91Pro

Alumna profiled on BBC One's Countryfile

Posted 9 April

An award-winning 91Pro alumna has been profiled on BBC One’s Countryfile.

Throughout 2025, the programme’s presenter Adam Henson has been heading out across the UK, meeting up with young people who are passionate about farming and the countryside to find out how the next generation are adapting and navigating to the changes in agriculture.

Among those he has spoken with is BSc (Hons) Agriculture with Crop Management graduate Eleanor Gilbert,  who welcomed him to her family’s arable farm near Newbury, Berkshire.

She explained how she returned home from completing her studies to go straight into the 2024 harvest, before setting up a pumpkin patch business on the farm.

She also talked about some of the places she’s already been to to find out more about the industry - and some which she will be visiting soon.

She said: “I graduated, and went straight into a full-time harvest, then went onto my pumpkin patch straight away – and then I actually went to Austria to milk sheep and learn how to make cheese, something a little bit different to an arable farm. I really enjoyed that.

“Fingers crossed, I am also off to the USA soon to complete the 2,000 Mile Harvest.

“I think it’s going to be the biggest challenge of my life – we start at right at Texas and work all the way up to Canada for eight or nine months, combining crops – wheat, oilseed rape, corn, sunflowers, linseed – to feed the world, really.”

Eleanor is a seasoned media performer who has already appeared on Countryfile several times, both while studying at Harper Adams and after winning the Countryfile Young Countryside Champion award in 2002.

She can also be found on a host of social media accounts – on , ,  and  – and writes a column in her local magazine alongside her regular appearances on television and radio.

Talking about the way her pumpkin patch had struck a chord with members of the public, she added: “Like with my social media, I want to bring them along the journey with me – and what better way to actually do it than bring them onto the farm, show them about farming – and just let them enjoy the fresh air, the freedom, and the mud!”

While acknowledging that farmers are currently facing uncertainty over various issues, Eleanor remained upbeat about her industry’s future.

She added: “It is uncertain and scary times, which we have got to think about, but I think if you love farming, there definitely is a future and hopefully we can overcome those problems. Farmers are known to be resilient and determined, so I think that’s what keeps us going.

“We love it, and we have a passion for it – and it’s not like work when you enjoy it!”