R2Kast - People in Food and Farming/All In

Today I had Ken on the R2Kast 🎙️ Ken is Vice Chancellor of Harper Adams University, an institution celebrating its 125th anniversary this year, and someone whose career has taken him through universities and organisations across the world. 🌾We spoke about studying English at the University of Glasgow, starting his career with KPMG and eventually finding his way into higher education at Warwick. From there his career took him through Serco, China and Australia before arriving at Harper Adams. We also got into the brilliant story of returning home from his first term at university to discover his parents had moved house without telling him! 🍎A big part of the conversation focused on Harper Adams and its 125 years of history, from welcoming just six students in 1901 to becoming one of the leading agricultural universities today. We discussed the anniversary celebrations, honorary degrees, international partnerships and how Harper is expanding its reach into new subjects and communities. 🌍We also chatted about Ken’s time at Tsinghua University in China and Monash University in Australia, the importance of making education accessible to people from all backgrounds and why leadership should be built around kindness, honesty and not taking yourself too seriously.Enjoy! 🙂

Series three of Tales of a Nuffield Scholar continues 🎙️ This series is looking at some of the biggest challenges, innovations and conversations shaping agriculture today, and this time we’re getting into a topic that affects so many farming families, succession 🌾I was joined by Heather Wildman, a 2012 Nuffield Scholar, founder of Saviour Associates and someone who has played a pretty important part in my own Nuffield journey as my mentor. Heather grew up in Cumbria, left school at 15 and has gone on to build a career helping farming businesses with leadership, communication and succession.We spoke about Heather’s Nuffield Scholarship, which explored how to influence and motivate positive change. Her travels took her across the world, from Australia and New Zealand to South America and Canada, including a visit to a high security prison! Her biggest findings came down to three things, vision, communication and collaboration, principles that have shaped much of her work since 🌍Heather shared how succession became such a big part of her career almost by accident. Through her Cultivating Leaders programme and work with farming businesses, she kept seeing families struggling to have conversations about their future. That eventually took her back to Australia to learn from succession specialists before developing her own guide and approach to helping farming families.We got into the challenges around inheritance tax changes and why succession is about so much more than tax. From understanding the finances of a farm to deciding who actually wants to take over, when responsibilities should change and how to treat family members fairly, there is a huge amount that needs to be discussed. Heather explained how sometimes the biggest challenge is simply getting everyone around the table and having an open conversation 🌱One of the most interesting parts was hearing Heather talk about how the farm itself can almost become another member of the family, sometimes taking priority over relationships, time together and everything else. We spoke about the pressure younger generations can feel to follow in their parents’ footsteps and why giving people the freedom to choose their own future is so important.There were some brilliant stories along the way too, including Heather’s own journey from missing out on a role she had set her heart on to building a business that has helped farming families across the country. It was a great chat about communication, family, business and making sure succession is something we actually talk about rather than continually putting off.Thank you to NFU Mutual for their support of this project.Enjoy! 🙂

Today I had Phil on the R2Kast 🎙️ Phil is Chief Executive of the National Sheep Association and has spent a career across practical farming, organic agriculture, conservation and representing the UK sheep sector. 🌾We spoke about growing up in Bristol with no direct farming background, leaving school at 16 for an agricultural apprenticeship and eventually managing farms and building his own sheep enterprise. Redundancy during the BSE period unexpectedly changed direction and led to 15 years with the Soil Association before taking over at the NSA in 2011. 🍎A big part of the conversation focused on sheep health and welfare, something Phil has championed throughout his time at the NSA and work that contributed to him receiving an MBE. We got into Bluetongue, parasites, changing weather patterns and why healthy sheep ultimately mean productive and profitable sheep. 🌍We also spoke about the future of sheep farming, opportunities for young people, the NSA lambing and grazing lists, the importance of sheep events and the growing global demand for sheep meat. With the UK one of the world’s major sheep meat exporters, Phil sees plenty of reason to be optimistic about where the sector can go.Enjoy! 🙂

Today we’re back with Field to Front Door 🎙️A slightly different lineup this time as David is off enjoying a holiday in Spain, leaving Martin and Wallace joined by Sophia for her second appearance on the podcast!We chatted about Sophia taking charge of the growing direct selling business while David is away, from organising produce with other farmers to managing orders, deliveries and the usual challenges with couriers. We also got into her ambitions to start growing vegetables herself, with Martin suggesting she starts small and builds from there.There was plenty of discussion around adding value on farm too, from turning grain into flour and rapeseed into oil, through to why finding your own customers can make such a difference to the economics of farming. Martin also shared some stories from the early days of selling online, when customers were still posting cheques to pay for their orders!We got into social media, the British Farming Awards, Sophia’s plans to enter Britain’s Fittest Farmer in 2027 and even Wallace’s plans for a home gym. There were plenty of laughs along the way, particularly when Martin started suggesting exercise demonstrations and a Brow Farm mankini 😂We’re keeping this going fortnightly, so feel free to send us any ideas or topics you’d like us to get into.Enjoy! 🙂

Today I had Sam on the R2Kast 🎙️ Sam farms with her family in Northumberland and is the founder of Planning for Profit, helping farmers look beyond simply producing food and properly understand the businesses behind what they do. 🌾We spoke about growing up around farming, studying politics, a brief look at the Foreign Office and banking before eventually spending almost nine years with AHDB, finishing as Sector Director for Beef and Lamb. From there Sam took the pretty daunting jump away from a monthly salary to build something of her own. 🍎A big part of the conversation focused on Planning for Profit, which grew from the Ranching for Profit model in the US. We spoke about working on the business rather than always being caught working in it, understanding profit, return on capital and opportunity cost, and why farming businesses need to be treated like businesses if that’s what we expect them to be. 🌍We also chatted about the five day Planning for Profit programme and Executive Link, which brings businesses together almost like their own board to challenge each other, share ideas and create some accountability around actually making changes.Enjoy! 🙂

Series three of Tales of a Nuffield Scholar continues 🎙️ This series is exploring some of the biggest challenges, innovations and conversations shaping agriculture today, and this time we’re discussing a topic that really does make my blood boil, livestock attacks 🐑I was joined by Dan Jones, a good friend of mine and fellow Nuffield Scholar from my own cohort. Dan farms sheep on the Great Orme in North Wales, managing around 1,000 acres of incredibly important land for biodiversity and conservation, while also dealing with the challenges of having hundreds of thousands of visitors passing through the farm every year.We spoke about Dan’s Nuffield journey, which took him across the world exploring the future of upland sheep farming and how food production, nature conservation and climate change can work together. From Brazil and Borneo to Patagonia and Japan, Dan found that farming is about far more than producing food. It also plays a huge role in protecting culture, communities and even language 🌍There were some incredible stories from his travels too, including finding himself on horseback in southern Chile helping four shepherds move 23,000 sheep between pastures, despite barely having ridden a horse in 25 years! 🚜But the main focus of this episode was livestock attacks, something Dan unfortunately knows far too much about. In 2024 alone, he experienced 12 separate incidents resulting in sheep deaths. We spoke about the emotional and financial impact these attacks have on farmers, the distress caused to livestock even when there are no visible injuries and why Dan believes the term livestock worrying simply does not reflect the seriousness of what happens.We also discussed NFU Mutual’s research showing that farm animals worth an estimated £1.95 million were severely injured or killed in dog attacks last year, an increase of 10%. Their survey of 1,407 dog owners also found that one in 20 admitted their dog had chased livestock, yet 72% were not actively taking steps to prevent it.Dan shared some genuinely upsetting experiences, from sheep being chased over cliffs to dealing with dog owners who had never imagined their pet could harm another animal. We spoke about responsible countryside access, the importance of keeping dogs under proper control and how difficult it can be to educate people about the consequences of what might initially seem like harmless behaviour.One thing that really stood out was Dan explaining how repeated attacks have almost made him accustomed to something that should never be considered normal. Behind every incident is a farmer who has spent years caring for those animals, and that emotional impact is something we really need to speak about more openly.We finished by reflecting on his Nuffield experience and his advice to anyone thinking of applying. Find something you’re genuinely passionate about, remain open to where the journey takes you and make the most of every opportunity 🌱Thank you to NFU Mutual for their support of this project.Enjoy! 🙂

Today I had Carrie on the R2Kast 🎙️ Carrie is a dietitian and nutritionist whose career has spanned research, food businesses, media and consultancy, alongside sitting on the board of Quality Meat Scotland. 🌾We spoke about growing up in Scotland, initially wanting to become a doctor and finding dietetics almost by accident. That took Carrie through hospital work before realising her real interest was understanding food, nutrition and how what we eat affects our health. 🍎A big part of the conversation focused on gut health, probiotics and prebiotics, food intolerances and why nutrition research is far more complicated than a headline saying one food is good or bad. We also got into the difference between dietitians and nutritionists and why Carrie believes nutrition should become a protected profession. 🌍We also spoke about ultra processed foods and why Carrie disagrees with treating them as one blanket category. From fortified cereals and plant milks to affordability, convenience and family life, we discussed why nutrition needs to be practical and why simply making your diet a little better can be far more useful than chasing perfection.Enjoy! 🙂

Ahead of the Scottish Smallholding and Countryside Festival on Saturday 17 October, Wallace chats with show secretary Martin Beard, Alice Lennox from the Rare Breeds Survival Trust and Siobhan MacDonald from the Farm Advisory Service.Martin shares what visitors can expect, from livestock shows and rural skills competitions to local producers, crafts and over 40 talks.Alice discusses protecting native breeds, while Siobhan highlights practical workshops, advice and learning opportunities for smallholders and crofters.The conversation celebrates the importance of small farms, rural communities and preserving traditional skills.Join us at the Royal Highland Centre on Saturday!

Today we’re back with Field to Front Door 🎙️David, Martin and Wallace catching up again, with plenty happening around SFI, regenerative farming, biodiversity and David’s ever expanding direct selling business.A big part of this episode was the latest SFI debacle, with David explaining how he spent hours preparing a £51,000 application only for the funding to run out before he could submit it. We chatted about the uncertainty this creates for farmers, particularly those trying to change their farming systems while keeping their businesses afloat.We also got into Martin’s recent bird survey, which recorded 514 birds across 45 species, including eight red listed species! That led into a really interesting discussion around biodiversity, soil health, leaving fields green over winter and whether sometimes doing less can actually achieve more.David’s direct selling venture continues to grow too, with lamb boxes now joining the mix and farmers from further afield getting involved. We spoke about the power of social media, the challenges of scaling a business and why dealing directly with customers can be so much more rewarding than traditional wholesale markets.Alongside that we chatted about the Farmers Weekly Awards, growing crops with fewer inputs, grain quality, the price of lamb and why farmers need to find ways of keeping more of the value from what they produce.We’re keeping this going fortnightly, so feel free to send us any ideas or topics you’d like us to get into.Enjoy! 🙂