A trio of agricultural producers from Oxfordshire have secured positions on a prestigious ranking highlighting influential figures in countryside affairs.
The list, compiled by rural business specialists Hillsgreen, places the veteran broadcaster at the summit of its standings for personalities covering rural topics.
Since its initial series premiered in 2021, the programme has garnered recognition for bringing agricultural practices to a mainstream audience.
Production takes place on the presenter’s 1,000-acre holding situated in the countryside between Chipping Norton and Chadlington.
The ranking also features the farm manager responsible for day-to-day operations at the same property.
At 28 years of age, this individual holds the fifth position and has been widely acknowledged for sparking interest in farming among younger generations.
Narrowly surpassing this contender, another Oxfordshire agricultural producer secured a higher placement.
The 67-year-old manages a 400-acre holding in the Cotswolds region at Shilton, near Burford, and hosts his own digital video series documenting farm life.
His trajectory mirrors that of his fellow farmer: he commenced independent cultivation in 2017 following the departure of a contractor previously overseeing the estate.
This development subsequently prompted the establishment of his dedicated farming channel two years subsequently.
Similar to the broadcaster, he maintains prominence in automotive journalism, having established a prominent motoring publication during the late 1990s.
His agricultural video series commenced in 2019, preceding the other programme’s launch, and has accumulated approaching 200,000 subscribers alongside 23 million view counts.
Both individuals maintain a close friendship and reside within proximity.
The broadcaster has occasionally appeared on his associate’s supplementary automotive-focused YouTube channel.
A statement from the Shilton farmer appeared on social media indicating that Hillsgreen’s research team had gathered responses from 1,255 working UK farmers regarding purchasing approaches and digital platform usage.
The findings indicated Facebook as the dominant social media channel, while usage of another platform had contracted by fifty percent across a two-year span.
Farmers reported checking meteorological applications most frequently during online sessions.
The most unexpected finding revealed his own series as the fourth most followed agricultural personality online, with the broadcaster occupying first position.
He expressed astonishment at this outcome and gratitude towards those contributing to the research.
The Shilton estate operates predominantly as an arable enterprise, cultivating wheat, barley, oilseed rape, and winter linseed varieties.
In his latest video update, he noted that this year’s harvest concluded significantly ahead of schedule, finalising operations well before his typical mid-August commencement date.
Between 80 and 100 acres support organic pastureland for livestock, encompassing registered Sussex cattle stock alongside ovine and camelid specimens, as previously reported in agricultural trade media.