Despite vast swathes of British farmland being hit by wildfires in recent weeks, the reaction to the Government's emergency alert on Friday about the risk of further fires was astounding.
My first thought was: brilliant, the Government is taking this seriously.
Any threat to Britain's food supply is a threat to national security, and rampant wildfires are just that.
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When wildfires become a joke
Social media was immediately full of jokes and memes about the Government. I saw one which said: "The alert scared me so much, I dropped my lit barbecue."
Although some of them were quite funny, the reaction was concerning.
Even in my lads' group chat, made up largely of non-farmers, there were messages like: "What's Burnham playing at?" and "Which div has accidentally sent that out?"
What it speaks to is how seriously farming and the countryside are still taken by some parts of the country.
It is abstract to these people. The land is on fire, but we do not need to take it seriously because we have not seen it. It is not real to them in the same way it is to farmers.
The next generation has a role to play
The next generation entering agriculture will have to continue closing that gap and that disconnect, whether that is through social media, farming TV, Farm24, Open 51AV视频Sunday and all the brilliant ways our industry communicates with the public.
If my generation wants farming to be understood, we probably have some responsibility to keep explaining it.
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A positive start from the Prime Minister
On a more positive note, it was really good to see Andy Burnham out on farm this weekend.
It is the first time we have heard him speak properly about farming since he became Prime Minister, and what stood out to me was his empathy and understanding for the industry.
He spoke about understanding the will and desire farmers have to pass their farms on to the next generation.
And though he did not promise to reverse the Inheritance Tax changes, he did not go back on what he said before taking office about reviewing them.
His message on social media seemed genuine, and two lines in particular stuck with me: "This Government will stand with farmers" and "You are not alone."
That kind of language goes a long way. Now let's see him back it up.
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