Clarkson’s Farm

[Turn7]

Evanivitch said:

Turn7 said:

Thats the part that got me, its middle of winter, get a genny down there and have a heat lamp in each arc with piglets in.
That wouldnt stop the ancient issue of sows lying on the young and crushing them,altho there are ways making things a little safer for them.

Heat lamp behind crush bars isn't complicated stuff, is it? Especially as there was a gap between the first and second liters.

I like the numbers game, it's good for the public to see the upfront costs that have to be taken on before harvest.

Ageee with both your points

[extraT]

I just watched the first two episodes and thought Kaleb didn’t come off as well as in previous seasons… and I’ve just read the synopsis for episode 3… I know he’s made some bad decisions but arguably the farm works because of him….i wonder why they are showing him in a bad light?

[Mars]

Just finished ep4. The argument between JC and Kaleb over the dam felt a bit unnecessary and the experiment with the hover craft predictably daft.

Lisa comes across extremely well - she mucks-in with whatever needs doing, doesn't shy away from the harsher side of farming, and shows genuine compassion.

Pig farming seems brutal.

[Turn7]

Mars said:

Just finished ep4. The argument between JC and Kaleb over the dam felt a bit unnecessary and the experiment with the hover craft predictably daft.

Lisa comes across extremely well - she mucks-in with whatever needs doing, doesn't shy away from the harsher side of farming, and shows genuine compassion.

Pig farming seems brutal.

The true reality is that ALL farming is brutal…

The public have become extremely detached from the reality of food production in the UK.

[WPA]

extraT said:

I just watched the first two episodes and thought Kaleb didn’t come off as well as in previous seasons… and I’ve just read the synopsis for episode 3… I know he’s made some bad decisions but arguably the farm works because of him….i wonder why they are showing him in a bad light?

Watched second episode earlier and I agree, he is not coming across very well.

[John87]

Mars said:

Just finished ep4. The argument between JC and Kaleb over the dam felt a bit unnecessary and the experiment with the hover craft predictably daft.

Lisa comes across extremely well - she mucks-in with whatever needs doing, doesn't shy away from the harsher side of farming, and shows genuine compassion.

Pig farming seems brutal.

The hovercraft bit seemed a bit too "Top Gear" for me which doesn't fit with this particular programme. There's a reason that farmers do things the way they do and generally it's because it works.
There must be a fair amount of dramatic effect involved as well because surely no one would take on something like pig farming with no background knowledge and then have them give birth without someone experienced there the entire time. I get that it's supposed to show the realities but the realities are that pig farmers don't just take it up overnight and generally have experience gained through generations.

Watched all 4 available episodes over the last couple of nights and enjoyed them overall

[MBBlat]

DSLiverpool said:

Charlie is a bloody genius, there is nothing he doesn’t know.

I did have a chuckle at the additions to his office walls in episode 2.

[xeny]

https://www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/m001yy8w is a 25 minute interview with Clarkson, Kaleb and Lisa in that order.

Kaleb's contracting business must keep him busy.

[Venisonpie]

DSLiverpool said:

Charlie is a bloody genius, there is nothing he doesn’t know.

I find his input the only part I'm enjoying this series. I sense a bit of supressed frustration on his part. The moment he spots marmalade was brilliant - we don't grow oranges.

[WrekinCrew]

Three episodes in and so far no ads. We haven't paid extra for ad-free Prime.

[Evanivitch]

xeny said:

https://www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/m001yy8w is a 25 minute interview with Clarkson, Kaleb and Lisa in that order.

Kaleb's contracting business must keep him busy.

I wonder if Kaleb has been talking to Harry M down the road about classic Lambos

[kmpowell]

Venisonpie said:

DSLiverpool said:

Charlie is a bloody genius, there is nothing he doesn’t know.

I find his input the only part I'm enjoying this series. I sense a bit of supressed frustration on his part. The moment he spots marmalade was brilliant - we don't grow oranges.

You'll be pleased to hear that he's not playing up for the cameras either. That's him.

I had the absolute privilege of working with Charlie for 4 years. His land/farming management knowledge is, IMO, second to none.

One of life's really good guys, an absolute gent, and as honest as the day is long.

[Black can man]

My Mrs detests Clarkson & she point blank refuses to watch anything he is in, Last night she said she wants to get some sleep as we had all the grand kids over yesterday, She loves pigs & I knew if she watched it she'd enjoy it. She was giggling her head off then the tears followed.

Absolutely love this show, bloody TV gold

[nicanary]

Apropos episode 2 and the Andy Cato theory of mixed wheat and beans - how the hell do you harvest the result? The wheat combine will lop off the beans and a bean harvester will demolish the standing wheat. Answers on a postcard.........

[Venisonpie]

kmpowell said:

Venisonpie said:

DSLiverpool said:

Charlie is a bloody genius, there is nothing he doesn’t know.

I find his input the only part I'm enjoying this series. I sense a bit of supressed frustration on his part. The moment he spots marmalade was brilliant - we don't grow oranges.

You'll be pleased to hear that he's not playing up for the cameras either. That's him.

I had the absolute privilege of working with Charlie for 4 years. His land/farming management knowledge is, IMO, second to none.

One of life's really good guys, an absolute gent, and as honest as the day is long.

Yeah, doesn't surprise me at all - clearly an educated and experienced professional.

[Chris Type R]

WPA said:

extraT said:

I just watched the first two episodes and thought Kaleb didn’t come off as well as in previous seasons… and I’ve just read the synopsis for episode 3… I know he’s made some bad decisions but arguably the farm works because of him….i wonder why they are showing him in a bad light?

Watched second episode earlier and I agree, he is not coming across very well.

I was thinking the same - maybe it's part of the script/character that he's been asked to play, but he does come across now as arrogant/petulant/obnoxious . Maybe it is down to the edit. Clarkson seemed to be visibly showing self-restraint in a couple of scenes.

The episode covering regenerative farming was interesting. It seems like it works due to ultimately being paid higher prices - an indirect form of subsidy perhaps due to being able to market differently for sale. As a layman I wonder how much more effective mixed crops is than crop rotation. Curious to find out what the outcome is, and whether it is a paradigm shift.

What would have been interesting would have been to have had Harry Metcalfe on talking about taking arable land out of production to manage costs/risk - at the expense of growing crops.

[WrekinCrew]

nicanary said:

Apropos episode 2 and the Andy Cato theory of mixed wheat and beans - how the hell do you harvest the result? The wheat combine will lop off the beans and a bean harvester will demolish the standing wheat. Answers on a postcard.........

Beans don't put nitrogen into the soil. The bacteria in the root nodules create "available" nitrogen compounds while the plant is growing, and the plant uses virtually all of that to produce its bean seeds.

Somebody (Charlie I think) said you have to kill the bean plant before the seeds start forming - presumably with a selective weedkiller. By the time you harvest the wheat I guess a combine copes with the dead bean "straw".

[nicanary]

WrekinCrew said:

nicanary said:

Apropos episode 2 and the Andy Cato theory of mixed wheat and beans - how the hell do you harvest the result? The wheat combine will lop off the beans and a bean harvester will demolish the standing wheat. Answers on a postcard.........

Beans don't put nitrogen into the soil. The bacteria in the root nodules create "available" nitrogen compounds while the plant is growing, and the plant uses virtually all of that to produce its bean seeds.

Somebody (Charlie I think) said you have to kill the bean plant before the seeds start forming - presumably with a selective weedkiller. By the time you harvest the wheat I guess a combine copes with the dead bean "straw".

Aahh - shows I misunderstood what was occurring.......

[Doofus]

Wouldn't using a selective weedkiller kind of negate the whole thing?

[CLK-GTR]

So far I'm enjoying it just as much as the previous seasons. I feel Kaleb is playing up to the cameras a bit too much and some bits are contrived but in general it's still an excellent watch and I think there is still plenty more legs left in the series.

All the farmers around me love the show for the spotlight it puts on British farming and the issues they face. Can't get higher praise than that.