Kaleb Cooper has shared a photo of the aftermath of a fire that tore through a barn on his property.
The farming contractor and Clarkson’s Farm star has appeared on the former Top Gear presenter’s reality series since 2021, which came after he was employed to help run Jeremy Clarkson’s Diddly Squat farm in the Cotswolds.
In recent years he’s also purchased his own smallholding nearby, where he keeps chickens, sheep, and pigs.
However, the 27-year-old has now shared the devastating news that part of his property has been affected by a blaze.
On Wednesday morning Kaleb shared a photo on Instagram which showed smoke filtering out of his barn, which was still standing, but in which all the straw that had been stored inside had been destroyed.
‘I’m having a bad day. Anyone got any straw? Lost all mine,’ he captioned the post.
He’s yet to share any further updates on what unfolded.
Kaleb began working as a farm hand as a teenager, being given the responsibility for three chickens on four acres of land when he was just 13. Within months this had turned into 450 hens, and he began selling their eggs too.
The next year he began breeding sheep and working on a dairy farm, before buying his own tractor aged 15.
After studying at Moreton Morrell College, Kaleb set up a farm contracting business in 2016, with the farm Jeremy eventually purchased being one of his customers.
Last year he told BBC Radio Oxford: ‘Because I wasn’t born into the industry I thought “I’m never going to be handed down a farm”, so I thought I’d become the next best thing – a farm contractor.’
‘I turn up at other people’s farms, farm their farm for them, and then leave again. We’ve now been going for 11 years – it’s amazing,’ he added of his business.
He’s previously spoken about working towards owning his own farm one day, telling the Times last year he was ‘saving everything’.
‘But because it’s the Cotswolds the prices are going through the f***ing roof,’ he added, but also said he was prepared to be patient to achieve the goal.
The dad of three has also explained why he thinks teaching others, especially children, about the farming industry is so important.
‘I’m a firm believer that young kids should know how to grow a potato, should know where their milk comes from, where their beef and lamb comes from – and how hard it is to produce,” he said of his reason for writing the book.
Before being featured on Clarkson’s Farm, Kaleb was moving forward with his plans to work towards owning his own farm when he was thrust into the spotlight.
Although he’s since embraced the opportunities that come with it – including releasing a book and going on a live tour – he previously told Metro he was still planning on sticking to being a farmer full-time.
‘As long as I can highlight farming and put it on the map I feel it’s the best feeling ever. I want to be the best ambassador there is for farmers out there,’ he said.
Metro has contacted representatives for Kaleb Cooper for further details.
Clarkson’s Farm is streaming on Amazon Prime Video, with season 5 set to drop on June 3.
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