Countryfile’s Adam Henson shares a ‘roller coaster of emotions’ and a ‘devastating mistake’ | Celebrity News | Show and television

Farming is in Adam Henson’s blood – he was born on the farm in Gloucestershire where he still works today – and his father founded the Rare Breeds Survival Trust, as well as appearing as a presenter on BBC programs like Animal Magic.

“There is something almost primitive about planting, growing and harvesting crops, even in the third decade of the 21st century,” he writes in Countryfile magazine about this year’s harvest.

But even with all of today’s modern farming methods, it’s still a risky time. “If we miss a window of good weather to get the combines out in the fields, it can be a devastating and costly mistake,” explains Adam.

He shares that the end of summer, when it’s time to harvest the crops that farmers have carefully tended for months, is “the most important, stimulating, unpredictable, stressful and satisfying period of the entire agricultural year.”

Adam adds that “the combination of hope, danger and pure graft can make the summer months a rollercoaster of emotions.”

It only takes one unforeseen setback, a period of severe weather or an outbreak of disease, to bring a farmer’s world crashing down around him.

In 2001, Adam and his wife Charlie feared they had lost everything following a devastating outbreak of foot-and-mouth disease.

Again, when Covid-19 hit, it looked like the end of Adam’s world.

He recalled: “On Monday the government shut down the country and I thought that was it!”

He said: “I found myself making a video on social media that said, ‘I promised my father on his deathbed that I would take care of his legacy and we’re going to miss him a lot,’ that was my genuine emotion at that moment.”

Adam said he checks the weather every day, watching for the best time to bring in his wheat and barley: “I find myself checking and checking local forecasts,” he says.

“It’s the first thing I do when I wake up in the morning and the last thing I do before I collapse into bed, exhausted, late at night.”