Just heard Jimmy Doherty has got a new series called Global Harvest starting on January 7 on BBC 2.

According to the programme makers, he'll be off to meet the visionaries and innovators who are convinced that with clever science and ingenuity, they will be able to feed more people, with fewer resources, in a changing climate.

Tim.Relf:

he'll be off to meet the visionaries and innovators

Jim comes across as a very personable type. I, however, think he lacks the hard edge (gravitas) to achieve this type of thing. His life on a farm thing was ok and I saw some of. The transition to a commentator of agriculture is more ladybook than text book. I doubt that I will watch these, I did watch the one on farmer champions which I gave a 5, and did not see all programmes. [Those of you who remember "thank your lucky stars" will know about "oil'll give iet a foive". (my best at bruumy to english)].

 

There is a new River Cottage with Hugh Fernley Whittingstall on Channel Five on Thursday evening. I do enjoy his enthuisiastic approach to growing and eating. Not farming in an industrial sense but a wonderful attitude towards all matters rural.

I'm getting sent a preview tape so I'll let you know next week whether it's worth watching...

motley:

The transition to a commentator of agriculture is more ladybook than text book.

 

       Not necessarily a bad thing, perhaps, Motley. If this is what it takes to put over positive agricultural facts to the public and endear a public audience. The importance will be in the facts which he presents on his programmes. Lets hope that he can put forward a series that will portray a picture which is both positive and uplifting to British agriculture.

Just been watching the preview dvd of the new Jimmy series. It's really interesting. The first episode is him in Brazil (later ones are him in Australia, USA and Kenya) meeting farmers. The premise of the series is: We need to double food production in 40 years - how are we going to do this? He travels around meeting "visionaries and innovators" in a bid to decide whether we can rise to the challenge. As with his previous shows, it's very watchable - and beautifully filmed. The sight of 50 combines combines rolling in one field is quite something!

Anyone else see this? The papers seem to be split on whether it was good or bad. Here's what The Independent and The Guardian have to say...

This was not in depth reporting or a documentary was it? Brazil is maximising the use of it's available resources and mono-culture, use of chemicals, GM crops and cheap labour are all part of the toolbox they use to generate the money to pay back all the foreign investors who have/are investing heavily in Brazil and to sort out the countries social issues, for example eliminating hunger for  quarter of the countries 190 million population who are classed as poor many living on less than a dollar a day.

To give the President and his government their due they are making an impact on these issues but completing the mammoth task and dealing with the true cost may never be fully realised if their production does not become sustainable and indeed increase.

The rain forest:cattle project is also soley dependent on the success of the carbon trading project where carbon becomes monetised and of value to those with emissions and those with sequestering resources. 

By the way what do all those cayman eat, the offal from the industrial slaughterhouses perhaps?

l enjoyed the programme, l did think it was a bit them and us with the big farmers and there staff

 I watched the Jimmy program from brazil, and really think they put us to shame; in terms of biodiesel they are 30 years ahead, and yet most people in this country would dismiss Brazil as backward and nowhere near as developed as our country.

The huge soybean operation shown at the beginning was intresting, and, to some extent, could be the direction the arable side of farming over here will go, because smaller farms are beginning to contract out their operations to larger companies with specialised equipment, so there are less farmers but with bigger kit and more of it.

Tim.Relf:

The papers

http://entertainment.timesonline.co.uk/tol/arts_and_entertainment/tv_and_radio/article6979585.ece

"Jimmy Doherty raised the tone with his earnest analysis of Brazil’s rampagingly successful food industry in Jimmy’s Global Harvest. From the mass production of soya to the amazing sight of thousands of alligator eyes twinkling in the dark, Doherty revealed how the country has moved to become one of the great food producers, although what was the bigger argument around all this huffing and puffing? Doherty seemed a little lost. It was a like a schools programme"

This is the review I saw in the thunderer, fortunately confirming my prejudices already posted.

Brazil agriculture is surely more about first the US embargo on Soya by Nixon and then next the desire of Europe for GM free Soya.

Jim seemed happiest when patronizing in a laboratory, about yeastie beasties.

The programme did give a feel for the aggression, acquisitiveness and greed associated with private land ownership, together with associated racketeers though.

I did, however, say I would not see this programme. Even though mother-in-law gave me a new tv for christmas, this was all that I could bear at 8pm on that evening. (Oh no I never sit there not watching, why read a book when you can have the monster telling you all.)

 

The next episode of this is at 8pm on Thursday. He'll be in Australia.

Have just watched the Australian programme. I thought it was excellent viewing, especially from a general public point of view. Should be compulsory for all schools to screen it ! I especially liked the way he showed how little of the Earths surface was capable of growing food by comparing the Earth to an apple and proceding to cut off 75% for sea's and oceans and then with most of the remaining 25% being cast away for deserts, ice caps, towns, cities and roads he was left with only 7% to feed the worlds growing population. He then peeled this 7% as if to show the soil. 

Mind Boggling !!!!!

As clever as their industry is I couldn't help wondering whether Australian farmers by using less water to produce wine was a particularly good use of resources or drilling 100 metre boreholes to irrigate beef cattle pasture was clever farming. But as we were there most important customer for their wines then maybe it is us that need to consider the ethics involved.

At least with this program the real costs of industrial agriculture start to become more apparent, the water issue alone is a real worry as is the salt, wheat was not indigenous to Australia was it?

 

I see that the poor old Aussies cant play Cricket anymore [Lost the Ashes] but can now change Water into Wine !

   Good on yu sport !

After watching the Australia program last night - I was fascinated by the calcium solution used on soil. What were everyone else's thoughts on this?

I though that, broadly, Jimmy did a great job in explaining things in a simple and straighforward manner. True, many of us would have like more detail, but of the 1.7m or so people who did watch it, how good do you reckon their knowledge of agronomy and biochemistry really was? I, for one, learnt a few interesting facts.

Well done Jimmy - looking forward to the next episode...

I see don monty is doing a programme about farming on the fourth channel. Does Tim have anything abouth this? It is nice to see that farming is taking some good air time on tv.

 I suspect that Don monty will be more lifestyle than business style but you never know he may get stuck into the rpa.

I read about it in The Times over the weekend but don't know much more than that. It's on Thursday evening at 8pm and as you say, Motley, it'll probably be more lifestyle than business. Get the  impression it's about helping people with lots of cash 'chase the dream', rather than an insight into the reality of 'normal' farming life. That said, hopefully it'll still hopefully spread some awareness of the issues...

Two Farmers Weekly columnists were interviewed as potential presenters for this programme before the makers opted for Monty.

boy bedford:

interviewed as potential presenters

Amazingly they had a crack with me! Yes, yes I know...............

I bombed when they asked me if I would recommend that these 'new' farmers went out for a farming income only, or retain a part-time income. When I answered that I would recommend they retain a part-time income they lost interest.

I reflected and realized that this advice would have failed to create the jeopardy required for TV. Still it was a bit of fun and I did not have the continual bashing about my communication skills, that I receive on threads here.

That sounds really interesting, Motley. Do tell us a bit more about the whole thing...

Tim, you should know better that asking an egotistical, opinionated male, especially one like me to say more..........

About this time last year the local nfu e-newsletter asked for contacts for a new programme on new farmers, I think betty tv. Well I sent off my cv and there began a series of telephone conversations with this tv production company. This cumulated in a telephone 'interview' with the series producer. I spent sometime establishing the fact that I sound according to my cv, contacts I had and my agricultural knowledge. Then we ran through some scenarios.

This ended when the scenario was about the help I would give to a couple who had just set up on a small farm, after a well paid salary and should they retain or develop a part-time income or salary off the farm or expect to live off farm income alone. I said that it was a very high risk to live off farm income alone, especially if debt had been incurred. I presented further reasons for this line of advice. It is then that the telphone conversation which had been going for about an hour just stopped with the very english way. "Hmmm, that's very....... yes very interesting, don't call us. We will be in touch".

I have never understood why the english have this particularly perfidious way of saying things. They could have said that indeed it is interesting but in this case we are trying to create a TV programme. We film people gradually getting into a big muddle and then the viewers will tune in next week and stay tuned in while the adverts run.

I have found that when I see things about agriculture on TV or in meeja it enables me to realize the maxim. 'Why let the facts get in the way of a good story?' This is a bit the stuff on the thread on FWi at present -  a man called flint (or was that a film).

Once upon a time I was asked to help out with the Jimmy's farm job, when they were thinking of moving it on. The idea was to get Jimmy to go in a ndmentor an established farmer in the skills of making the farm more environmentally sound. BBC people could not understand why this seemed patronizing and therefore doomed. They learnt a bit from us about agriculture and I learnt from them. They are from London and don't really do anywhere else, they are young, dynamic, have first class degrees in stuff like history, politics, human geography anything really. They have excellent communication skills. However, like so many know nothing about agriculture, farming, environment, soils, and livestock. They just want a story, nothing more nothing less a story with jeopardy........so people remember and switch on next week.

Did you send them a current photo of you too Motley?

Maybe it was a case of having the the face for this forum but not for tv especially as you know tv would add pounds to your emaciated frame! 

the greenth:

Did you send them a current photo of you too Motley?

I did. I told them I was fat and unphotogenic, defiantely not tv material. But they were not put off. Well at least I thought they were not, as they phoned on several occasions after they had seen the photo. Yes perhaps it was the photo don monty is much sexier than I.

motley:

They just want a story, nothing more nothing less a story with jeopardy........so people remember and switch on next week.

You've hit the nail on the head there... that's what they want: jeopardy.

Jimmy's a really smart, practical bloke but you'd have never guessed it watching the fly-on-the-wall TV show Jimmy's Farm. He blundered from crisis to crisis - not because he actually did in real life, but because that was how it was filmed and edited!