In the twenty-four hours between 5am on August 8 and August 9, 2019, hundreds of farmers posted snapshots of their lives to show the public what British agriculture is really all about.
At a time when British farming is wrestling with the possible consequences of no-deal Brexit and the controversial implications of the International Panel on Climate Change report, #Farm 24, an initiative that celebrates the many facets of British agriculture on social media, has come as a welcome relief.
From the Dales to the West Country, farmers across the UK posted pictures and videos capturing the joys and challenges of life on a farm.
Cuddly lambs, stately cows, enterprising sheepdogs, wheat fields ripe for harvesting and inspiring views of the countryside at sunset and sunrise flooded Twitter, Instagram and Facebook as farmers took to the Internet to share snippets of their lives.
Cows heading back to the field for fresh grass!! #Farm24 @FarmersGuardian #grasstomilk pic.twitter.com/8E0vf8Ggt2
— James Muir (@muirtwit) August 8, 2019
Some pictures were outright hilarious, like the sheep at Tuck Mill Barns, in Devon, getting stuck behind the wheel of a Kawasaki because of its ample derrière.
There was also proof the former Prime Minister Theresa May isn’t the only one who likes running across fields of wheat.
Other images were more moving, such as the picture of a little lamb born a couple of days early.
One of the most beautiful posts came from the Kilbys of Highlander Farm, who raise pedigree Highland cattle (alongside chickens and children) in the Lincolnshire Wolds. The short video showed a little Highland calf being fed by its mum in the fields.
Our girls don’t stop… this ‘little’ was born on the hottest night of the year! Highlands are hardy and super independent #Farm24 #lincolnshirewolds #agriculture pic.twitter.com/ZgRfHb7LG4
— Highlander Farm (@highlander_farm) August 9, 2019
Over in Wales, it was all about pigs as smallholder Martha Roberts revelled in the sheer joy of her two-week-old Gloucestershire Old Spots discovering the taste of apples.
Two weeks old and Apple discovery. Rare breed, free range Gloucester Old Spot piglets #Farm24 pic.twitter.com/7j6yVbYUKr
— Martha Roberts (@martharoberts) August 8, 2019
And the dog of farmer Elizabeth Charles made a beeline for the title of king of Instagram as it sat proudly on its freshly harvested throne.
Some farmers captured the solitary beauty of the countryside, with Yorkshire ‘one-woman-farm’ Alison O’Neill reposting an older picture of herself with her sheepdog against the backdrop of the fells to explain her passion for ‘living quietly’.
Living quietly. My love of isolation and freedom has always been my reward. I am a traditional dog and stick Shepherd and travel mostly on foot or horseback. #farm24 pic.twitter.com/FcOsVO8CNi
— Alison O’Neill. Shepherdess (@woolismybread) August 8, 2019
But the most adorable picture to encapsulate 24 hours of British farming was perhaps that of a brown Swiss calf born overnight on the Somerset farm of ‘Dairy Queen’ shepherdess Victoria Dimond.
However, farmers didn’t shy away from showing the hard labour they have to put in and the challenges they face in their work.
‘Wheat Daddy’ Andrew Ward, who, when not working in the fields, runs ForageAid, a charity that helps farmers cope with extreme weather events, posted a video of his combine harvester in motion late at night on Thursday, August 8, as he tried to get everything done ahead of the incoming rain.
Into the night we go with another field of laid wheat, must get this combined before the rain.🤞Variety: Shabras. #farm24 @FarmersGuardian @Morrisons @TomIngram1455 @danholley99 @RhondaT40 @NFUEastMidlands pic.twitter.com/3HIpozBNHI
— Andrew Ward 🇬🇧🚜 🥛🥩 (@wheat_daddy) August 8, 2019
Farmers’ efforts gained the support of chefs like James Martin, who originally comes from a farming family and tweeted that ‘if you want to understand food, first you have to understand how hard it is to produce’.
Coming from an ex-farming family and have since spent my life promoting it…if you want to understand food, first you need to understand how hard it is to produce. Only then will you respect it and have a greater respect for the people who produce it for us all #Farm24 pic.twitter.com/OMRc2023yn
— James Martin (@jamesmartinchef) August 8, 2019
It was a timely reminder of how much farmers contribute to the UK and life in the countryside in particular.
