explore new technologies in farming, as researchers from around the world uncover how the farm of the future may be inhabited by a selection of robots and artificial intelligence, plus how to produce a real steak without an animal dying, an underground farm in London, the dangers of soil depletion and ground-breaking and world-leading research here in Ireland.

Other highlights include the ’Big Week on the Farm’ team will be hoping to break more Guinness World Records, while celebrity guests aim to beat actor, musician and comedian Pat Shortt’s current hand milking record in ‘Pull the Udder One’ after his huge success in the milking challenge last year.

Each night, Ella, Áine and celebrity guests will present live studio demos, discussions, dissections, hatchings and births. From calving, to lambing and laying, ’Big Week on the Farm’ provides the nation with real-time access to the lives of Ireland’s farm animals and farmers.

BIG WEEK ON THE FARM, RTÉ One, nightly at 7pm from Monday, April 9th to Friday, April 13th

Viewers can tweet the show @RTEOne using the hashtag #onthefarm or email us at  onthefarm@rte.ie or snapchat with their videos, photographs and messages for broadcast.