Clarkson's Farm

I have always hated badgers and anywhere near cattle they need a bullet in the head, numbers are out of control due to yet more bad government policy based on posh city folk who have no idea. Need to release some big cats to keep the population down or a bullet in the head and chucked on the fire or actually a nice badger scarf.
 
jaybee said:
The council meeting was unfortunately exactly as I pictured a council meeting would be like. Councils are mostly corrupt and unfair, with conflicts of interest and bias. My experience of local councils near me, is that when a council puts information publicly available about a development of X hundred houses, it's going ahead already. They do all the stuff about being able to object and make your statements, but they don't listen, and generally developments that bring in the coin, go ahead. Our local area now is over subscribed in terms of housing with a huge, huge lack of infra, schools, GPs etc to cater for.

Clarkson goes and asks for a single moderately sized car park and to convert a barn into a restaurant on his significant sized land - making it the proverbial pea sized dot on the landscape - jumps through significant hoops to show that he will build it according to spec required for the area of outstanding natural beauty, highlights that it will bring 50+ jobs and help out local farmers all clubbing together to produce for it, etc etc, and council deny it because a couple of them want to keep their local place for local people exclusive for them to enjoy only, in their way. The guy waffling on about the sky at night in that meeting, ignoring that the light output is strictly controlled to not cause light polution.... I mean.... you've got no chance against people like that.
Click to expand...


It really annoys me when someone sits there saying no to everything and offers no solution. They should earn their way by finding compromises to help people move forward. Not complain that the traffic is backing up trying to park, the verge is being damaged by cars parking on the road, the mud pit of cars parking on the farm land is ugly and then refuse a gravel car park which will help move people off the road quickly.
 
SPG said:
I have always hated badgers and anywhere near cattle they need a bullet in the head, numbers are out of control due to yet more bad government policy based on posh city folk who have no idea. Need to release some big cats to keep the population down or a bullet in the head and chucked on the fire or actually a nice badger scarf.
Click to expand...
I think some kind off mash potato based trap should work. As everybody knows badgers love mash potato.
 
I don't get the badger thing either. It's very hypocritical to allow fox killing but not badgers. I quite like the fox that visits me, he usually leaves a present like a ball or something which I can watch the fun he had with it on my CCTV, last Thursday he left me a packet of cheese on my doorstep, which was... nice... Meanwhile badgers destroyed my new lawn that I spent weeks preparing the ground for and gained access to my garden by literally punching a hole through a fence panel.
 
Finished this now, leaves me baffled in the world of local authorities.

Spoiler based on looking at Planning application websites;
Looks like they're appealing the last one they mentioned on the show, extension of parking & access change etc, appeal decision to be made this time next month...

West oxon planning;

Application ref '22/00613/FUL' if anyone wants to check it out, the documentation is crazy never seen so many documents attatched to a planning application (albeit it's not my job, just find it interesting to see what's happening). Has the letters from Jeremy & Lisa for the appeal too - gives insight into next series in terms of cows and plans for restaurant etc
 
Last edited:
tom_e said:
I'm intrigued about if that's how he actually speaks or if it's hammed up a bit for the humour.
Click to expand...

Wzd said:
I often wonder this too. I'm suspicious that some of his voice is dubbed after the event as a lot of the time his speaking will be off-camera or he'll be shot from behind, so you don't always see his lips moving to the voice audio.
Click to expand...
I'm almost certain it's made worse. I'm fairly sure I could hear cuts in his audio to make it sound more like nonsense. As said, they do it when his head is looking the other way, so it's not as noticeable.

Good show, although I thought S2 was less about farming. The whole season was all about opening the restaurant.
 
AndyCr15 said:
Good show, although I thought S2 was less about farming. The whole season was all about opening the restaurant.
Click to expand...

TBF, it's probably the way farming is going, they need to diversify in order to be able to farm.

Planting stuff and raising livestock alone doesn't pay the bills so farming is now all about having 'side hustles'.
 
jaybee said:
The council meeting was unfortunately exactly as I pictured a council meeting would be like. Councils are mostly corrupt and unfair, with conflicts of interest and bias. My experience of local councils near me, is that when a council puts information publicly available about a development of X hundred houses, it's going ahead already. They do all the stuff about being able to object and make your statements, but they don't listen, and generally developments that bring in the coin, go ahead. Our local area now is over subscribed in terms of housing with a huge, huge lack of infra, schools, GPs etc to cater for.

Clarkson goes and asks for a single moderately sized car park and to convert a barn into a restaurant on his significant sized land - making it the proverbial pea sized dot on the landscape - jumps through significant hoops to show that he will build it according to spec required for the area of outstanding natural beauty, highlights that it will bring 50+ jobs and help out local farmers all clubbing together to produce for it, etc etc, and council deny it because a couple of them want to keep their local place for local people exclusive for them to enjoy only, in their way. The guy waffling on about the sky at night in that meeting, ignoring that the light output is strictly controlled to not cause light polution.... I mean.... you've got no chance against people like that.
Click to expand...

Couldn’t agree more.
 
wesimmo said:
TBF, it's probably the way farming is going, they need to diversify in order to be able to farm.

Planting stuff and raising livestock alone doesn't pay the bills so farming is now all about having 'side hustles'.
Click to expand...
Airbnb and holiday lets seem to be the way to go! I've got a couple aunts with dairy farms and one has converted a couple of the farm buildings for holiday lets and one of the stable yards I visit for work now runs a few Airbnbs from some converted stables.
 
Street said:
Airbnb and holiday lets seem to be the way to go! I've got a couple aunts with dairy farms and one has converted a couple of the farm buildings for holiday lets and one of the stable yards I visit for work now runs a few Airbnbs from some converted stables.
Click to expand...

I think all but one of the half dozen farms that were in the village I grew up in are now housed over and even the one that still operates has sold the land in the village to developers and built a new farm and house on the outskirts of the village.
 
I'd like to see the maths on the restaurant actually. So, the cow's cost £250k for 20, the original restaurant was going to be £250k. How much was he going to make per cow, was it £12k? I can't remember how much of the £250k for cows was setup costs and how much would be recurring for every 20. The restaurant would have significant running costs. I guess having what I assume is the most expensive cost (the beef) himself, I guess it's quite profitable once it's setup and running?
 
wesimmo said:
TBF, it's probably the way farming is going, they need to diversify in order to be able to farm.

Planting stuff and raising livestock alone doesn't pay the bills so farming is now all about having 'side hustles'.
Click to expand...

At what point does the side hustles become the business and the farm is left to nature? Why go to all the stress and long days harvesting when the profit doesn't pay for a post harvest feast any more?
 
  • Like
Reactions: SPG
AndyCr15 said:
I'd like to see the maths on the restaurant actually. So, the cow's cost £250k for 20, the original restaurant was going to be £250k. How much was he going to make per cow, was it £12k? I can't remember how much of the £250k for cows was setup costs and how much would be recurring for every 20. The restaurant would have significant running costs. I guess having what I assume is the most expensive cost (the beef) himself, I guess it's quite profitable once it's setup and running?
Click to expand...

With his reputation I am sure the restaurant would be filled 24/7 if it was allowed. Bit like Richard Hammond's business. His guys were doing okay but were small time. (Despite being very good). Now his name is added he is flooded with work they otherwise wouldn't have got. Not only that but the struggling farms around him would be doing better because they would also have a source of income from the restaurant.
 
Last edited:
Trifid said:
At what point does the side hustles become the business and the farm is left to nature? Why go to all the stress and long days harvesting when the profit doesn't pay for a post harvest feast any more?
Click to expand...

This is where the government needs to subsidize them. It is scary to think especially in these times how absolutely fubar we would be if anything would happen on a world scale. We should be focusing on becoming more self sufficient. Benefits shouldn't just apply to the needy but also support essential things that are needed for the country to function.
 
Last edited:
Wife and I watched the second series over a couple of evenings and thoroughly enjoyed it. As has already been said, they're filming the third series and will have been doing so since harvest last year.

If Amazon cancel it after series 3, it'll be really interesting to see if Clarkson carries on farming himself or hands it over to a manager. If he doesn't it'll show that he's actually serious about farming but if he does, it means that he's not really interested and it's all done just for the show.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top Bottom