R2Kast - People in Food and Farming/All In

Getting grubby or get in the scrubs?Todays guest openly says his path was always laid out to follow in his fathers footsteps as a doctor! He speaks about spending most of his younger days after school waiting in wards and corridors in hospitals and it was just where he felt comfortable!A few changes for Harry Winslet and he found a fescues for food production with a particular focus on veg.5 years ago he took on a role with G’s Fresh! G’s is a company I’ve been aware of for sometime and in my head envisioned a small place producing high quality lettuce…the high quality part is correct but it’s a 16000 hectare juggernaut spanning two continents and well in excess of 10 countries! Harry developed a keen interest in the utilisation of peat and will be looking into peat use the world over as part of his Nuffield Scholarship! I for one can’t wait to follow the work he does in the coming months!Enjoy!

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Fancy a cuppa?!?Todays guest, Lucy George is welcomed to talk about the transition from leaving a stable job to take on her parents farm and shift it from a relatively conventional horticultural unit in the direction of tea.Where I think of yea being grown is Kuwait, China, India and of course South Wales! Lucy was game for the challenge and has created a well oiled, diversified business that not only produces tea plants but also kombucha! This is properly one of these episodes I feel like I know nothing filming but very interesting!Lucy speaks about her plans to chase a more sustainable tea providing model for the UK by travelling to various places the world over with Nuffield.Enjoy!

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RAVES AND FARMING?!?This is a proper fun one! I love ever podcast I film but this is just a little different! Today we welcome Huw Evans on! Huw from London at 25 along with 2 other 25 year olds decide it was time for a change. With only a dissertation based on agriculture and a keen enjoyment walking around that type of environment as a youngster behind him the three of them put what money they have as well as selling assets to buy a farm in Abergavenny in Monmouthshire.Next they embarked on their journey to create a regenerative farm. With the podcast I have a lot of people seeking this system but very few acknowledge the financial challenges it will bring, Huw and the team did acknowledge that. That self awareness has allowed them to create a separate business to create a financial stability elsewhere to allow the farm business to flourish on its way to profit ability.That separate business? RAVES. They have weekly rave music on varying in genres as well as hosting weddings and other bespoke events in their picturesque location and buildings.You’ll love this!Enjoy!

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Today we welcome another addition of the 2024 Nuffield Scholarship cohort!…I start it by saying welcome back to R2Kast 142…it’s 152!Jock Gibson came from a farm but found himself away from the business before certain events caused him to jump back in. There’s more than just a farm however! Edinvale operates as the home farm utilising grass and forage with minimal extra inputs and MacBeth’s butchers works to try and minimise sending off stock elsewhere to be sold. It’s cuts out the middle process and means they can sell added value to their own customers.Jock saw a potential to explore the aforementioned grass and forage system and will travel around the world with Nuffield to do so! Enjoy!

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When I went for my Nuffield interview I was waiting to go in and spoke VERY briefly to a gentleman with a splendiferous moustache!I was instantly hooked in what he does, we arranged a podcast and pretty rapidly I realised, “Christ it’ll be awkward if one of us isn’t successful!”However, 7 weeks down the line, we both were! Our guest today is David Tavernor! David has worked in buying for various supermarkets and now owns his own insect farming business, Fly2Feed!He speaks about the potential of insects as a protein source for people directly and for livestock feed as well as a fertiliser.His Nuffield scholarship will explore insects as a livestock feed the world over and hopefully be able to implement it back home as well as with his own business! Enjoy!

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A special one for a special number! Next on the pod we have Rose Davies who is an Olympic runner from Newcastle, Australia! Ed met Rose a few weeks ago when she came to Dumfries to see her friends from back in Australia that are currently staying with him to play rugby here. On this All in episode we go into detail on all things running from qualifying for the olympics to travelling the world with running! An incredible story where you can really feel the passion and love for running that rose has and how that’s got her to where she is now! Enjoy!

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Today we welcome someone who is used to success!Jack Young who is a major part of the family business Overton farm, a farm, butchery and coffee shop growing in popularity for some time expedited during covid! Jack is a Carluke YF member and has had a lot of success in the organisation, national champion in tug of war times 2, various other awards and recently was award Mr West Young Farmer of the year alongside Miss Young farmer, Abby Forsyth!On top of this last year he won the agri scot business award! So yeah, a lot on the go! A great episode! Enjoy!!

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Fun day for me this! This episode marks the first of hopefully 23 over the next few months aimed at showcasing this years class of Nuffield Scholars! If you’d like one with me as a guest we’ll get Ed in to interview me! Today for number one we have Saba Erum Amir! Saba moved here late 2000s from India and completed a BSc and MSc in Biotechnology! After this moved onto study a PhD in Poultry Gut Health with a focus on Prebiotics! After that working as a knowledge exchange fellow at Aberystwyth university lead her to read and write around the agricultural sector more than before and developed a keen interest in the dairy sector! Saba will look into the importance of cow calf contact in dairy. Saba sees cow with calf systems as the future of dairy! Listen in to hear if I agree! Great topic and one I look forward to following! More Nuffield scholars to come! Enjoy!

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For episode 147 I was super keen to get a snooker player on! Not knowing anyone to fulfil this I wasn’t sure whether I would manage it. Then when we had Bethany on the pod I told her about the idea and she told us her friends grandmother was one of the first ever female snooker players on the scene! An amazing conversation where we discussed the challenges Hilary faced, not being allowed to play in some places for just being a woman! A fantastic story where Hilary really does show her love for the sport still to this day! Another great listen! Enjoy!

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Today marks the day I’ve released more episodes of the R2Kast in this calendar year than in total before it! It’s almost been going 3 years…If you’re in farming in Scotland you most likely know this guest. Let me try that again.If you’re in farming…young farmers in Scotland you most likely…definitely know this guest. Our guest today, David Mitchell and I went to uni together for our HND. What’s interesting about that is we had completely different experiences in that course, mine mostly positive and David’s mostly the opposite which is extremely useful to hear in my now profession. David is a WORKER, their enterprise portfolio is one to be commended on the home farm and away from that he has found major success in young farmers from an office hearing perspective and also has his name on the illustrious wall, alongside Andrew Neilson as joint winners of the stocks person of the year! A great chat where David helps explain how that process works…which was poorly placed as I required no training as an ex-Lower Nithsdale male members 3rd place stock judging participant!Great chat with a proper agvocate…Enjoy!

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