Farming Setbacks Hit Harriet Cowan Hard — Why Is Clarkson’s Farm Star Still in the Red?

Clarkson’s Farm Star Harriet Cowen Opens Up About Farming’s Financial Struggles — “I Don’t Make Any Money”

Harriet Cowen, the 24-year-old rising star of Clarkson’s Farm, has revealed the harsh financial realities of working in the farming industry — admitting that despite her hard work, she makes no money from the farm.

Harriet, who gained social media fame for her TikTok videos dancing on her tractor, joined the cast in the latest season of the Amazon Prime documentary series, stepping in as a helping hand at Jeremy Clarkson’s Diddly Squat Farm while regular team member Kaleb Cooper was away promoting his book.

While farming might seem glamorous to some viewers, Harriet’s candid words show that it’s far from a lucrative business for most. Growing up on her grandfather’s livestock farm, she’s intimately familiar with the financial challenges that many farming families face.

Speaking on BBC’s Farmwatch, Harriet explained the often overlooked truth about farming income: “We cannot reiterate how important this is for us, that we don’t do this because it’s going to make us money. Because probably 90% of farms do not make money from the farm, I know I don’t.”

Her comments highlight the fact that farming is more a lifestyle than a profitable enterprise for many. Supporting her point, Great British Bake Off winner Mike Wilkins, who appeared alongside Harriet, added that farmers rarely pay themselves — instead, any money earned tends to be reinvested back into the farm’s upkeep and development.

“We just work for free seven days a week, and it becomes such a lonely, lonely place,” Harriet said, describing the exhausting and often isolating nature of farm life.

Mike echoed the sentiment, saying, “Profitability is so under pressure. Most farms aren’t making any money, and people really are doing it because it’s their lifestyle.”

Indeed, the perception that farming is a profitable venture is frequently challenged by the reality of tight margins, unpredictable weather, fluctuating markets, and ever-increasing costs. For many, farming is a labor of love, driven by passion and tradition rather than financial reward.

Harriet’s personal experience reflects this wider truth. Although she spends much of her time supporting her family’s farm, she is also a full-time nurse — a dual commitment that underlines the financial necessity of having an income outside farming.

Her role at Diddly Squat Farm has brought her into the public eye, where her down-to-earth personality and farming knowledge have been warmly received by fans of Clarkson’s Amazon Prime series.

The show itself is preparing for what promises to be a difficult season. Jeremy Clarkson recently shared updates revealing that Diddly Squat is bracing for a “disastrous” harvest, amid a combination of bad weather and outbreaks of disease — including a significant bovine tuberculosis incident affecting the farm’s cattle.

“It looks like this year’s harvest will be catastrophic,” Clarkson wrote on X (formerly Twitter). “That should be a worry for anyone who eats food. If a disaster on this scale had befallen any other industry, there would be a lot of wailing and gnashing of teeth.”

The Clarkson’s Farm star’s candid post sparked reactions from fans, with one noting that the unfolding “drama” would make “good TV” for future episodes. Clarkson’s response was measured but revealing: “Yes. But most farms don’t have TV shows to keep them going.”

This stark statement highlights the precarious nature of farming in the UK today — where many farms struggle to stay afloat financially without additional income streams or public attention.

For Harriet and many others working on family farms, it means long hours, hard work, and significant personal sacrifice — all driven by a deep connection to the land and way of life rather than the promise of profit.

As the new series of Clarkson’s Farm unfolds, viewers can expect to see the unfiltered realities of modern British farming — including its challenges, heartbreaks, and the resilience of those who dedicate themselves to this demanding profession.

For Harriet Cowen, juggling nursing and farming, and for the entire Diddly Squat team, it remains to be seen how this difficult season will play out. But their stories offer an important window into a world that provides much of the nation’s food, often at great personal cost.