The Farmers Guardian Podcast

As part of our special podcast series brought to you by the School of Sustainable Food and Farming at Harper Adams University, this episode looks at understanding and measuring social sustainability within agriculture. Tenant organic dairy farmer Sophie Gregory from Dorset, Hampshire tenant pig farmer Flavian Obiero and Leonora Meehan from McDonald's Progressive Young Farmer at Noble Foods unpick how sustainable agriculture can contribute to vibrant communities; the importance of connecting food and farming with the wider general public and how farmers can be empowered to influence public policy and change societal narrative around agriculture, food and sustainability.  

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On this week’s podcast, news reporter Chris Brayford is joined by a host of guests including farmers and politicians to discuss the implications of a General Election to farming communities and some of the priorities they want to see from the next UK Government.  Our guests include NFU vice-president David Exwood, ‘Pretend Farmer’ and sheep farmer Karl Franklin, Buckinghamshire arable and beef farmer Richard Heady, Staffordshire arable farmer Clive Bailye and Oxfordshire farmer Ben Adams. With a General Election just around the corner, farmers will be heading to the polls on July 4 to decide which candidate and, ultimately, which party they would like to see lead the UK Government. Political parties and candidates have been making their pitches to farming communities over the past few weeks, but which party will gain the hearts and minds of rural voters? Will it be the Conservative Party led by Rishi Sunak? Sir Keir Starmer’s Labour? Sir Ed Davey’s Liberal Democrats? Nigel Farage’s Reform UK? Adrian Ramsay’s Green Party? Only you can decide. Enjoy the podcast.

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Ag in my Land is a Farmers Guardian series which looks at farming across the globe, and for the first time ever, we have turned it into a podcast. In this episode, online editor Emily Ashworth talks to Greg Hart who farming in Hawkes Bay in New Zealand at Mangarara Farm. With a huge focus on stripping the business back and focusing on regeneration of the land, he has taken the farm in a whole new direction - including a partnership with Air New Zealand which enabled him to plant thousands of native trees. From the soil to the farm's mainstay which is the livestock, Greg is taking every opportunity he can to excite others about the world of agriculture. 

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It is the third week of the General Election campaign and political parties have now published their manifestos. The Farmers Guardian news and business  team take a closer look at the parties pledges for farming and rural communities. We look at budget, bovine TB policy, planning reform, food and the environment, and what the opinion polls look like at the half way stage.

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In a #Farm24 special, online editor Emily Ashworth speaks to butcher Matt Slack, who has over 135,000 followers on Tik Tok and over 90,000 on Facebook. Matt is passionate about connecting people back to their produce and where it comes from - and to take a closer look at the farming industry, because they may just be surprised

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It is no secret that farming needs to attract fresh talent, and there are so many opportunities for people to find a career that suits them. This is the case for Jack Scott who, after attending an Open Farm Sunday at Emma Loder-Symonds farm, Nonington farms. Emma's passion is education and allowing people of all ages to experience what it's like on-farm; she wants to highlight food, nature and careers. After meeting Emma, Jack has now pursued his passion for agriculture and set up his own business on a small parcel of Nonington's land. He also won BBC Countryfile's Young Countryside Champion in November 2023 which is testament to his dedication and determination to make a life for himself in the industry.

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Gazegill farm is gently nestled into the heart of the Lancashire countryside, and for years owners Emma Robinson and Ian O'Reilly have been building their farm-to-customer business through meat box and raw milk sales. Nature is at the heart of all they do; it comes first and that approach applies to their new on-farm venture, their restaurant Eight at Gazegill. Only serving food from the farm or local specialities, Emma and Ian want food, produced in a harmonious way, to connect people back to the land.

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This week, Farmers Guardian reporter Chris Brayford discusses the value of the wool sector with British Wool chief executive Andrew Hogley. During the episode, Andrew talks about the challenges the industry faces, his passion to work with sheep farmers, the high-quality of wool as a global commodity, the importance of traceability and sustainability, the value of labelling, getting more young people into manufacturing and the future of the wool industry.

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Charlotte Ashley and her husband, Roy, have always had a dream: Jersey cows. Having been beef and sheep farmers in Cumbria for many years, their dream has finally come to fruition, having recently finished building their shed which now houses their newly-welcomed Jersey cow herd. But what was the motivation behind the decision? Dairy can be a volatile sector, so what is their route to market and what is their business plan? In the first of a two-part series, Farmers Guardian's online editor Emily Ashworth finds out more.

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It has been a busy few weeks in politics, with local elections in England and a new First Minister in Scotland. The Farmers Guardian news and business team take a look at what the political landscape looks like for rural voters as well as a look ahead to next week's Farm to Fork summit at Number 10 Downing Street. The team also discuss the first four episodes of Clarkson's Farm, and how Jeremy Clarkson's programme is demonstrating the highs and lows of farming.

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