Before Christmas I wrote about why Australian agriculture needs its own version of
River Cottage to help explain farm practices and food production to the increasingly critical urban masses.
Well, it may have found it in a new program on SBS, Gourmet Farmer.
Having watched the first two episodes of the series, there is a lot to like about the show.
It follows the adventures of Matthew Evans, formerly the much-feared food critic from the Sydney Morning Herald, who has taken a 12-month tree change adventure to a small block in Tasmania.
Evans background is advantageous to the show - and agriculture generally - for three reasons. First, he is an authority on good food, so the food-loving chattering classes should at least have some interest in and respect for his opinions about how quality food is produced.
Second, he has absolutely no idea about farming, which means everything he attempts on his block is spelled out in the most basic terms, which is ideal for educating the public about some of the practices a farmer must perform.
Third, his self-depracating humour and understated friendly demeanour makes him a likeable figure to watch, and a refreshing change from the over-the-top and in-your-face celebs found elsewhere on the box.
That said, (and this could probably be listed as a fourth positive towards appealing to metro Australia) he is a bit of a softer touch than your average farmer (and foul-mouthed chef for that matter), and does have a tendency to describe everything as "beautiful, just beautiful".
But all of this combines to produce a show that many city people can relate to either via a love of food, experience as or dreams of being a tree-changer, and just good entertainment ("massaging" - read bludgeoning - a ham with a something akin to a baseball bat in the name of creating a good prosciuto was particularly good fun).
And from agriculture's point of view he does not shy away from the facts of life - he visited an abattoir in episode two where his farmer friend explained the rural ethos of caring for the animals while alive but maintaining the realistic understanding that as much as one may become emotionally attached to an animal, and as sad as it is, the animal's purpose is to become food for humans.
Perhaps perversely, Evans "beautiful" refrain reminds us that there is beauty to be had in the cruel cycles of nature.
But the jury is still out as to how effective the program will be in penetrating the public's conciousness - without intending to sound snide, it is after all being aired on the least popular of the free-to-air stations.
The other problem is it's location - many mainland farmers will look at the setting and be reminded of a European cottage farm where a bit of everything lives on a small block and thrives in the colourful four seasons.
As pretty as it is, it's certainly a far cry from the bush I know, and certainly not reflective of how most Australian primary producers live and work.
However, from little things big things come and I am prepared to hope that this initial season of the show is successful enough to warrant further series - it is a good show and whether intending to or not, Evans is lending agriculture at large a helping hand.
* Gourmet Farmer airs on SBS at 7.30pm Thursdays, with replays available on the website.
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