Clarkson’s Farm

[Sway]

Oilchange said:

He needs to buy some alpacas and ostriches for the second season, they would be fun. And maybe chickens too.

Ooh, alpaca as a replacement for sheep could be hilarious (and informative)...

[Evoluzione]

Lord Marylebone said:

Evoluzione said:

DaveGrohl said:

FiF said:

Complainers clearly know square root of bugger all.

I'd like to see something exposing the current trend for wilding

Is wilding different from rewilding? Most livestock farms are a haven for wildlife to start with. Rewilding, see above. Rich people with no clue.

On a similar note, did you see Countryfile last Sunday with the farmer who keeps his cows inside all year round?

I didn’t watch countryfile, but a friend of mine has a 600 acre dairy farm, and switched to keeping his cows inside all year round, about 5 years ago and claims it is much better.

The cows are fed by robots which trundle round preset routes pushing hay and silage around, there are automatic troughs for water and feed pellets, and the cows are milked 24 hours a day by robots. They just make their way to the milking bay when they feel they need milked.

He claims the cows are much happier wandering around freely inside away from the weather (it is a massive shed to be fair) and because the cows aren’t occupying the fields, they can all be used for growing grass for silage, hay, etc.

It’s also easier on the farmers as they don’t have to have the 6am and 5pm, 7 days per week milking schedule. They just leave the cows to milk themselves while they do other farming tasks.

From your description it could have been him. It seemed to work very well, I couldn't help but think they were a bit like battery hens, but if they're happy....

They cut 20 tons of fresh grass every day to feed them, but the field yield was 100% as it didn't have cows trampling all over it it and crapping all over the place.

[ettore]

CoupeKid said:

I don’t think Lisa Hogan is getting enough recognition in these pages.

She really seems to be no nonsense and got her hands dirty when building the pond, driving a tractor and bottling water. It could be for the camera but if that was the case I’d have thought she’d choose more glamorous tasks.

Someone I follow on ttter says she’s still fronting the farm shop.

To his credit, JC doesn’t surround himself with simpering sycophants.

Agree, she seemed a good sort.

Splendid legs too!

[FiF]

Finally watched all 8. Quite amazing that a chap who has had a working life that many on here have openly stated would be their dream job, now declares that despite the ridiculous hours for little reward, the trials and tribulations, the everyday uncertainty he's never been happier than when buggering around on the farm.

Against that we must weigh, as indeed JC did, he does have the diversification and earnings from TG, GT, WWTBAM and an Amazon camera crew following him as a financial insurance safety margin. Without those one can appreciate why the suicide rate amongst farmers is concerning.

[55palfers]

Series discussed on R4's "Farming Today" programme at 05:45 this morning.

Generally a very favourable review.

The farmer they interviewed said the show highlighted all the problems farmers face and how little reward is earned.

[drjdog]

Watched half an episode of the gleefully ignorant bugger deliberately buggering things up for comedy value with no risk because Amazon are paying for it all. I expect it gets better, but I think I prefer Harry's Farm videos.

[Sway]

FiF said:

Finally watched all 8. Quite amazing that a chap who has had a working life that many on here have openly stated would be their dream job, now declares that despite the ridiculous hours for little reward, the trials and tribulations, the everyday uncertainty he's never been happier than when buggering around on the farm.

Against that we must weigh, as indeed JC did, he does have the diversification and earnings from TG, GT, WWTBAM and an Amazon camera crew following him as a financial insurance safety margin. Without those one can appreciate why the suicide rate amongst farmers is concerning.

Absolutely this, and I can empathise.

I have a pretty good working life, it's let me travel the world, and play with some very cool businesses/toys.

Yet I'm counting down the hours until 5pm, when I can log off for just over a week to spend a blissful several days digging out bd bamboo. Hateful job, yet entirely rewarding and 'cleansing'...

[FiF]

Sway said:

Absolutely this, and I can empathise.

I have a pretty good working life, it's let me travel the world, and play with some very cool businesses/toys.

Yet I'm counting down the hours until 5pm, when I can log off for just over a week to spend a blissful several days digging out bd bamboo. Hateful job, yet entirely rewarding and 'cleansing'...

Yep, indeed, I remember someone on here commenting about me having an interesting job. Had described a session where we'd been trying to develop improved vital organs plates for body armour and shooting increasingly powerful weapons into various iterations of the armour fitted to ballistic gel torso targets. Or shooting an armour piercing round into a fully pressurised 50litre hydrogen gas cylinder.

But at the end of the day...

[PorkInsider]

drjdog said:

Watched half an episode of the gleefully ignorant bugger deliberately buggering things up for comedy value with no risk because Amazon are paying for it all.

Very generous to offer us your opinion before watching it.

Don't work for The Guardian do you, by any chance?

[Lily the Pink]

So far I've only watched the first two episodes - and loved them both - but I'd recommend anyone sceptical about Clarkson to watch the second episode first. Surely nobody other than an utter cynic would doubt his good intentions.

[mbwoy84]

I've watched 7/8 so far. One of the best things on TV for many a year. Will watch the last episode tonight. Hope there's a new series ASAP!

[DodgyGeezer]

Sway said:

Oilchange said:

He needs to buy some alpacas and ostriches for the second season, they would be fun. And maybe chickens too.

Ooh, alpaca as a replacement for sheep could be hilarious (and informative)...

Quite a few places seem to have llamas and/or alpacas so that could be very interesting. Ostrich farming likewise - though that could raise the danger/risk factor significantly

[Fermit and Sexy Sarah]

Oilchange said:

He needs to buy some alpacas and ostriches for the second season, they would be fun. And maybe chickens too.

And interestingly, a detail which makes sense in that. Foxes, one of the greatest threats to fowl, are st scared of alpacas. Have any near them and fox would bottle it.

https://www.farminguk.com/news/alpacas-guard-the-f...

[DodgyGeezer]

FiF said:

Yep, indeed, I remember someone on here commenting about me having an interesting job. Had described a session where we'd been trying to develop improved vital organs plates for body armour and shooting increasingly powerful weapons into various iterations of the armour fitted to ballistic gel torso targets. Or shooting an armour piercing round into a fully pressurised 50litre hydrogen gas cylinder.

But at the end of the day...

One person's dream job and all that.... that being said ^^^^^ sounds fascinating. Anything your able to share talk about?

[Sway]

Fermit and Sexy Sarah said:

Oilchange said:

He needs to buy some alpacas and ostriches for the second season, they would be fun. And maybe chickens too.

And interestingly, a detail which makes sense in that. Foxes, one of the greatest threats to fowl, are st scared of alpacas. Have any near them and fox would bottle it.

https://www.farminguk.com/news/alpacas-guard-the-f...

I also found out the other day (I assume it's true!) alpaca manure is the only manure you can put direct on crops without rotting down beforehand.

[FiF]

DodgyGeezer said:

One person's dream job and all that.... that being said ^^^^^ sounds fascinating. Anything your able to share talk about?

Too off topic really. I'll just say no matter what body armour you're wearing you really don't want to be on the wrong end of a sniper rifle, in this case a Swedish PSG-90, firing armour piercing sabot rounds. Everyone went very quiet.

Btw personally not a gun or shooting nut, this was just a tool of the trade. Don't work on this stuff now, an old fart today.

[austinsmirk]

It was brilliant and all the better for having normal people in, like Chris, Kaleb and the genius that is Gerald!!

I love kaleb for saying how it is !

[mick987]

Scabutz said:

Amazon must be writing the cheques for a lot of it I would guess. Nice deal for Jezza. Get paid for a TV show, get your farm partially funded.

I would think with the money Amazon is paying for the series, he could by the farm and machinery many time over.

[Johner]

Must admit that the first episode rather put me off
It just felt . . . . Well, silly, not funny, silly.

Maybe it's just SWMBO and me, but the small snippets of humour were out weighed by longer periods of boredom

Note;
I am a May, Clarkson, Hammond fan

[ChocolateFrog]

mick987 said:

Scabutz said:

Amazon must be writing the cheques for a lot of it I would guess. Nice deal for Jezza. Get paid for a TV show, get your farm partially funded.

I would think with the money Amazon is paying for the series, he could by the farm and machinery many time over.

Ofcourse he could.

His net worth has to be over £100m.

Someone else seemed to hint his OH was even more wealthy, I've no idea on that one personally.