In season four of Amazon’s hugely popular Clarkson’s Farm, Derbyshire farmer Harriet Cowan stepped in to replace Kaleb Cooper on the show and immediately became a firm fan’s favourite.
Her role on Clarkson’s Farm - a television documentary series about Jeremy Clarkson and his farm in the Cotswolds – has seen the full-time nurse and farmer become a much-loved and respected national figure since series four aired in May of this year.
Proud of her local roots, Harriet – who lives in Derbyshire and also studied at the University of Derby - was announced as the president for this year’s Chatsworth Country Fair to top off a remarkable few months.
Now, Harriet is using her voice to not only advocate for farming but also the importance around mental health too.
Tell me about your role in Chatsworth Country Fair, what did it feel like to be president this year?
It’s an honour to be the president of the whole fair as it’s such an important event - it showcases all things local and associated with farming.
For me it’s a real privilege, even more so as I’ve been coming to the show for so long, ever since I was a child. I was really thrilled to be asked.
What is your favourite aspect to living in Derbyshire?
It’s such a beautiful place to live and most definitely is not flat! I also love how everyone in Derbyshire is so friendly.
Even when you are just walking down a street and pass someone that you don’t know they will still greet you and say hello - we just have such a warm sense of community in this county.
It’s interesting to discover your work on the family farm in Belper. How long has it been in your family and how did you learn your farming skills?
I’m the third generation of farmers and it all began around the 1950s – well before my time!
Originally, it was a little chicken and cows shed to begin with and then a cottage was later added and the acreage was then bought around it.
I learnt my farming knowledge from my grandfather, whilst my dad very much taught me to drive tractors from the age of 12.
Is it difficult learning how to use such complex machinery?
It can be. Farming machinery such as tractors are constantly changing – especially nowadays, everything is becoming more modern and they can all be quite different.
I have to learn every time I get into a new tractor: where everything is and the function of all the controls, but it’s like riding a bike once you know how to drive them!
How did you become involved in Jeremy’s Farm and what kind of experiences has the show revealed about farming?
Charlie contacted me initially as Kaleb was going on tour and they wanted someone experienced to help whilst he was away.
I’m so glad that I became involved as it’s given me a platform to advocate for British farming. The show itself is very real and gives a huge insight into farming – I think that’s why it’s so good as everything happens is genuinely in real time.
You have described your support for women working in farming and mental health in the farming community, do you have plans to further these campaigns?
Yes, I really want to be associated with a charity that’s close to me – one that really resonates with farming and mental health, that’s very important to me.
I also want to continue encouraging women to work in farming; it’s been really rewarding as a result of being on television that I’ve had parents coming to chat to me to say that their daughter now wants to become a farmer.
That’s been so nice to hear as you don’t often come across this as a career choice with girls, in fact, it would be great to hear more schools discussing farming as a future role to aspire towards.
How do you balance two roles - healthcare and farming, has this been a challenge to maintain?
I work Monday to Friday in nursing and I usually go to the farm and feed the animals in the morning before I go to work and come back to complete additional farming work.
During the summer I work on a tractor until midnight and then get up to work as a nurse the next day. It is a really hard balance but farming is in my blood, it makes me happy and I’ve not known a different way of life.
What challenges have you experienced through the changes in British weather, what affects has this had on mental health in farming?
The weather has become so very extreme; as a farmer you need a mixture of everything and when the weather is too wet or too hot it creates huge problems.
It definitely has a knock-on effect on farmers’ mental health and it’s especially difficult facing these challenges associated with the weather as we can’t control them, it’s out of the farmer’s hands.
Having said that, every farmer is essentially in the same boat and experiences the same struggles, so we support each other and stick together through the good and bad times.
Why is supporting this cause so important to you?
Farming is relentless and you often feel very lonely and feel like you have to deal with problems on you own, and that can be a horrible place to be. That’s why I’m advocating mental health and trying to get it out there – to encourage farmers to talk to friends, neighbours, anyone you know.
Even if that just involves going to the pub once a week for a chat and talking about what you’re facing, because you're all facing the same problems at the end of the day.
If one farmer is going through a challenging time, I can guarantee another is as well. I want to encourage farmers to reach out and talk because somebody will be able to help you.
