Clarkson’s Farm’s Kaleb Cooper ‘Worried’ for Job After Jeremy Clarkson Buys Driverless Tractor

Kaleb’s Rise to Fame

Kaleb Cooper has become one of the most beloved faces of Clarkson’s Farm. When Jeremy Clarkson bought the Diddly Squat farm in Chipping Norton, Kaleb—who had already been working there under the previous owner—quickly became indispensable. His sharp wit, patience, and no-nonsense approach turned him into Clarkson’s right-hand man, guiding the former Top Gear host through the realities of modern farming.

The pair’s chemistry became the backbone of the hit Prime Video series, which debuted in 2021 and has since transformed Kaleb from a struggling farm worker into a household name.

Clarkson’s Big Decision

But now, Clarkson has made a choice that has Kaleb worried for his livelihood: he’s invested in a driverless tractor.

Speaking to The Times, Clarkson explained the appeal: “It normally takes 20 hours with a 3m cultivator to prepare the 200 acres we use every year for growing pasta and lager. Then it takes about 10 hours to plant the actual seeds. That’s 30 hours of me just sitting there, in a bouncy tractor, going up and down endlessly.”

He admitted that even after five years of practice, he still isn’t very good at it. “I miss bits. I cock up turns and corners. I hit gateposts, and most years I bounce along for hours not realising that the hopper is empty and I’m busy planting nothing at all.”

Clarkson argued that an autonomous tractor avoids these issues entirely: “It would not make mistakes like this. It doesn’t need to stop for a wee and it does not need to sleep.”

Kaleb’s Concerns

Unsurprisingly, Kaleb isn’t thrilled. According to Clarkson, “Kaleb hates it. He says it’ll put him out of a job.”

The veteran presenter claims he reassured Kaleb by suggesting that if he himself used the driverless machine, Kaleb could take his manual tractor to another farm and get paid twice. Clarkson said: “He did agree I had a point.”

Still, the prospect of automation taking over parts of the job clearly unsettles Kaleb, whose passion for hands-on farming has defined his role on the show.

From 50p an Hour to Millionaire

Kaleb’s story has resonated with fans in part because of his humble beginnings. Before Clarkson’s Farm, he revealed he was once making as little as 50 pence an hour because of the unpredictable nature of farming costs and margins.

The series transformed his fortunes. Kaleb has since become a millionaire, launched his own ventures, and built a loyal fan base that admires his authenticity and humor.

Family Life Amid Fame

Away from the cameras, Kaleb lives with his fiancée, Taya, and their growing family. The couple share two children—Oscar, three, and Willa, one—and announced earlier this year that they were expecting their third child in August.

Despite his fame and financial success, Kaleb has often stressed his love for farming above all else, making Clarkson’s latest move particularly sensitive.

Farming Meets Technology

Clarkson’s investment reflects a broader trend in agriculture: automation. Driverless tractors and AI-assisted farming equipment are being touted as the future, promising efficiency, fewer errors, and reduced labor. But for traditional farmers like Kaleb, they also raise questions about job security, identity, and the value of human expertise.

Conclusion

For now, Clarkson and Kaleb’s banter over the driverless tractor seems like another chapter in their ongoing mentor-student rivalry that fans have come to love. But underneath the humor lies a real debate about the future of farming: can technology replace the human touch?

And if it can, what does that mean for farmers like Kaleb, whose skill and passion have become as vital to Clarkson’s Farm as the land itself?