Clarkson’s Farm

[Evoluzione]

Before you start to complain about intensive dairy farming methods then consider this:

There are far too many people in this country, so now there are more mouths to feed than there is farming land to produce the food.

We demand cheap food and drink so farming isn't profitable, therefore less people want to do it.

The farmers are now responding by selling farming land on to housing developers.
Greed is at the heart of it.

Maybe in the future it'll go like chickens have, you'll have different prices for milk depending on where the cows lived.

Edited by Evoluzione on Friday 25th June 22:18

[james6546]

Fermit and Sexy Sarah said:

Small world indeed! Did you happen to walk in to Poulter (pit) woods with them? The plot of their house is one I've always admired, passing regularly.

Just another little nugget if you ever head that way again, on the main lane that goes through the hamlet, if you continue up it towards Bolsover there is a house that was on 'Grand Designs' (not knowing if you watch said show) The converted Water Works, this one -

No, I've not been to their site, I've just been shown pictures of it.

It looks beautiful though

[james6546]

Lily the Pink said:

Do you need a licence from your local authority for alpaca activities?

You do for weddings, but stuff on your own property like walks it seems like no. I don't think anyone actually has one around here, but we will do it at some point before the weddings start

[Abbott]

The Mrs had been enjoying it up until the Wilding Episode. She thought that was just going back to bad TG antics of arsing about intentionally cocking things up. I convinced her to watch the lambing episode which was really good.

[james6546]

Evoluzione said:

It looks a bit less harsh than where we're going, a bit further North than you on the Pennines in Lancashire and very hilly. Long grass isn't a problem, it's mostly moorland unless I make it into pasture.
What makes them spit by the way? Is it when they fell threatened? I've read they're good at protecting their other animal friends like chickens from foxes etc.
I'm now going to Google what the heck Alpaca Yoga is.....

Edited by Evoluzione on Friday 25th June 21:32

They are actually good on scrub ground, they don't need good ground at all. Kind of like Peru I guess.

Alpaca yoga is pretty much yoga in a field with alpacas!



Yeah, they are great at protecting from foxes and other animals, apparently foxes don't like the smell of the alpacas, and they are also quite aggressive. They don't like dogs either, but get used to specific dogs.

[Pistom]

Evoluzione said:

Before you start to complain about intensive dairy farming methods then consider this:

There are far too many people in this country, so now there are more mouths to feed than there is farming land to produce the food.

We demand cheap food and drink so farming isn't profitable, therefore less people want to do it.

The farmers are now responding by selling farming land on to housing developers.
Greed is at the heart of it.

Maybe in the future it'll go like chickens have, you'll have different prices for milk depending on where the cows lived.

Edited by Evoluzione on Friday 25th June 22:18

My complaint is the lack of availability of good quality farmed products and that what is available is not good enough and too cheap.

We are fortunate that we have quite a few people with smallholdings around us who keep us in most common meats and vegetables all year around. The taste and quality is always at a level significantly above the shops. They can only produce so much and when they are sold out - we have to buy in the shops.

[simonrockman]

I'm loving it.
When I watch TG or TGT I feel I know no more about the cars they are talking about than before I watched.
A episode of Clarkson's Farm shows me just how little I know about farming.
I'm working on a project where we are putting 5G coverage into an estate to do soil analysis in real time. Stuff I've learned from Clarkson's programme is proving genuinely useful.
It's also a great family bonding event. My mother and sister don't have Prime so come over to watch.

[james6546]

jammy-git said:

I mean, have you even tried that?!

Not often

[Lily the Pink]

Anyone else surprised that Clarkson had so much trouble reversing a trailer ?

[Mezzanine]

Lily the Pink said:

Anyone else surprised that Clarkson had so much trouble reversing a trailer ?

I think it was perhaps exaggerated for screen just a bit.

[Condi]

Mezzanine said:

I think it was perhaps exaggerated for screen just a bit.

Not sure tbh. It is a skill very different to driving forwards, and if you've had a long day and are tired then even experienced tractor drivers can make a mess of something they do regularly.

That was the one part of harvest they didn't touch on, if you do long days for weeks on end you do get tired and make mistakes, although 450 acres of arable is not a large area by any means. Maybe 10 days combining or even less if you get a decent run at it with the kit he had.

We used to do 1200 acres with 1 combine, which was about 20-25 days work with a bigger machine.

[jameswills]

DaveGrohl said:

How u doing said:

reapercushions said:

Great 'behind the scenes' interview here:

https://youtu.be/feivyZ7xQmQ

Seems much more 'real' as its with Farmers Weekly rather than some tabloid.

Good vid enjoyed that.

+1

And thanks from me.

[Thin White Duke]

I finished the series a couple of days ago. Great television. Even the bits that looked or were contrived.

Not sure if another series is possible unless Clarkson tries his hand at something else.

[Doofus]

Thin White Duke said:

I finished the series a couple of days ago. Great television. Even the bits that looked or were contrived.

Not sure if another series is possible unless Clarkson tries his hand at something else.

Maybe we'll find out he also bought an amusement park, or a holiday camp back in 2009.

[768]

I'd imagine he could do as the Strawbridges do on Escape to the Chateau, instead of moving around rooms one at a time he could just keep picking another field for a project. Maybe a greenhouse, some vertical farming, fruit picking, hosting a rural show, glamping... surely there's an endless list of things he could make a hash of in a field.

[Evoluzione]

Once he's educated himself he could try making some money, get some cute animals (alpacas with yoga, pygmy goats etc) although I can't really see him doing that.
Keep some cows inside for some intensive milk farming etc.

[Abbott]

I think I would be more interested to see the same thing again to see what he has learnt and how he applies that knowledge to improve his margin. The weather is out of his control but he did make a lot of fundamental mistakes / cock ups that affected that outcome. I dont think I would be that entertained by him going down a more diversity lead exercise away from mainstream farming.
Dairy or pigs would offer a lot of entertainment and he could even see how far he gets going organic. That would be an epic series on bureaucracy.

Edited by Abbott on Saturday 26th June 21:56

[FiF]

As much as I like alpacas for the life of me I cannot imagine what JC would have to say about alpaca sodding yoga. FFS. Sorry but

Still if people are daft enough to pay good money to do yoga in a field watched by alpacas who am I to stop them.

Needs a caption competition

[jammy-git]

FiF said:

As much as I like alpacas for the life of me I cannot imagine what JC would have to say about alpaca sodding yoga. FFS. Sorry but

Still if people are daft enough to pay good money to do yoga in a field watched by alpacas who am I to stop them.

Needs a caption competition

"It's fun to stay at the..... Y M C IIIIII"

[DaveGrohl]

Pistom said:

Evoluzione said:

Before you start to complain about intensive dairy farming methods then consider this:

There are far too many people in this country, so now there are more mouths to feed than there is farming land to produce the food.

We demand cheap food and drink so farming isn't profitable, therefore less people want to do it.

The farmers are now responding by selling farming land on to housing developers.
Greed is at the heart of it.

Maybe in the future it'll go like chickens have, you'll have different prices for milk depending on where the cows lived.

Edited by Evoluzione on Friday 25th June 22:18

My complaint is the lack of availability of good quality farmed products and that what is available is not good enough and too cheap.

We are fortunate that we have quite a few people with smallholdings around us who keep us in most common meats and vegetables all year around. The taste and quality is always at a level significantly above the shops. They can only produce so much and when they are sold out - we have to buy in the shops.

The lack of availabilty you're complaining about is becuase you've all headed to the supermarket cathedrals like zombies. Not your fault, why wouldn't you? We did too. It's so utterly convenient, who gives a st if you've caused the problems you're now complaining about? That's the modern world, no one thinks more than a week ahead about anything any more, let alone govts.