Well today we welcome Claudia to the R2Kast 🎙️ Someone who has lived and breathed chickens since she was six years old, turning her sister’s unwanted hens into a full blown breeding hobby, a little business and eventually an educational platform followed by thousands. 🌾 We talked about how she became overstocked at eight years old, selling chicks from rabbit hutches, learning through trial and error, reading Practical Poultry and building a client base before most kids knew their times tables. Her stories of juggling colours, managing the pecking order and keeping hundreds of birds as pets were brilliant. 🍎 One of my favourite parts was hearing how that childhood obsession turned into the work she does today, from breeding Pekins in every shade of the rainbow to helping people across the UK look after their hens properly. Her knowledge on housing, red mite, dust baths, feeding, flock introductions and avian influenza was unreal, and her passion for welfare came through the whole way. 🌍 Enjoy! 🙂

R2Kast 402 – Claudia Audley on poultry passion, childhood entrepreneurship and keeping hens happy

Well today we welcome George to the R2Kast 🎙️ Someone who has spent nearly 30 years leading the Tenant Farmers Association and has seen more policy cycles, governments and tenancy changes than most of us could list. 🌾 We talked about his journey from Belfast to agricultural economics, joining the old Ministry of Agriculture, and eventually stepping into the TFA at a time when the whole tenancy landscape was shifting. His stories about navigating succession rules, short term agreements, landlord relationships and the fight to protect tenant rights were fascinating. 🍎 One of my favourite parts was hearing about his faith and how deeply it shapes the way he leads. From rural church work to the Farming Community Network, he spoke about supporting people not just technically but pastorally, and how that “head and heart” balance is at the centre of everything he does for the sector. 🌍 Enjoy! 🙂

R2Kast 401 – George Dunn on tenancy, faith and three decades shaping farming

Thank you for supporting for 400 episodes! What a ride it’s been! Here’s to 500 🎉 Well today we welcome Cameron to the R2Kast 🎙️ A young arable farmer who somehow found himself swapping the grain store for the Big Brother house and ended up becoming one of the standout voices of the whole series. 🌾 We talked about life on the family farm, his unusual school where you could be learning maths one minute and milking cows the next, and how a news interview at a farming protest planted the first spark that maybe he belonged on camera. A few months later he filled out an application on a whim and suddenly he was in lockdown, phone gone, heading into the house. 🍎 One of my favourite parts was hearing about the friendships he built in there and the moment he opened up about inheritance tax. That clip travelled far beyond the show and struck a chord with thousands of farmers who felt seen and heard at a time when the sector needed it. Cameron spoke about what that reaction meant and how powerful it felt to use a mainstream platform to give farming a voice. 🌍 Enjoy! 🙂

R2Kast 400 – Cameron Kinch on Big Brother, farming and finding his voice

Well today we welcome Leah to the R2Kast 🎙️ Someone whose story moves quickly, from Welsh speaking smallholding life to dropping out of uni on her birthday and walking straight into agricultural marketing. 🌾 We chatted about how she messaged Andy at Hillsgreen on a whim, turned a week of work experience into 15 months, and found out she preferred real world creativity over lectures. Her honesty about wanting pace, purpose and practical learning made a lot of sense. 🍎 One of my favourite parts was hearing about her role with the Royal Welsh Agricultural Society. From the madness of running social media at the winter fair, to launching a content creator internship so the show can finally be covered properly, to helping steer one of the biggest events in UK agriculture. Her passion for Wales and pride in the show really shone through. 🌍 Enjoy! 🙂

R2Kast 399 – Leah Davies on Welsh roots, marketing and building a fast moving career

Well today we welcome Katelyn to the R2Kast 🎙️ Someone whose early career has moved quickly, from Harper Adams to placements, into food marketing, and now into a role working with sustainable ingredients made from broccoli stems. 🌾 We spoke about how she nearly studied law before a last minute spark pushed her into agri food marketing. Her time at Harper was full of funny moments, including turning up to crop class in sparkly wellies and confidently identifying a blade of grass as green. During her placement year she found herself learning everything from finance to branding to factory life, all while navigating the chaos of large team meetings and the curse of confusing acronyms. 🍎 One of my favourite parts was hearing about her current work helping turn broccoli stems into fibre ingredients, reducing waste and adding nutritional value in a really clever way. Her passion for people came through constantly, from supporting international visitors to juggling marketing, communications and everything else you’d expect in a fast moving startup environment. 🌍 Enjoy! 🙂

R2Kast 398 – Katelyn Randle on marketing, broccoli stems and building a career in food

Well today we welcome Bill to the R2Kast 🎙️ Someone many folk in Scottish farming will know well. We started with his journey from Belfast to St Andrews, studying medicine before realising it wasn’t the right path, and how that eventually led him into agriculture through rugby clubs, mentors and a real love of working on the land. 🌾 We spoke about his thirty years at Rosemains, running a mixed arable estate, the changes he’s overseen, the monitor farm years, and the diversification that’s brought new life into the place. His honesty about learning on the job and the value of great mentorship was brilliant. 🍎 One of my favourite parts was hearing about his curling career. Representing Ireland, beating Canada in a world final and winning the 2012 World Senior Championships. The pride, the teamwork and the story behind it really shone through. 🌍 We rounded off with RHS governance, being chair during COVID, the emotion of the showcase year, his MBE, and the advice he gives to anyone coming into farming today. Bill has lived a life full of graft, passion and service to the industry. Enjoy! 🙂

R2Kast 397 – Bill Gray on curling, farming and a lifetime in the industry

Well today we welcome Ally to the R2Kast 🎙️ Someone many of you will know from the telly, from farming, or now from podcasting as the co host of Meet the Farmers The Big Debate. We kicked off chatting about how that show began, how he ended up working alongside Sophie and Ben, and the challenge of debating topics when everyone secretly agrees. 🌾 We got into the farm at Weir End, how he took over the tenancy, the move into diversification, his ongoing hunt for the perfect legume crop and the reality of trying peas, beans and soya with very mixed results. His honesty about the highs and frustrations of arable farming made for a brilliant conversation. 🍎 One of my favourite parts was hearing about his TV days and the chaos, comedy and madness behind the scenes. From Discovery filming the whole place, to his dad unexpectedly stealing the show, to dealing with online criticism and learning when not to reply. It really showed how grounded he is and how much he values people and community. 🌍 Enjoy! 🙂

R2Kast 396 – Ally Hunter Blair on podcasting, farming and life on and off camera

Well today we welcome me again, this time to look back over the last two years and what they’ve really been like 🎙️ From Rwanda and Tanzania, to Ukraine, America, Japan, New Zealand, China and everywhere in between, it’s been a wild mix of travel, learning, worry, joy and a lot of growing up. 🌾 I spoke about the early trips with SAYFC, meeting people who changed the way I see the world, and then heading to Ukraine to deliver a pickup in a war zone and realising how lucky we are at home. From there it rolled straight into America with SRUC, the FFA convention and seeing youth development on a huge scale. 🍎 One of my favourite parts to talk through was the Nuffield journey itself. The highs, the tough bits, the health scares in Brazil, the people who kept me going, and the way it all came together on stage in Aberdeen last week. It was a reminder that these things test you, stretch you and shape you, but they also introduce you to a family you didn’t know you needed. 🌍 We wrapped up with where life is now, the new job, the changes at home, my hopes for the next five years and why being yourself has taken me further than anything else. A proper down to earth chat about people, food, and the stories that connect them all. Enjoy! 🙂

R2Kast 395 – My Nuffield Journey

Well today we welcome Daniel to the R2Kast 🎙️ A brilliant chat with someone who has lived a life full of stories long before becoming a medical student. From being born on a farm to cycling thousands of miles through places like Syria, Sudan and Pakistan, his tales of hospitality, fear, humour and pure naivety were unreal. 🌾 We spoke about the moments that shaped him most, from strangers handing him fruit in the middle of nowhere to months spent helping in refugee camps across France and Greece. His passion for people and that sense of humanity came through in everything he said. 🍎 One of my favourite parts was when Daniel explained why he moved into remote and rural medicine on the ScotGEM course, and how rural placements in Orkney and Inverness have helped him see health, community and change in a whole new way. It really showed the mix of resilience and compassion that drives him. 🌍 We wrapped up talking nature, wellbeing and why looking after yourself is far more important than people admit. A chat full of honesty, laughs and moments that stay with you. Enjoy! 🙂

R2Kast 394 – Daniel Martin on epic journeys, medicine and the kindness of strangers

Brought to you from Rural2Kitchen. The podcast where agricultural minds open up. Sponsored primarily by Howden Rural Insurance as well as the Scottish Farmer Follow us on all platforms here - https://linktr.ee/rural2kitchen To get in touch email rural2kitchen@gmail.com Complete this survey to help out the show! Thank you so much - <a href="https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSeBDRnGerPw2w-nNBT6st4wCI2ldi4OZPrIIrJ-_rsRWCKq1A/viewform?usp=sf_link" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSeBDRnGerPw2w-nNBT6st4wCI2ldi4OZPrIIrJ-_rsRWCKq1A/viewform?usp=sf_link</a>

R2Kast - People in Food and Farming/All In

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