Clarkson’s Farm’s Kaleb Cooper opens up about farming amid cost-of-living crisis

The 24-year-old farming contractor shot to fame last year after the release of the hit Prime Video farming show, which follows Jeremy Clarkson as he attempts to run an Oxfordshire farm.

Speaking about the pressures on farming given the current cost-of-living crisis in Britain, Cooper said: ‘I think farmers are going to, either way, get through this and I hope they do it together, but it’s an incredibly hard industry that we’re in with everything going up in price.

‘Diesel, for example, was 32 pence per litre last year. It’s now £1.20.

And as a contractor, I can’t really put my prices up because the farmers go, “Christ, I can’t really afford it.”‘

He continued to the PA news agency: ‘In the farming world, the person at the top is the farmer and he often has no better.

‘So therefore, in the industry, it’s incredibly hard. But I like doing it, so what else would I do?’

Cooper’s clumsily endearing persona on the show’s popular first series – which also featured ‘Charming’ Charlie Ireland, Clarkson’s land agent and adviser – has earned him 1.1million Instagram followers.

He previously told fans that he was the ‘real boss’ of the show, saying: ‘It’s Kaleb’s Farm, secretly’.

After the publication of his first book, The World According To Kaleb, Cooper reflected on what he has learnt since taking part in the show, telling PA: ‘I mean, you don’t learn it unless you get out there and have a go.

‘So, for example, farming, I started at age 13. I went out there and had a go and now I’m 24.

‘And I would say I know quite a bit about farming, but I don’t want to get too big-headed here.

‘But in terms of a book, I went out and had a go and I’ve learned stuff along the way. With the television, I’ve learned stuff along the way and I’m still learning.

‘I think the day you say to yourself, ‘I think I’ve got it, I’ve mastered this job’, is the day it’s going to go horribly wrong and I think you’re gonna be in the wrong job.

He told fans he was forced to stop harvesting at his Cotswolds-based farm due to the extreme heat this Summer, while also sharing an update on the show’s status.

‘F**ketty f**k. Had to stop harvesting because of, and I’m not making this up, the fire risk,’ he penned on Twitter.

However, when a fan asked him how things were going he had some good news to share.

‘Finished filming on Monday. Now the long process of editing begins,’ the TV star responded.

Another intrigued viewer replied: ‘So they haven’t been editing anything throughout this whole time?’

To which Clarkson confirmed: ‘Yup. We have done four shows.’

While it’s not yet clear when these will come to the streaming service, it seems we’ll soon get to see more of the goings on from Clarkson’s ongoing project.

Clarkson’s Farm can be streamed in full on Amazon Prime Video now.

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