Since Jeremy Clarkson’s agricultural show Clarkson’s Farm debuted on Amazon Prime in 2021, there has been a surge in fascination with farming. This wave has witnessed individuals develop a heightened curiosity about farmers’ lives, their work, and the challenges they face.
Moreover, farmers have felt encouraged to voice their concerns in public, with the support of the 65-year-old former Top Gear host backing them.
Nevertheless, the enthusiasm sparked by Clarkson’s Farm isn’t just being witnessed on the streets, but in educational institutions as well, as farming colleges note an uptick in prospective students – a trend they attribute to Jeremy’s show.
Discussing the boost in applications to courses at the Royal Agricultural University (RAU) with The Times, Daniella Miles remarked on the growing appeal of their rural land management degrees.
Daniella said: “It’s looking like programmes like Clarkson’s Farm are having an effect. It seems to be spreading much further than ‘I can do farming,’ as it’s an interest in all the other courses and roles involved in farming that is increasing as well.
“People look at what Cheerful Charlie does and become interested, as well as seeing Clarkson have Andy Cato on his farm as a consultant, and we’ve had him speaking here at RAU.”
Daniella’s nod to Andy Cato, one half of the DJ duo Groove Armada, is a testament to the burgeoning ‘cool’ factor of farming. Andy, an advocate for regenerative farming, has publicly stated his mission to make farming trendy in order to attract more people to the profession.
Speaking to the BBC, he revealed that part of his drive to enter the farming industry was to empower himself, and foster the belief that he could contribute to solving societal issues.
He told the broadcaster: “We need to live in a world where farming and food is cool and aspirational. There are a lot of days when I think I’m just going to play records on the beach in Ibiza-someone else can sort this out.
“What keeps me going is that we have a solution here to so many of the existing problems that we face-from health to climate to biodiversity. Once you’ve seen its potential, you can’t really walk away from it.”
While Andy has been discussing ways to entice young people into farming, Jeremy has been expressing empathy for them. He acknowledged the difficulties faced by the younger generation, and admitted that he now understands their frustration with society.
In a piece for The Times, he wrote: “In a recent moment of quiet reflection I started to wonder if, actually, we shouldn’t feel sorry for them.
“What’s the point of being a wage slave when it means you literally have no life at all? They were forced to live this way and it’s not what they want.”
