I’m a mediocre farmer myself (in Oakland and Placerville, CA). But I still love it!
Below are the best farming documentaries I’ve found.
I’ll add to the list as I find new ones.
Enjoy!
ps: Thanks to Eben Pagan and George Darrah for the tips on #1 and #2 below!
1) Biggest Little Farm
I pick “The Biggest Little Farm” as the best farming doc because it combines farming know-how with real-life people.
It’s regular folks creatingh a sustainable farm from scratch.
John and Molly Chester leave Los Angeles city life behind to turn 200 acres of dry, neglected land into Apricot Lane Farms. What follows is an intense battle with nature.
Wildfires, coyotes, and even a snail infestation push their resolve to the limit, but they remain determined to build a balanced, biodiverse farm.
Directed by John Chester, this 2019 doc runs for 91 minutes. It chronicles eight years of setbacks and breakthroughs.
One memorable moment is when the Chesters solve the snail problem by introducing ducks, turning nature’s obstacles into solutions.
The real charm of this film lies in the small, heartfelt moments.
The stubborn pig Emma symbolizes the grit of the farm, and the loss of their beloved dog, Todd, hits hard. These personal stories add depth to the broader environmental message.
The doc is about the complexity of nature and our responsibility to it.
Whether you’re into sustainability or just curious about the challenges of living off the land, “The Biggest Little Farm” will leave you inspired and thinking differently.
You can watch “Biggest Little Farm” in a number of places, including on Kanopy for free. I list about 7 places to stream it here: https://dailydoc.com/biggest-little-farm/
2) Clarkson’s Farm
In Clarkson’s Farm (2021), Jeremy Clarkson (“Top gear”) swaps cars for cows, with predictably chaotic results.
This docuseries (25 episodes) chronicles Clarkson’s attempt to manage his 1,000-acre farm in the Cotswolds, England. It’s clear right from the start: he has no idea what he’s doing.
Clarkson’s charisma and wit are as sharp as ever, but farming? It’s messy, tough, and, at times, hilarious.
From battling the weather to wrangling sheep, Clarkson is in over his head. Kaleb Cooper, a young local farmer, frequently steals the show, acting as Clarkson’s no-nonsense guide.
Their banter is gold. There’s also Charlie Ireland, his dry-witted land agent, and Gerald Cooper, who’s virtually indecipherable but endlessly entertaining.
Directed by Will Yapp, this 2021 series is packed with honest, laugh-out-loud moments. But underneath the comedy, there’s a real look at the struggles farmers face today—low prices, government regulations, unpredictable weather.
It’s eight episodes of pure fun, with a side of education. While Clarkson’s farm life is far from perfect, the show manages to highlight the resilience required for this tough profession. At 45 minutes per episode, it’s a highly watchable doc.
The result? A surprisingly touching doc that goes well beyond Clarkson’s usual shtick.
Watch it only on Amazon Prime Video for now: https://www.amazon.com/gp/video/detail/0MDUTGHGGIDP1U7RM2H9OPTSD2/
3) The Farmer’s Wife
Release date: 1988
“The Farmer’s Wife” exposes the strain of farm life on a young couple’s marriage.
This PBS Frontline documentary follows Juanita and Darrel Buschkoetter as they struggle to keep their family farm afloat.
Over three hours long and directed by David Sutherland, it chronicles their fight against debt, drought, and growing emotional distance.
You see Juanita, the titular wife, juggle three jobs while caring for their three children and running the household. Darrel, on the other hand, grapples with feelings of failure as he watches his farm teeter on the brink of collapse.
The doc’s strength lies in its rawness. Sutherland doesn’t shy away from showing their arguments and Juanita’s growing frustration.
But there are also tender moments, like when they come together to harvest their crops, a brief reminder of their shared goals.
One particularly intense scene shows Darrel’s heartbreak as he contemplates selling their tractor, a symbol of his farming identity.
It’s not just a financial story—it’s about resilience and the human spirit.
You can watch “The Farmer’s Wife” (all 6 hours and 30 minutes) on Apple TV ($1.99 per episode (there are 3 episodes) last I checked) at https://tv.apple.com/ca/show/the-farmers-wife/umc.cmc.4evn3eurqdlk63pf9ae861ovm
You can also buy the DVD on Amazon at https://www.amazon.com/Farmers-Wife-Film-David-Sutherland/dp/B000CPHABK
And if you want a free taste, here’s Juanita talking to Roger Welsch about the documentary: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tjDZJFTmtYw
4) Step by Step
Release date: 2022
“Step by Step” is a real gut-check on city life versus rural living.
Felix Starck and Valentina Blaumann ditch Berlin’s chaos for Mallorca’s slow grind as they prepare for their first baby, Oskar.
Not just any move—they’re trying to go full DIY, growing their own food, off the grid. It’s a 97-minute doc that’s one part new-parent anxiety, one part “how do you farm this dry, sun-baked land?”
And guess what? It’s harder than it looks.
You see them struggle with brutal soil that won’t grow much, plus they’re trying to build a new life, literally from the ground up.
One killer scene: Felix nearly loses it trying to fix irrigation for the plants that will feed them. Valentina, pregnant and all, keeps it cool as they tackle every problem thrown at them.
Starck directs, and there’s a rawness to the footage.
You feel the highs and lows of their experiment in real time. It’s a doc about pushing limits—nature’s and your own.
I don’t see any place to watch”Step by Step” right now. But check back here for any streamers who add it: https://www.justwatch.com/us/movie/step-by-step-2022
5) Milk Men
Release date: 2015
“Milk Men: The Life and Times of Dairy Farmers” pulls you into the hard, nonstop life of dairy farming in America.
This 60-minute doc, directed by Jan Haaken, focuses on farmers who work around the clock.
They’re not doing it for glory—they’re battling shrinking profits, huge workloads, and the reality that automation may push them out.
You see their world up close: from early-morning milking sessions to late-night repairs on machinery that’s always breaking down.
One memorable moment? A farmer watching over a sick cow, hoping she’ll make it through the night. You feel the weight of it.
Haaken does a great job making you feel the exhaustion and pride these families have.
They live this life every day, no breaks.
The doc also digs into the economics—dairy prices dropping, but costs soaring.
And yet, these farmers keep going. It’s an eye-opener about where your milk really comes from. You’ll never look at that gallon of milk the same way again.
Watch “Milk Men” for free on YouTube by clicking the video embed above of going here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s9eCAj5YrCM
6) Tales From The Green Valley
Release date: September 2005
This doc throws you into the heart of 17th-century farm life.
“Tales From The Green Valley” is a history buff’s dream.
I know, it’s not a pure documentary.
But it’s chock full of so much history and archeology learnings (ploughing, shearing, harvesting) that I wanted to include it.
It’s basically documenting how farming was done hundreds of years ago.
You follow a team of archaeologists and historians as they recreate a year of farming life in the 1620s. It’s filmed in rural Wales, where they tackle everything from plowing to cooking.
They even build their own tools. What’s great is that nothing feels staged.
The five experts—Alex Langlands, Peter Ginn, Ruth Goodman, Chloe Spencer, and Fonz Chamberlain—take you deep into the everyday challenges.
The series shows things you wouldn’t expect, like the struggle of sheep shearing by hand and the art of making butter without modern gadgets.
The director, Stuart Elliott, leans on rich historical details. The year-long shoot (each episode covers a month) lets the experts dive into the seasonal rhythms.
It’s immersive and relatable. Even the mistakes, like a failed barley crop, are fascinating.
This isn’t your typical history doc. It’s raw, real, and makes you appreciate the hard labor that kept people alive centuries ago. If you love history and hands-on learning, you’ll enjoy every minute.
Watch it for free on YouTube here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dRj1YYnsBGk&list=PL6LJQOAaGj2magtWkqqRQOUKF9SOK-IIt
7) Kiss the Ground
“Kiss the Ground” gives you hope that saving the planet is simpler than we thought.
Directed by Joshua Tickell and Rebecca Harrell Tickell, this 84-minute documentary explores how regenerative agriculture could reverse climate change.
With Woody Harrelson narrating, it lays out a compelling case for healing the soil. The idea is simple: by changing the way we farm, we can restore the Earth’s natural systems.
The film introduces farmers, scientists, and activists working to make this a reality.
One standout moment is a vivid time-lapse showing degraded soil transformed into fertile land. Another?
When the filmmakers explain how healthier soil can store more carbon than even forests. You can practically feel the hope through the screen.
But it’s not all sunshine. They dive into the current industrial farming practices that are ruining the land.
The doc pushes you to rethink everything you know about agriculture and our role in fighting climate change.
Watch “Kiss the Ground” on Netflix (as I write this Sept. 5, 2024) but it’s coming off there.
Here’s a free place to watch it (if you don’t mind Spanish sub-titles): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Aywr5n4Fkvw
The other options are Apple TV and Amazon Prime Video (for $$). Check here for the latest streaming options: https://www.justwatch.com/us/movie/kiss-the-ground
8) The Dust Bowl
Release date: November 18, 2012
“The Dust Bowl” hits you like a wall of dust—powerful and suffocating.
This two-part, four-hour documentary by Ken Burns tells the story of the catastrophic Dust Bowl of the 1930s.
Burns combines firsthand accounts from survivors, incredible archival footage, and narration by Peter Coyote to bring the devastation to life.
You hear the voices of those who lived through the deadly storms, who watched their farms and homes get buried under relentless waves of dirt.
One unforgettable moment comes when a survivor recalls the “Black Sunday” dust storm of 1935—dust so thick that even the sun disappeared. Another gut-wrenching detail? Children suffocating from “dust pneumonia.”
Burns expertly weaves in the environmental missteps, such as over-plowing and drought, that turned the American plains into a wasteland.
Yet, there’s also hope, as people banded together, trying to save what little they had left.
The documentary doesn’t just tell you about the Dust Bowl—it makes you feel it. You’ll be brushing off the dirt long after it’s over.
You can watch “The Dust Bowl” on Apple TV. But check here for the latest streaming options: https://www.justwatch.com/us/tv-show/the-dust-bowl
9) The Gleaners and I
Release date: October 7, 2000
“The Gleaners and I” is part scavenger hunt, part soul-searching trip.
Agnès Varda, the director, sets off across France to explore the ancient tradition of gleaning—picking up what’s left behind.
I list “The Gleaners and I” as a best farming documentary because it originated (and still exists) in farming.
Gleaning is the act of collecting leftover crops from farmers’ fields after they have been commercially harvested or on fields where it is not economically profitable to harvest. It is a practice described in the Hebrew Bible that became a legally enforced entitlement of the poor in a number of Christian kingdoms.[Modern day “dumpster diving”,when done for food or culinary ingredients, is seen as a similar form of food recovery.
Gleaning is also still used to provide nutritious harvested foods for those in need. In the United States, it is used due to the need for a national network to aid food recovery organizations.
Wikipedia on “Gleaning”
In this 82-minute doc, Varda finds people collecting everything from vegetables to old appliances. And she’s not just observing; she’s part of the story.
The most charming part? Varda’s playful style. She films her own aging hands and marvels at things she finds on the road.
It’s quirky, personal, and surprisingly emotional.
Varda ties together the history of gleaning with modern life, showing how people still live off what others leave behind.
One standout moment: meeting a man who lives entirely off of supermarket waste. He collects food most would toss without a second thought.
You’ll laugh, you’ll think, and by the end, you’ll see beauty in the leftovers.
The only place I see to watch The Gleaners and I is on the Criterion Channel. But check here for new streaming options: https://www.justwatch.com/us/movie/the-gleaners-and-i
10) The Need to Grow
Release date: October 1, 2019
“The Need to Grow” delivers a wake-up call about soil health and our planet’s future.
Directed by Rob Herring and Ryan Wirick, this 96-minute doc follows three people trying to fix our broken system. An 8-year-old fights for her community garden. A farmer works to grow crops without harming the earth. A tech inventor creates a machine that turns waste into soil and energy.
One unforgettable scene? A farmer weeping over his dying soil, despite years of trying to save it. Another big moment: the unveiling of the “Green Powerhouse,” a machine that could change everything.
It’s a doc about urgency and hope. You’ll walk away realizing the future starts in the soil beneath our feet.
You can watch “The Need to Grow” for free on Vimeo here: https://vimeo.com/894676557.
It looks like you can rent or own it (for $6) here: https://www.filmsforaction.org/watch/the-need-to-grow/
You can also buy it on Amazon Prime Video (for $14.99 last I checked). Check back here for the latest streaming options: https://www.justwatch.com/us/movie/the-need-to-grow
11) Before the Plate
Release date: August 5, 2018
“Before the Plate” takes you on a journey from farm to table—literally.
Directed by Sagi Kahane-Rapport, this 90-minute documentary follows chef John Horne as he traces the ingredients of a single dish back to their origins.
From wheat fields to dairy farms, it explores the complex systems that bring food to your plate.
You get a firsthand look at the hard work that goes into producing everyday ingredients, like milk, potatoes, and beef.
One powerful moment comes when Horne visits a wheat farmer who describes the delicate balance between weather, soil, and human effort that affects each crop.
Another is when he meets a dairy farmer, showcasing the constant labor involved in milking cows, day in and day out.
The doc is a wake-up call about how disconnected most of us are from the food we eat. After watching, you’ll have a new appreciation for every bite.
You can watch “Before the Plate” for free on Tubi (with ads) ore rent it on Apple TV or Amazon Prime Video. Check here for the latest streaming options: https://www.justwatch.com/us/movie/before-the-plate
12) King Corn
Release date: October 12, 2007
“King Corn” will change the way you look at your dinner.
Directed by Aaron Woolf, this 90-minute documentary follows two college friends, Ian Cheney and Curt Ellis, as they move to Iowa to grow an acre of corn.
Their goal?
To understand how this crop became the backbone of the American diet. What they discover is shocking: most of the corn they grow will never be eaten directly—it’s destined for animal feed, high-fructose corn syrup, and processed food ingredients.
One fascinating scene shows the sheer scale of corn production in the U.S., with miles of fields stretching out as far as the eye can see.
But beneath the surface is a darker story—about government subsidies that make corn cheap and how it finds its way into almost everything we eat.
The film also dives into the health consequences of our corn-centric diet. You’ll see just how much of our food—especially fast food—depends on this one crop.
It’s a funny, insightful look at how the U.S. food system really works, and it’ll have you rethinking what’s on your plate.
You can watch King Corn on PlutoTV (with ads) or rent it ($4 last I checked) on Apple TV and Amazon Prime Video. Check here for the latest streaming options: https://www.justwatch.com/us/movie/king-corn
13) The Trader
“The Trader” gives you a stark look at life in rural Georgia, where potatoes are worth more than money.
Directed by Tamta Gabrichidze, this 23-minute documentary takes you through a world where people trade sacks of potatoes for essentials.
The story centers around Gela.
He’s a traveling trader who drives his van across the Georgian countryside, bartering his potatoes for items like clothes and toys.
One of the most striking moments is watching children rummage through Gela’s stock.
They choose their meager rewards with excitement. The people he meets can’t afford money, but they can trade the staple crop they’ve lived on for generations.
It’s an eye-opening look at a place where cash means little, but survival depends on the harvest.
At under half an hour, the doc moves fast but leaves a lasting impact.
It’s simple, quiet, and hits hard without needing to explain too much.
You feel the weight of each exchange, and it makes you rethink what value really means.
You can watch “The Trader” exclusively on Netflix at https://www.netflix.com/title/80209006 (it’s a Netflix Original film).
14) The Plow That Broke the Plains
Release date: May 10, 1936
“The Plow That Broke the Plains” chronicles the rise and fall of the Great Plains in stark, unforgettable detail.
Directed by Pare Lorentz, this 25-minute film, funded by the U.S. government, shows the journey of the land from thriving cattle country to a Dust Bowl wasteland.
The first section highlights the vast grasslands of the early 1900s, where cattle roamed and homesteaders arrived with dreams of prosperity.
These settlers grew massive wheat crops, aided by newly invented farming equipment.
But after World War I, things took a darker turn. Overproduction of wheat caused a market crash.
The second part of the film captures this decline vividly, showing abandoned farm machinery rusting away. Lorentz’s camera pans over endless fields that were once fertile, now stripped bare.
One of the film’s most powerful moments comes when a dust storm rolls across a farm, reducing everything to dirt.
You can feel the despair as farmers pack up and leave their homes, heading west with little more than hope.
This doc isn’t just a history lesson—it’s a warning about the consequences of ignoring environmental limits.
You can watch the doc by clicking the video embed above.
15) Victorian Farm
“Victorian Farm” transports you to a world without electricity, where survival meant hard manual labor.
This six-part docuseries immerses us in the daily routines of three experts—Ruth Goodman, Alex Langlands, and Peter Ginn—who live and work on a Victorian farm for a full year.
I know what you’re thinking, this is more of a reality show than doc.
But the series documents so much of what life is like on a Victorian Farm, I decided to include it!
It’s not just about harvesting crops or feeding animals; it’s about reliving history with precision. They grind their own wheat, shear sheep, and even brew beer using period methods.
Directed by Stuart Elliott, and lasting about an hour per episode, the series is both educational and surprisingly engaging.
One unexpected moment: the team struggles to keep their crops alive during an especially brutal winter.
You’ll learn the harsh realities of 19th-century life, but you’ll also find deep satisfaction in seeing these challenges overcome. It’s practical, historical, and oddly addictive.
Watch Victorian Farm on Amazon Prime Video at https://www.amazon.com/gp/video/detail/0TZYI6FVCO1ILQRXJ97V9VUYG9/
Thanks for reading!
-Rob Kelly, Chief Maniac, Daily Doc