Over the past few years, farming has gained fresh new attention and one of the key reasons is the hit TV series Clarkson’s Farm.

Personally, I loved watching Clarkson’s Farm!

All three series. The first one was just brilliant and also great to see Jeremy in his usual style of filming – making a nuisance of himself! Second series … hmmm .. maybe not as good as the first but still very watchable The third series was great – it was emotional and I think back on track for showing the pressures of farming and farm life.

Admittedly I’m not his biggest fan, but from the perspective of being in farming, being a farmers wife, and running a farm-diversification business, it’s been second to none in terms of exposure.

Clarkson’s journey into farming has resonated with viewers across the UK and I reckon much further afield too, providing an insightful and, at the same time funny, look into the world of agriculture.

Here at Farm Adventure, we can’t help but hear our guests reference the program, not to mention them often asking us if we’ve been impacted by it. The first realisation of it’s impact was post-covid, when a hen party were doing our activities, namely the Sheep Gathering. When all of a sudden, one of the b*$£*&d sheep jumped the fence!

Rob was the instructor in charge on this day, but before he could even jump into action, one of the ladies shouted out while crying with laughter :

“It’s just like on Clarkson’s Farm!”

… well of course it is! YES! How brilliant of us to ensure we were using unruly sheep, who weren’t so familiar with lots of people due to covid quiet times, so were naturally “wick” or “absolute nutters” (is one way of describing their behaviour)!

What this group were experiencing, was first-hand exposure to something they’d seen on the TV! They now felt like they were in the same world the celebrity was! So they were happy!

And that’s what WE need here at Farm Adventure.

Our Farm Experience couples often chat about Clarkson’s Farm and whether its helped us and more widely the farming community. Or if it’s had any impact at all.

If you’re wondering what our Farm Experience Couples get up to, have a look here at a Google Review from Amy & Alex who visited in May this year!

Before the program started, most people rarely thought about what happens behind the scenes in farming. Even shows which did showcase farming seemed to be losing popularity, often missing the exciting parts i.e. FARMING (!), which people actually wanted to see.

Along came Jezza, who, at the usual expense of his own humility, showed the world how to run a farm. And it was insightful. It had people hooked and intrigued. And had them emotional – the pigs … I mean c’mon!

Showing it’s a 24/7 business, the hardships, the unpredictability of the weather affecting all aspects, the rules and regulations, the handling of livestock and much more.

His unfiltered approach has opened people’s eyes about farming and suddenly people who had never considered what goes on in the fields, were hooked.

So in all, it’s done nothing but good for the world of farming. Whatever that world looks like. Whether you are a straight up farmer or a farm diversification, the program has aired the bits which need to be shown. It puts it all in a positive light and exposes the issues we face.

But, we mustn’t forget, farming is a lifestyle. I wouldn’t swap it all for the world – what can be lost in sanity, sleep, stress, heartache and more, is gained with living in areas of outstanding natural beauty, having space, being self-sufficient, meeting lots and lots of people from around the world (yes, we had a group from Italy a few weeks ago, and another from all over Europe!), raising kids on a farm, working with animals, and more. So don’t feel too sorry for me 😉

Ta-ra

Laura xx