Farmer Joe receiving the Young Person on the Year award at the Pat Bromley awards presented by the Jacob Sheep Society
A young farmer who goes by the name Farmer Joe was invited onto BBC Radio 2 yesterday (April 27) to share his sheep knowledge with Hollywood star Hugh Jackman following his role as a shepherd in new The Sheep Detectives film.
The film, described as a mixture between Rian Johnson's 2019 film Knives Out and 1995's Babe, will teach audiences a lot about sheep while simultaneously having them fall in love with the animals, says Mr Jackman, who plays devoted Welsh shepherd George Hardy.
READ MORE: 'I love sheep' - Hugh Jackman on starring as a shepherd in new film
During Mr Jackman's Radio 2 interview, presenter Gary Davies invites on ‘The Greatest Shearman', 14-year-old Farmer Joe from Lincolnshire, to provide Mr Jackson with all the sheep expertise he needs.
The first generation farmer has his own flock of ninety sheep consisting of three different breeds.
When asked whether he names his sheep as George does in the movie, Farmer Joe says he does name them because he purchased them using the money he earnt selling veg off his little trolley.
"I have named them after vegetables," he said.
"I have got parsnip, parsley and carrots and all that."
"I do not have really a favourite because they are all special in a different way. They all have a different personality."
Farmer Joe explains how sheep are not as dumb as people may think, they are able to navigate mazes and are really good at responding to training. Sheep can also recognise faces, human and sheep.
The ‘winter sheep outcast' as represented in the film was also cleared up by the young farmer who explained that a smaller sheep may not be accepted by the flock but once fed typically expensive feed and plenty of grass and hay, it may grow just like the others and be welcomed in.
In terms of communication, Farmer Joe tells Mr Jackman that sheep have a gland underneath their eyes and in between their feet which releases a weird scent as to speak to each other usually if there is a threat, food or they are struggling.
"There will be a ram of the pack to protect all these ewes, and he will be at the back or at the front [of the pack] making sure there is nothing creeping up," he said.
"Because sheep have eyes on the side of their face, that means they are getting hunted. The animals with eyes on the front of their head mean they are hunters."
After all that new knowledge, Mr Jackman says he wished he had spoken with Farmer Joe prior to filming the movie.
On Saturday (April 25), Farmer Joe attended the Pat Bromley awards presented by the Jacob Sheep Society where he won the Young Person of the Year award.
The young farmer and his brothers were also invited to the red carpet in London on Sunday (April 26) for film premiere of The Sheep Detectives.
You can follow and support Farmer Joes journey here: Farmer Joe - Joe's Garden Patch
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