Jimmy - A Farming Hero!
Friday saw me visiting Jimmy's Farm to meet with the man himself. When I arrived, I shouldn't have been surprised to have to cross three barbed wire fences and temporary gates to chase after Jimmy on his dumper truck, oblivious to his pursuers. It was classic Jimmy's Farm stuff! When I finally caught up with him (he was busy putting the final touches to his new Butterfly House), I got twenty minutes of empassioned rant before getting a word in about the importance of children understanding about insects' role in pollinating crops and about the various programmes he is busy making at the moment - "Jimmy's Farming Heroes", due to air on primetime BBC1, Sundays 9pm from July, as well as a Horizon series on world farming and a special on the GMO debate (as a scientist, he is 'pro' by the way). I then got a tour of his new feature on the farm to celebrate the 200th anniversary of Darwin publishing 'The Origin of the Species', which will support yet another TV programme he's making. We laughed about the old tree trunk which has been carved to illustrate evolution (ape, neanderthal man, homo erectus, homo sapiens) - I asked where 'homo obese' with his burger was, and I was shown a seat carved into the trunk where 'fat man and his burger' can sit! As we sat and talked, I was struck by the genuine passion for farming that oozes from Jimmy's every pore, and that what he lacks in farming experience he makes up for in enthusiasm. What's more, he walks his talk - his farm is CEVAS accredited, hosts many school visits every year and is taking part in Open Farm Sunday. With over 3 million viewers a week, Jim is a genuine public ambassador for farming and I am delighted that he has been so keen to support the Year in as many ways as he has. His new series will see him reach entirely new audiences and expand the public debate about the future of farming in a balanced way. We spoke at length about the importance of the legacy of the Year and the good news is he wants to play an active part in it - more news to come on this in due course... I left feeling renewed, infected with Jimmy's contagious enthusiasm, as well as carrying a bag full of goodies from his farm shop. I can heartily recommend his Ipswich Blue sausages and his black treacle cured Saddleback bacon - stellar! (www.jimmysfarm.com)