‘I’m a young farmer and this is how Clarkson’s Farm has changed the industry’

Farmer Joe Seels has opened up about the impact Jeremy Clarkson’s TV series, Clarkson’s Farm, has had on the agriculture industry
Farmer Joe Seels has offered a glimpse into the influence Jeremy Clarkson has wielded on the agricultural world, following the tremendous success of his Prime Video programme Clarkson’s Farm.

Jeremy – renowned for hosting television programmes like Top Gear – operates Diddly Squat Farm in Chipping Norton and has chronicled his agricultural adventure in the reality television series, which has now reached its fourth series.

The television programme has proved enormously popular and ignited fascination in farming, with Jeremy’s co-presenters, including Kaleb Cooper, achieving celebrity status themselves.

There has also been a surge in farmers producing content on social media platforms, with individuals like Joe gaining massive followings on platforms such as TikTok and YouTube.

During his appearance on BBC Breakfast on Monday (21 July), Joe discussed his experience and the impact he believes Clarkson’s Farm has made on the agricultural sector, reports Wales Online.

Discussing Jeremy, Joe informed BBC presenters Jon Kay and Sally Nugent: “He’s really just showing it to the public, the struggles. I don’t think people like myself, who have got YouTube channels, and there’s quite a few of us now showing what we do on the farm, I don’t think we’d have that same platform without that interest that Clarkson’s sparked.”

Joe also disclosed his personal link to Jeremy, explaining that the television personality is acquainted with Joe’s family. He continued: “He’s quite funny, because Clarkson, he is a ‘local lad’ to us. So, where my great uncle farms is where Clarkson was brought up.”

The farmer continued by explaining that agricultural content being posted on social media platforms and the success of Clarkson’s Farm has sparked increased enthusiasm for farming careers, describing the response as “gratifying”.

Nevertheless, Joe almost abandoned his farming aspirations following a firm caution from his parents during his youth. He disclosed that he pursued higher education after his parents encouraged him to seek employment outside agriculture.

“Back in the day, my mum and dad said ‘Don’t go into farming Joe, there’s no money in it’. So I took a degree, went and did Geography at Hull. I got onto a graduate scheme and I did do a couple of years there, then I thought this is just not for me. I want to be out in the tractor, I want to be out with the cattle. I just longed to get back to the farm,” Joe told Jon and Sally.

Joe’s digital media adventure began when he established a TikTok profile following a mate’s decision to start sharing content on the platform, though he never intended to become a social media sensation.

“I wanted to do it anonymously, so I started posting some videos of what we were doing on the farm and really enjoyed doing it,” Joe explained. “People started watching, so I didn’t stay anonymous for very long. Stupidly, I called it ‘Joe Seel’, so I couldn’t really get under the shadow of anonymity!”