Our three boys are avid Jeremy Clarkson fans.

As wee tots they each developed a love for Top Gear, followed by The Grand Tour, and now Clarkson’s Farm has become our favourite family viewing.

They love the various escapades that Jeremy and his co-stars get themselves into and I have always enjoyed his irreverent view of the world.

See also: Kaleb Cooper’s new book focuses on positivity in agriculture

About the author

David Clark

Farmer Focus writer

David Clark runs a 463ha fully irrigated mixed farm with his wife Jayne at Valetta, on the Canterbury Plains of New Zealand’s south island. He grows 400ha of cereals, pulses, forage and vegetable seed crops, runs 1,000 Romney breeding ewes and finishes 8,000 lambs annually.

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When Clarkson’s Farm appeared on our screens, I must admit, I was a bit sceptical, fearing some cheesy and patronising look at farming. How wrong I have been.

The world over, we are all facing almost intolerable pressures as food producers.

Firstly, we have the tidal wave of unworkable legislation – who knows if this is unintended, or deliberately set to kneecap farmers?

Then we have the black clouds of social pressure from the public, many of whom have lost all connection with where their food comes from, but are quick to offer their vocal opinion on how farming should be done.

Finally, we have the economic realities. We are simply not being paid enough to produce food to have long-term financial sustainability in our businesses and families.

In my view, Jeremy Clarkson and his cohorts have endeared themselves to a wide cross-section of society and given those viewers a glimpse of life on a farm.

As a farmer I can relate to each and every activity, whether it be the faceless bureaucrat from the local council, the weather impacting on all parts of the farming calendar, the escalating costs of growing food, the triumphs and disappointments of harvest, or the heartbreak of losing an animal you have tried in vain to nurse back to health. 

These stories have been portrayed in a way that has captured the interest of the wider public and given a greater understanding of farm life.

I tip my hat to each of the characters we have come to know and love.

We so desperately need more farming champions, in our communities and within our parliaments to positively portray the lives and pressures of the people that grow our food.