Applications for the Royal Agricultural University’s (RAU) three-year BSc in Rural Land Management have risen by 11%, The Times reports. Demand for the same course with a farm placement is up 18%, while interest in the RAU’s two-year rural land management foundation degree has increased by 14%.
Daniella Miles, head of student recruitment at the RAU, said the programme’s impact is clear. She told The Times: “It seems to be spreading much further than ‘I can do farming’, as it’s an interest in all the other courses and roles involved in farming that is increasing as well.”
Charlie Ireland, the land agent known as ‘Cheerful Charlie’ on the Amazon Prime series, is believed to have influenced younger audiences in particular.
Andrew Black, lecturer on the Land & Property Management course at Harper Adams University, explained the wider impact. He said: “The impact of Charlie’s role in Clarkson’s Farm is far more wide-reaching – and we are starting to see a ripple effect in numbers of students enrolling on our open days as a result.”
Mr Black added that Charlie’s approach is particularly valuable for students: “What I really appreciate about Charlie’s role in the show is his no-nonsense approach and his broad, expert knowledge on the complexities of key areas of professional practice a land agent would come into contact with, including planning laws, agricultural management, budgeting, finance, construction, property law, machinery purchasing, valuation and negotiation.”
He highlighted the variety the career offers: “One of the greatest things about being a land agent is that no day is the same, and you are required to think on your feet and work through problems.”
Data from UCAS in 2024 shows that agricultural courses are seeing steady growth. The number of applicants accepted rose by 8% for the second consecutive year. Applications from 18-year-olds to agriculture, food, and related degrees jumped nearly 20%, reaching more than 9400 compared with around 7900 in 2019.
James Eckley, chief officer of the National Federation of Young Farmers’ Clubs, told the Daily Mail that Clarkson’s Farm has brought farming into the spotlight: “It has brought the countryside and farming to the public’s attention.”
An SRUC spokesperson highlighted the broader cultural context. They noted that TV shows and influencers, including Clarkson’s Farm, raise awareness of farming and agriculture.
“There is also broader public interest in tangential topics such as food provenance and spending time in the countryside for mental health and all of this does a vital job of bringing the importance of agriculture to the forefront of people’s minds.”
The spokesperson added that the Covid-era lockdowns have increased interest in living closer to nature, but awareness does not always translate to applications: “Awareness is the first step, there is, however, a gap between knowledge of agriculture-related industries and deciding to study these subjects at college or university. Applicant numbers for this subject area have remained reasonably steady in recent years.”