Filmed over three years Wanted Farmers told the story of Fermanagh dairy farmer, Rodney Elliott and his family as they sold their farm in Maguiresbridge and relocated to the windswept plains of South Dakota to build a dairy for 1400 cows.

For Wanted Farmers Revisited Waddell Media’s producer Jane Magowan and award-winning cameraman David Barker returned to South Dakota to see how the Elliotts were getting on one year later.

We pick up the Elliott family’s story as they prepare for a traditional South Dakotan Open House, an opportunity for curious neighbours to see round the new dairy – it’s eight months behind schedule and Rodney and Dorothy are wholly unprepared for the vast numbers of people who turn up.

It’s been a tough start, in their first winter in South Dakota temperatures plummeted to minus 50 degrees Fahrenheit, and the long hours and hard physical work took its toll on Rodney’s staff - fifty people came and went in the first six months.

It’s a huge change from the traditional Irish farm where Rodney milked just 100 cows himself; here he has 20 employees, most of whom are Spanish speaking Mexican immigrants, he has a daily feed bill for his cows of $4000 and he trades his milk on the American futures markets.

Dorothy finds Midwest America takes some getting used to but David, James and Rebecca, now teenagers, have embraced the all-American way of life – the fact that they can drive at 14 may have something to do with that.

Everyday throws up new challenges and crises but in October 2007 Rodney decides it’s time he went home for a visit and leaves Dorothy in charge of the dairy.

While Rodney is the toast of the town in Maguiresbridge Dorothy struggles to hold things together at the dairy in South Dakota.

His trip home raises a lot of questions for Rodney but back in South Dakota he starts to make plans for the future. Never one to stay still for long he’s already looking for another challenge.

Jane Magowan, Director / Producer of Wanted Farmers Revisited, said: "When I began filming with the Elliotts in June 2004 I had no idea where their story would lead, or that I would be making a third film with them in 2008.

“Their story struck a real cord with BBC Northern Ireland viewers, over 850 of who emailed the Elliotts in the 48 hours following the first showing of Wanted Farmers. Rodney and Dorothy were overwhelmed by the messages of support and admiration for what they’d done. It was a great boost to them at a time when the work was really tough at the dairy.

“What really amazed me was the scale of Rodney’s new dairy – he has over 2000 head of cattle, a silage pile the size of a small mountain and a barn so big he and his staff need walkie talkies to stay in touch with one another, yet he takes it all in his stride.”

Wanted Farmers Revisited is a Waddell Media production for BBC Northern Ireland and is on Wednesday, November 12 on BBC One Northern Ireland at 10.45pm.