Clarkson’s Farm
Discussion
I couldn’t stand the later series of Top Gear with all the false jeopardy and staged scripts, didn’t bother with the Grand Tour for the same reason.
But, really, really enjoyed this, even my wife sat and watched every episode and she never watches any tv.
I’d hate to see them go down the Top Gear/Only Fools/Minder/Simpsons route of dragging a series on way past its sell by date.
But, really, really enjoyed this, even my wife sat and watched every episode and she never watches any tv.
I’d hate to see them go down the Top Gear/Only Fools/Minder/Simpsons route of dragging a series on way past its sell by date.
Fane said:
I've not read through the whole thread, so I'm preparing myself to be torn a new one here, but did anyone clock the homage to Goodfellas (film, not pizza) at the beginning of the last episode? When Clarkson was running through his hectic schedule....
Yes.Thought that was spot on.
ralphrj said:
Having subscribed to Harry's Farm and seen some trailers of Clarkson's Farm on YouTube the YT algorithm is suggesting lots of farming videos for me, including this review of Clarkson's Farm by some real farmers.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jex_9ZmeVaI&ab...
In summary, they liked it and thought it was a good balance of being informative whilst entertaining.
Those guys are brilliant to listen to - so positive and happy. The younger one (is that "Nick" that the channel is named after?) looks/sounds a bit like Tom Hardy. I bet if someone points this out on mumsnet, their YT channel will explode.https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jex_9ZmeVaI&ab...
In summary, they liked it and thought it was a good balance of being informative whilst entertaining.
Thin White Duke said:
I've watched the first three episodes so far. The first two were brilliant television.
It's interesting to note that Clarkson didn't splash the cash when buying equipment and that he's up and down in a 14 year old Range Rover. Nothing at all wrong with that, but I expected him to have a brand new or nearly new everything.
I wonder where he keeps his proper toys?
I happened to be sat outside the health centre in Chipping Norton the other day, waiting for Mrs Icon to have her second COVID jab, and who should walk out before her but the venerable Mr Clarkson. I can confirm he still drives the ‘57 plate Range Rover. It's interesting to note that Clarkson didn't splash the cash when buying equipment and that he's up and down in a 14 year old Range Rover. Nothing at all wrong with that, but I expected him to have a brand new or nearly new everything.
I wonder where he keeps his proper toys?
Lord Marylebone said:
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.
Sounds depressing, never see sunlight?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.
Nexus Icon said:
Thin White Duke said:
I've watched the first three episodes so far. The first two were brilliant television.
It's interesting to note that Clarkson didn't splash the cash when buying equipment and that he's up and down in a 14 year old Range Rover. Nothing at all wrong with that, but I expected him to have a brand new or nearly new everything.
I wonder where he keeps his proper toys?
I happened to be sat outside the health centre in Chipping Norton the other day, waiting for Mrs Icon to have her second COVID jab, and who should walk out before her but the venerable Mr Clarkson. I can confirm he still drives the ‘57 plate Range Rover. It's interesting to note that Clarkson didn't splash the cash when buying equipment and that he's up and down in a 14 year old Range Rover. Nothing at all wrong with that, but I expected him to have a brand new or nearly new everything.
I wonder where he keeps his proper toys?
Watched all of them and thought they were well balanced and nicely filmed. I’d love that work life, having spent many years as a youngster working on a vegetable farm in Manchester. It was tougher work than my contemporaries had at the time, but you didn’t half feel good when a crop was ready for sale.
I think the final episode brings it home though, even taking into account the mistakes made by Clarkson, it doesn’t necessarily matter how many hours you put in if the weather decides not to play ball with you.
I think the final episode brings it home though, even taking into account the mistakes made by Clarkson, it doesn’t necessarily matter how many hours you put in if the weather decides not to play ball with you.
Iwantafusca said:
Lord Marylebone said:
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.
Sounds depressing, never see sunlight?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.
Anyone who has seen cows on the first day they are let out into the fields in Spring after overwintering in sheds will see how happy they are to be outside again, running around, mooing excitedly and literally jumping for joy in some cases.
mike74 said:
Iwantafusca said:
Lord Marylebone said:
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.
Sounds depressing, never see sunlight?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.
Anyone who has seen cows on the first day they are let out into the fields in Spring after overwintering in sheds will see how happy they are to be outside again, running around, mooing excitedly and literally jumping for joy in some cases.
mike74 said:
I would very much dispute the claim that the cows are happier spending all their lives inside.
Anyone who has seen cows on the first day they are let out into the fields in Spring after overwintering in sheds will see how happy they are to be outside again, running around, mooing excitedly and literally jumping for joy in some cases.
Agree with this, but at the other end of the year, in October, they don't want to go outside and would rather be in the shed! Anyone who has seen cows on the first day they are let out into the fields in Spring after overwintering in sheds will see how happy they are to be outside again, running around, mooing excitedly and literally jumping for joy in some cases.
Iwantafusca said:
I guess farmers see animals the same way we see tractors , machines.
Not really, obviously there is an economic element to keeping them - although not something which worries JC much with his sheep - you can never forget they are living things too, and have needs, wants, feelings etc. One of the most infuriating arguments from vegans is around animal welfare; while you do get a few bad apples, most farmers take a lot of pride in their livestock and the easiest way to get your head around sending them to slaughter is knowing you've given them a good life when on your farm. A new tractor might be exciting, but helping a cow give birth and then seeing the young animals playing and growing up is way way better. mike74 said:
I would very much dispute the claim that the cows are happier spending all their lives inside.
Anyone who has seen cows on the first day they are let out into the fields in Spring after overwintering in sheds will see how happy they are to be outside again, running around, mooing excitedly and literally jumping for joy in some cases.
I would very much dispute the claim that cows are happier spending time out in the fields.Anyone who has seen cows on the first day they are let out into the fields in Spring after overwintering in sheds will see how happy they are to be outside again, running around, mooing excitedly and literally jumping for joy in some cases.
Anyone who has seen cows on the first day they are let out into the fields in Spring after overwintering in sheds will see how terrified they are to be outside again, running scared from their own shadows and literally jumping in fear in some cases.
See how much nonsense it is to anthropomorphise human emotions and feelings onto animals ?
Not always -my dairy farmer friend took a last picture of every cow in his herd as MAFF slaughter men took them away in the foot and mouth crisis . He was in tears as he told me about it.
And cows getting into the fresh air after a winter indoors - as said above they absolutely love it and gambol in delight like spring lambs.
And cows getting into the fresh air after a winter indoors - as said above they absolutely love it and gambol in delight like spring lambs.
Lily the Pink said:
I would very much dispute the claim that cows are happier spending time out in the fields.
Anyone who has seen cows on the first day they are let out into the fields in Spring after overwintering in sheds will see how terrified they are to be outside again, running scared from their own shadows and literally jumping in fear in some cases.
See how much nonsense it is to anthropomorphise human emotions and feelings onto animals ?
What utter nonsense. If you don't know when your pets are happy or sad you're doing a terrible job of looking after them. Farmers just have more animals to look after, but if you simply open the shed door as most people do then the cows could stay inside if they want. As it is, they are very obviously excited to be outside. Anyone who has seen cows on the first day they are let out into the fields in Spring after overwintering in sheds will see how terrified they are to be outside again, running scared from their own shadows and literally jumping in fear in some cases.
See how much nonsense it is to anthropomorphise human emotions and feelings onto animals ?
Remember, you are genetically 98% identical to a pig. Animals are not so different to us.
My stepdad is a farmer, last time I checked he was farming about 2500 acres. Both him, my mum and the guy who work for him absolutely loved it. He also loves Harrys Farm but hates countryfile with a passion, especially Adam on his "hobby farm"!
I think it's done a lot of good for farming and uk produce as a whole, anything that encourages people to buy local has got to be good, and will be even more important when all of the massive hormone fed beef starts coming in from the USA.
To answer the question from the first few pages, bigger farmers generally don't plough nowadays as minimum tillage is better for the environment as it doesn't release as much carbon or mess with the soil construction. It is also cheaper and quicker (probably the main reason).
In terms of not making any money it is accurate, generally unless you own your own farm things are a lot lot harder. The problem round here is that millionnaires like James Dyson buy up all of the land so farmers have virtually zero chance of buying anywhere. My parents rent/contract farm and they have been looking for a farm to buy for virtually their whole lives. It's quite sad really.
I'm not a farmer as I was always told by him not to get into it, but I kind of regret it now. I loved the machinery part and did my fair amount of tractor driving when I was growing up, but didn't like the animal part particularly. Amusingly now we are building up an alpaca business and have 13 alpacas on our smallholding.
Oh, and whoever says cows prefer to be inside all of the time haven't seen them when they are let out for the first time after winter. They spring around like lambs.
I think it's done a lot of good for farming and uk produce as a whole, anything that encourages people to buy local has got to be good, and will be even more important when all of the massive hormone fed beef starts coming in from the USA.
To answer the question from the first few pages, bigger farmers generally don't plough nowadays as minimum tillage is better for the environment as it doesn't release as much carbon or mess with the soil construction. It is also cheaper and quicker (probably the main reason).
In terms of not making any money it is accurate, generally unless you own your own farm things are a lot lot harder. The problem round here is that millionnaires like James Dyson buy up all of the land so farmers have virtually zero chance of buying anywhere. My parents rent/contract farm and they have been looking for a farm to buy for virtually their whole lives. It's quite sad really.
I'm not a farmer as I was always told by him not to get into it, but I kind of regret it now. I loved the machinery part and did my fair amount of tractor driving when I was growing up, but didn't like the animal part particularly. Amusingly now we are building up an alpaca business and have 13 alpacas on our smallholding.
Oh, and whoever says cows prefer to be inside all of the time haven't seen them when they are let out for the first time after winter. They spring around like lambs.
coppice said:
Not always -my dairy farmer friend took a last picture of every cow in his herd as MAFF slaughter men took them away in the foot and mouth crisis . He was in tears as he told me about it.
And cows getting into the fresh air after a winter indoors - as said above they absolutely love it and gambol in delight like spring lambs.
Ha, literally what I just wrote!And cows getting into the fresh air after a winter indoors - as said above they absolutely love it and gambol in delight like spring lambs.
Lily the Pink said:
I would very much dispute the claim that cows are happier spending time out in the fields.
Anyone who has seen cows on the first day they are let out into the fields in Spring after overwintering in sheds will see how terrified they are to be outside again, running scared from their own shadows and literally jumping in fear in some cases.
See how much nonsense it is to anthropomorphise human emotions and feelings onto animals ?
I've never seen this and I spent most of my life on a farmAnyone who has seen cows on the first day they are let out into the fields in Spring after overwintering in sheds will see how terrified they are to be outside again, running scared from their own shadows and literally jumping in fear in some cases.
See how much nonsense it is to anthropomorphise human emotions and feelings onto animals ?
Evoluzione said:
It's a bit silly commenting on a method of keeping cows whilst not knowing anything about it or even watching the program.
If you do want to watch it it was on Countryfile 13th June.
Then make a more informed comment.
I was only commenting on cows being inside vs. outside.If you do want to watch it it was on Countryfile 13th June.
Then make a more informed comment.
I've seen a couple of robot milking parlours, they are fab bits of kit and do genuinely make the cows happier as they can just be milked when they get uncomfortable.
We used to milk cows but the regs changed and the farm wasn't equipped to meet them without significant outlay.
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