“Back then my dad was saying that these animals had to have a future in farming; these dual-purpose animals that suited certain climatic and farming situations and could produce protein from rough grassland or live on mountainsides.
“He started the Cotswold Farm Park when the role of agriculture was to produce food quickly and intensively, but now the table has turned and he was right.
From June 13 to 15 there will be plenty of opportunities for everybody to learn about the agricultural industry when the Royal Three Counties Show returns to Malvern, and Adam can’t wait.
Throughout the three-day event he’ll be busy speaking in the Future of Farming Theatre, commentating on farm machinery, signing copies of his latest books and generally getting out and about and meeting people, and he hopes they won’t hold back with any burning questions they might have.
“The Royal Three Counties Show is for everyone, both farmers and the general public,” he says.
“We want people to understand about the countryside: no question is a silly question and I’m sure many farmers are like me in wanting to make sure the general public is well informed.
“Personally, I’m learning all the time as well. Anybody who thinks they know it all is either stupid, or dead.”
Adam, who combines his broadcasting work with running the Cotswold Farm Park in Guiting Power, has been going to the Royal Three Counties Show for more than 50 years.
“It’s my local show; I think I was eight when I went for the first time,” he says. “We used to go as a family and show our rare breed animals, and we had a Cotswold Farm Park stand. My sister, Libby, used to do judging and I used to do cattle and sheep judging.
“In 2002 my dad was President of the Three Counties Agricultural Society and it was through his vision that ‘Rare Breeds Sunday’ became a feature of the Royal Three Counties Show.
“Many resilient and robust British breeds aren’t so rare anymore and the attitude towards sustainable farming is growing all the time, which is great for our wildlife and soils, but we still need to feed a growing world population, so highly productive agriculture isn’t something I would diss.”
Adam is passionate about the future of farming, land use and conservation and keen to bridge the urban divide and inform people how British agriculture is a vibrant, professional business that offers incredible careers.
“Agricultural shows like the Royal Three Counties Show are brilliant for increasing understanding.
“In the world of education, farming, food and the land has somewhat been put to one side. We have GCSES in subjects like history and chemistry, but we don’t learn about agriculture, land use and conservation.
“I wish our education system informed us where food comes from so that informed choices can be made when buying it.
“I’d like to open the eyes of young people to the opportunities there are in agriculture, whether as a specialist banker or solicitor, agronomist or engineer, or the practical tasks of driving machines and milking cows.
“It’s no longer the cause that if you’re ‘strong in the arm and thick in the head, my boy, then farming’s for you’. Farm machine operators have to be technologically minded and hardworking, with on board computers, self-steering, robot fruit pickers and more.
“People who are fantastic with PlayStation are well-equipped to operate machines, whether it’s for picking strawberries, satellite steering on tractors or robotic milking.”
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ENTERTAINMENT ADAM HENSON
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