The One-Woman Wagyu Beef Farmer

Out on the ancient meadows just back from the North Norfolk coast graze some unusual, horned, beef animals. These velvety black, delicate-legged cattle are wagyu. Originally from Japan, they produce meat treasured for its marbled fat, which makes it tender and flavoursome.
These animals are being raised by a one-woman force of nature – Sarah Juggins. Sarah runs the North Norfolk Coastal Group of farmers, who are bringing about sustainable farming changes to hundreds of square kilometres of environmentally sensitive land. Previously a sports teacher and journalist, and now an author, Sarah tells Anna Hill about coming back to her family farming roots in Norfolk, where her father ran a mixed farm.
She cares for her own 36-strong herd of wagyu animals single-handed. After ten years her beef enterprise is only just making a profit but, as she tells Anna Hill, it’s given her so much more than an income. The animals have taught her to adjust her frenetic pace to match nature, be patient and mindful, and appreciate the interconnections between landscape and food production.
We join Sarah and Anna out in the field, and witness a race for the best hay bales, family squabbles, and calves playing hide and seek in the winter sun.

Presented and produced by Anna Hill.