Kaleb Cooper has revealed that the upcoming fifth series of Clarkson’s Farm features his maiden voyage outside the United Kingdom, an experience that left the 27-year-old farm manager feeling distinctly anxious.
Speaking ahead of the new series, the agricultural advisor, who works alongside Jeremy Clarkson on the Cotswolds-based programme, admitted the journey through the Channel Tunnel proved particularly nerve-wracking.
“It was my first time abroad, so I didn’t know what to expect,” Mr Cooper said.
“And I just got very nervous about going under the Channel and, of course, everything was new to me.”
Jeremy Clarkson and Kaleb Cooper have become good friends thanks to Clarkson’s Farm | AMAZON
The trip sees Mr Clarkson taking his trusted colleague overseas to observe farming methods in other countries, with Mr Cooper described as “rather baffled” by the entire experience.
His overseas adventure proved eye-opening when it came to agricultural innovation, with the young farmer discovering that international counterparts have embraced technology far more readily than their British equivalents.
“From what I experienced, they’re much further ahead than UK farmers, as you’ll see in the series,” Mr Cooper explained.
“I got thrown with all the information about how they farm, which is amazing, because they’re much more high-tech than we are in Britain.”
The farm manager suggested that a reluctance to adapt may be holding back the domestic industry.
“I think they step up and aren’t scared to change their farming practices, whereas I think here we can be a bit stuck in our ways,” he added.
The Diddly Squat Farm has also undergone significant technological improvements during the latest series, including an autonomous driverless tractor that Mr Cooper feared might render him redundant.
“There was the autonomous driverless tractor, which Kaleb really didn’t like. He said it was going to put him out of a job, which made me smile,” Mr Clarkson revealed.
Clarkson’s Farm: Jeremy Clarkson and his team | AMAZON
Additional innovations include a FarmDroid capable of planting onions and beetroot without human intervention, alongside underground soil mapping that allows precise fertilisation down to the square foot.
Despite nearly seven years working the land, the former Top Gear presenter confessed he remains unable to connect implements to his tractor.
“I can’t remember the sequence of buttons, I can’t line anything up properly, and I don’t know where the hydraulic hoses go,” Mr Clarkson admitted.
Mr Cooper’s international adventures are set to continue beyond the Clarkson’s Farm series, with the young farmer announcing his own Prime Video programme last October.
The Chipping Norton native revealed on Instagram that he would be travelling to Australia to film a solo series exploring whether his farming contracting business could expand globally.
“You know hard it is for me to leave Chippy so flying to Australia is definitely taking me out of my comfort zone,” he wrote.
“But I’m on a mission to see if I can make my farming contracting business go international.”
He acknowledged the lengthy flight would present its own challenges, joking that he needed to “get through the flight” before anything else.
The fifth series of Clarkson’s Farm launches on Prime Video on Wednesday, June 3.