Jeremy Clarkson has said that financial concerns over the cost of fertiliser almost made him give up farming, though said he decided against it after being given some advice.
The presenter, 62 - known for shows like Top Gear and the Grand Tour - runs Diddly Squat Farm in Oxfordshire, which is the focus of the documentary series Clarkson's Farm.
He however has stated that he almost gave up his farming career due to the rising cost of chemicals, which left him unsure of how to operate the business moving forward.
The broadcaster however is said to have decided against retiring from the farming industry and is understood to have since opted for a 'regenerative' approach to the estate.
The father-of-three wrote about the experience in his latest column for The Sunday Times.
The outlet states that Jeremy said he would have to pay upward of £130,000 for chemicals to use on his farmland, with him saying the issue had been "troubling" him for months.
He said that the price of fertiliser had gone "through the roof," citing that the cost of the chemical product had increased from around £200 per tonne to more than £1,000.
Jeremy said he began to wonder if it would be financially better to take up "wilding," which is understood to be an approach in which nature is left to itself, without interference.
He however had an issue with that too, according to the outlet, as he suggested that it wasn't a viable option due to the soil and the altitude at his farm in Chadlington.
"I couldn't really afford to use fertiliser, and I couldn't afford not to because the soil round these parts, and the altitude, conspire to make the organic option a nonstarter," he said.
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Jeremy is said to have subsequently contemplated retiring from farming. He is quoted as having written: "Maybe I really should just say phooey and not do any farming at all."
According to the outlet, he decided against it after meeting local farmer Andy Cato. It's understood that Jeremy was encouraged to consider "regenerative farming" instead.
It's understood that this approach includes "testing" areas of the farm regularly to see what chemical intervention they may need, rather than "spraying the crops willy-nilly".
As stated by the outlet, Jeremy recalled being told to dig holes in different parts of the land to see how the soil was doing there. He's quoted as saying: "You test them regularly to see specifically what they need. And then you give them that."
The TV presenter said that whilst it means less produce is grown overall, the reduction in fertiliser, insecticide and diesel means that profit margins are actually higher.
Clarkson's Farm is available on Amazon Prime Video.
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