TV audiences have spent over a decade following Dr. Jan Pol and his impressive veterinary work through the Nat Geo Wild series The Incredible Dr. Pol. Over that time, they’ve also gotten to know the Pol family and their community. Now viewers are being welcomed even further into their world with spinoff The Incredible Pol Farm, which documents the family launching their own 350-acre farm!

I welcomed back Dr. Pol alongside his son Charles Pol to discuss the idea behind The Incredible Pol Farm and what it’s been like for them to spend even more time in front of television cameras. What continues to excite them about sharing their lives with fans around the world? Learn more in our interview, as new episodes of both series are airing Saturdays on Nat Geo Wild as well as streaming on Hulu and Disney Plus.

Brittany Frederick: The Incredible Dr. Pol has been on TV for over a decade. What still interests your family in the television part of your business, not only enough to keep the show going but now to want to do a spinoff?

Dr. Jan Pol: The way the show is, [Charles] said, “Dad, do your work, because that is the main thing.” What you see in the show is real. I say many times, “If we get kicked in the show, it hurts,” and this is what people realize. People love it because they learn from the show, and this is one of the [reasons] why we keep going.

But I watch the show and say “Well, why did you use this thing? Why didn’t you use that?” [laughs] They’re getting up to a hundred hours of taping a week here and use 40 minutes.

What motivated you to move forward with The Incredible Pol Farm when you’re already spending so much time on camera?

Charles Pol: That was my baby. Out of COVID, my wife and I were at home like a lot of people, doing the shopping, and I kept on seeing empty shelves at the grocery stores. It got me thinking a lot about food security—wanting to be closer to our food supply. We had two young children at the time, so that was just further inspiration for my wife and me to want to do a farm. I took the concept to Nat Geo and said, “Hey, I’m thinking about starting this farm.” We had a sales tape put together and they really liked the idea, so we decided to film the experience of setting up a new farm for television.

How much does that impact your overall schedule? Do you find yourselves filming a majority of the time now?

Charles Pol: Definitely, yeah. We shoot about thirty-five weeks a year for The Incredible Dr. Pol. And during the off period, we were shooting [The Incredible Pol Farm] as well.

Are there certain aspects or episodes that you’re particularly excited for audiences to see on either one of the shows this season?

Charles Pol: For The Incredible Dr. Pol, we did a very true documentary where it was a day in the life of Dr. Pol that’s going to be airing this season—and I think it was my favorite show of all time that I’ve seen. And then for The Incredible Pol Farm, I’m very excited for people to watch the series in total, because it’s very different from The Incredible Dr. Pol. It’s more of a serialized [show], where we track the story of setting up this farm over the course of a year. It’s a very different way to experience the Pol universe.

Dr. Jan Pol: Diane [his wife] and I were invited to the Mother Earth News Fair in West Bend, Wisconsin. Those are people that, like Charles, want to start hobby farms, do things from the farm background. I think there’s a lot of interest in starting your own hobby farm. The way Charles is showing it, you don’t need 110 acres in order to start a farm. If you want to have chickens in the backyard, [it’s] very easy. If you want to grow your own vegetables, this is how you can do it.

Charles Pol: I really hope that people are inspired by it. If you look at the average age of the American farmer, we definitely need it, because they’re only getting older… I would say, have the confidence to do it. If you want to start out small with backyard chickens [or] get your kid a rabbit, or go whole hog and get 40 acres and a couple of cows, it is definitely achievable. I think that’s what you’re going to see during this series. You learn a lot on the go. You learn sometimes what not to do. But it is very achievable.

The Incredible Pol Farm is another example of how successfully you’ve built the “Pol universe,” to borrow Charles’ words. You have the Incredible Pol-Cast podcast and an entire line of dog and cat foods, healthy treats, animal feeds, wellness products and even pet accessories. With all that in mind, is anything next on your list?

Charles Pol: I think I’m busy enough. [laughs] I don’t know about my dad. It’s just that opportunities present themselves, so be open to trying the different opportunities when you get a chance to do them.

What have been some of your favorite experiences to come out of those opportunities? What have you taken away from all of this?

Dr. Jan Pol: Meeting all the people. Through all the years we’ve been invited to many places. Just last year in late December, we [got a] call out of Barcelona, Spain from a ten-year-old girl that loves the show and wants to become a veterinarian. We have so many people that come here and say that they learn from the show. And the more people know about the animals, the better it is for the animal. What I hope is through all the education from the show, that animals are better taken care of.

Charles Pol: I just am really hopeful that people watch [The Incredible Pol Farm] and do find inspiration from what we’re doing and get the confidence that they can do it. And it can be at any level. Tons of people around the country have backyard chickens. And food never tastes so good as when you grow it yourself.

The Incredible Dr. Pol airs Saturdays at 9:00 p.m. on Nat Geo Wild, followed by The Incredible Pol Farm at 10:00 p.m. For more information on Dr. Pol and all of his many ventures, visit his website. Photo credit: Ian Frazier/Courtesy of CORE PR.

Article content is (c)2020-2025 Brittany Frederick and may not be excerpted or reproduced without express written permission by the author. Follow me on Twitter at @BFTVTwtr and on Instagram at @BFTVGram. For story pitches, contact me at tvbrittanyf@yahoo.com.