Dewing Grain Podcast

In this week’s episode Andrew is joined by Ben to talk about the AHDB.They start by going over the positives such as the AHDB recommended list and the AHDB app.They then move on to discuss the increased levy and whether it provides value for money.They talk about the things that the AHDB could do to streamline and improve themselves.Ben makes a point of saying that we are not opposed to the digital passport as a concept but in its current form we do not see how it is in the best interest of farmers.This month’s podcast walk will take place at 2pm on the 31/03/2025, starting at the Suffield Arms. The What3Words location is Clever.Schooling.Prefix. We look forward to seeing you there!

In this week’s episode the Dewing Grain podcast goes international!Andrew headed to Dubai to meet this weeks legend series special guest, Julian Godfrey.Julian begins by explaining the different roles he has worked in since he first joined the grain trade.Julian talks about how he ended up working from Dubai.They talk about how they made friends and contacts in the trade through the years. Julian explains to Andrew how he manages to broker trades while working in a completely different time zone to many of the deals.They talk about the fact that Russian wheat still comes into the UK despite the sanctions and tariffs on it.They discuss how arbitration is used in trading to help solve disputes but is also sometimes used for more nefarious purposes.This month’s podcast walk will take place at 2pm on the 31/03/2025 at the Suffield Arms. The What3Words location is Clever.Schooling.Prefix. We look forward to seeing you there!

This week’s special guest is James Thurlow of Thurlow Nunn.Thurlow Nunn is currently celebrating 150 years in business. To celebrate this, they are fund raising money for Dementia UK on their JustGiving page linked below.James starts by explaining the early days of Thurlow Nunn all the way up to how the business is doing today.They discuss the building of storage and how it can be a massive advantage farmers.Andrew asks some questions with the aid of AI.They talk about the need for better education on where our food comes from so that people can make more informed decisions on what they choose to buy in the shops.James and Andrew recount their experiences with family members who suffered from dementia.James goes over the events that Thurlow Nunn have planned over the course of the year to help raise money for Dementia UK. https://www.justgiving.com/page/thurlownunngroup150

On this week’s episode, Andrews special guest is Frances Roberson who is the manager of the Food and Farming Discovery Trust.Frances grew up on a mixed beef and arable farm in North Norfolk.Frances talks Andrew through the wide variety of jobs she had after she left university. Andrews days as an international model get bought up. The Food and Farming Discovery Trust aims to showcase food, farming and the countryside to the local community.They discuss the Royal Norfolk Show's school program, which helps to give young people a better understanding of what agriculture is all about.Olivia Shave’s petition to get agriculture in the curriculum gets mentioned. If you haven’t already, please take the time sign the petition!This month’s podcast walk will take place at 2pm on the 31/03/2025 at the Suffield Arms. The What3Words location is Clever.Schooling.Prefix. We look forward to seeing you there!

This week the Dewing Grain podcast was recorded live with all of the stars present!Andrew starts by thanking Oscar Smith and the rest of the Farming Community Network team for arranging this live event.Oscar explains how the FCN is there to help support farmers and talks about the different resources they have available for farmers.The first topic is about prospects for the upcoming harvest.Next, Andrew shares some of his favourite stories from the grain trade.Andrew debates the things farmers can do to persuade the government to change their agricultural policies while also keeping the general public on the farmers side.1930’s Germany gets mentioned?Andrew gets Harry to enlighten the audience on the thrilling topic of podcast production and distribution.To finish off the boys share some of their stories from the early days of their agricultural careers. #FarmingAintEasy

In this week’s episode, Andrew is joined by award winning farmer, Olivia Shave. Olivia is lobbying the government to improve children’s education and basic understanding of where their food comes from and how agriculture works.Please follow this link to sign Olivia’s petition or alternatively the link can be found on her Instagram page @ecoewe. https://petition.parliament.uk/petitions/700029Olivia mentions how she believes farmers can put the great back in Great Britain!Olivia and Andrew talk about the changing landscape for farmers, and the things they can do to diversify and make the most of the situation.Olivia’s final note is that farmers need to challenge the government to a greater extent.

In this week’s episode Andrew is joined by Webby & Josh to catch up on what happened at the Norfolk Farming Conference.They start by talking about Daniel Zeichner and the unsympathetic tone of his speech.Next, they mention how impressed they were with Diana Overton Frontiers new managing director.They go on to talk about “The Empire” and for once they are actually complimentary!Finally, we get to hear our reporter in the field interviewing Matthew Scott and Will Mallon.

In this week’s episode Joe, Ben, Webby and Josh to discuss last Monday’s farmers meeting.Josh runs the team through on how successful he believed the morning was.Josh talks about the benefits farmers will gain from using methodology that Roots is creating and being able to utilise the good farming practice contracts. The team reiterates one of the core messages of what Josh is working on. Don’t give your data away for free!Ben moves the conversation on to discuss the topic of Trumps tariffs and what role they might play in the future of agriculture. Of course, there had to be some Trump talk due to his volatile nature!Webby catches Joe out for not being devout listener of the podcast. Criminal!

In this week’s episode Andrew is joined by Webby to discuss the dynamics of the 2024 harvest.Andrew justifies his reasoning for his recent opinions of the market, stating that there is going to be a surplus that cannot be carried and that there is no option to export as we are not competitive. This means the most likely direction for old crop UK wheat is to go down in value.Andrew talks about the inequalities in farm subsidies between European and UK farmers.The duo goes over some world wheat carry over stock statistics.They speculate over the conditions of crops around the world and what it could mean for the upcoming marketing season.