Meet the Farmers

This mini-series has been produced in collaboration with the Forestry Commission. This time we’re talking about agroforestry - the benefits, the practicalities and the questions our guests think that you need to asking before committing to an agroforestry project.  In this second episode we talk about silvopasture and silvoarable agroforestry systems - Ben asks guest Sam Morgan and co-host James R...

This mini-series has been produced in collaboration with the Forestry Commission. This time we’re talking about agroforestry - the benefits, the practicalities and the questions our guests think that you need to asking before committing to an agroforestry project.  In this first episode we’re focussed on the ‘why’ of agroforestry - Ben asks guest Clare Hill and co-host James Ramskir-Gardiner to ma...

Today’s episode takes us from the fields to the heart of London to reflect on a truly unique and thought-provoking exhibition that has just wrapped up at Somerset House in London, marking its 25th anniversary. Titled Soil: The World at Our Feet , the exhibition brought together visionary artists to reframe how we think about the ground beneath us. Far from being “just dirt,” this exhibition invite...

Today, we're diving into one of the most critical challenges in farming today—profitability. How do you balance the demands of business, the realities of nature, and the need to manage energy and resources sustainably at a time when income sources and profitability itself is undergoing change? To help us explore this, I’m joined by two returning guests who are tackling these questions head-on—farm...

Today on the show, we’re diving into an incredible story of endurance, resilience, and getting behind the agricultural community. Joining Ben is Hugh Addison from Cumbria, who, with his sister Alex and a few friends, is gearing up for a once-in-a-lifetime endurance challenge—which they have called the Borderline Challenge . This September, they will cycle, swim, and run a staggering 550km from Sli...

We’re in Wales for this episode and Ben's guest is James Raw - a seventh-generation farmer who runs a hill farm in the heart of the Cambrian mountains. James has implemented a range of practices and projects at his farm, including the creation of two hydro systems and a farming system that focuses on soil health and biodiversity. He was awarded the prestigious Low Impact Award in the annual M&S Se...

Ben's guest today is Tom Davis who once went on the Radio 1 Breakfast Show with Greg James to talk about ducks. Tom is currently Farm Manager at Mud Chute Farm which is in the heart of London on the Isle of Dogs. He’s a trustee of the British Waterfowl Association and the poultry club of Great Britain and a former trustee of the Rare Breeds Survival Trust. And he’s also no stranger to the small sc...

We’re in Scotland today and Ben's guest is Matthew Anderson who until recently was farming with his Father and brother over three farms in the Scottish Borders over 660 Ha all grassland and hill land, half owned and half rented. He has now started a new farming business with his brother on about 330 ha of mostly rented ground. And to see what this looks like you can check out his youtube channel a...

With inheritance tax seemingly permanently in the farming and general news at the moment we’re taking a deep dive into the topic of succession on the podcast for this episode. The newly formed Succession Alliance has come together to help farming families on their succession journey and in the episode we’ll discover what this new organisation is and who’s in it, what they’re aiming to achieve and...

The NFU conference on 25th February saw 700 NFU members descend on London in a change to the usual Birmingham venue. The subject that dominated was predictably inheritance tax and feelings were high in the room when Secretary of State for Defra Steve Reed gave his speech. He announced lots of additional measures but it was inheritance tax that everyone was focussed on. In this episode we review th...

  CLICK HERE for the link to take you to the survey!   Grounded Research are asking for your help in building a picture of how the pressures of being a farmer in 2025 are felt differently for every farmer. They have over 500 responses so far to their question 'What keeps you awake at night?'  but would like to hit the 1000 mark before the survey ends in March. Participation is entirely voluntary a...

We’re heading to Wiltshire today to Charlton Park Estate which is home to the Earls of Suffolk and Berkshire. Ben is joined by Robin Aird who is the Farms and Estate Manager. The farm itself is around 1450 hectares (nearly 4000 acres), a mix of arable and grassland. On top of this the farm has about 5,500 tonnes of grain storage capacity. 78 hectares of woodland and 560 hectares of environmental f...

Chris Baylis is Head of farming for Sir Richard Sutton Limited, which manages and owns a portfolio of trading assets and businesses in the hotels, property and farming sectors. Image credit: Chris Baylis.  Meet the Farmers is produced by RuralPod Media, the only specialist rural podcast production agency.  Please note that this podcast does not constitute advice. Our podcast disclaimer can be foun...

For the Isle of Man Creamery (to sample some of their cheese) visit - The Isle of Man's leading dairy farmers - Isle of Man Creamery   Meet the Farmers is produced by RuralPod Media, the only specialist rural podcast production agency.  Please note that this podcast does not constitute advice. Our podcast disclaimer can be found here.  About Ben and  RuralPod Media Ben Eagle is the founder and Hea...

Meet the Farmers is produced by RuralPod Media, the only specialist rural podcast production agency.  Please note that this podcast does not constitute advice. Our podcast disclaimer can be found here.  About Ben and  RuralPod Media Ben Eagle is the founder and Head of Podcasts at RuralPod Media , a specialist rural podcast production agency. He is also a freelance rural affairs and agricultural j...

Meet the Farmers is produced by RuralPod Media, the only specialist rural podcast production agency.  Please note that this podcast does not constitute advice. Our podcast disclaimer can be found here.  About Ben and  RuralPod Media Ben Eagle is the founder and Head of Podcasts at RuralPod Media , a specialist rural podcast production agency. He is also a freelance rural affairs and agricultural j...

Meet the Farmers is produced by RuralPod Media, the only specialist rural podcast production agency.  Please note that this podcast does not constitute advice. Our podcast disclaimer can be found here.  About Ben and  RuralPod Media Ben Eagle is the founder and Head of Podcasts at RuralPod Media , a specialist rural podcast production agency. He is also a freelance rural affairs and agricultural j...

Play along with this year's quiz and let us know how you get on  .You can contact Ben by emailing ben@ruralpodmedia.co.uk or follow us on Instagram  or Twitter.  Thank you for all your support this year! Happy Christmas and a very happy new year for 2025! We'll be back in January.  Meet the Farmers is produced by RuralPod Media, the only specialist rural podcast production agency.  Please note tha...

Meet the Farmers is produced by RuralPod Media, the only specialist rural podcast production agency.  Please note that this podcast does not constitute advice. Our podcast disclaimer can be found here.  About Ben and  RuralPod Media Ben Eagle is the founder and Head of Podcasts at RuralPod Media , a specialist rural podcast production agency. He is also a freelance rural affairs and agricultural j...

Image credit: Michael Balls Meet the Farmers is produced by RuralPod Media, the only specialist rural podcast production agency.  Please note that this podcast does not constitute advice. Our podcast disclaimer can be found here.  About Ben and  RuralPod Media Ben Eagle is the founder and Head of Podcasts at RuralPod Media , a specialist rural podcast production agency. He is also a freelance rura...

Image credit: George Sturla Meet the Farmers is produced by RuralPod Media, the only specialist rural podcast production agency.  Please note that this podcast does not constitute advice. Our podcast disclaimer can be found here.  About Ben and  RuralPod Media Ben Eagle is the founder and Head of Podcasts at RuralPod Media , a specialist rural podcast production agency. He is also a freelance rura...

Land Alive took place at the Bath and West Showground on 22nd-23rd November 2024. It was organised by Sustainable Food Somerset in association with the Royal Bath and West Society.  This episode was sponsored by Cornish Mutual , farming insurance experts for the south west.    Meet the Farmers is produced by RuralPod Media, the only specialist rural podcast production agency.  Please note that thi...

Huge thanks to all the farmers who took part in producing this episode.  Meet the Farmers is produced by RuralPod Media, the only specialist rural podcast production agency.  Please note that this podcast does not constitute advice. Our podcast disclaimer can be found here.  About Ben and  RuralPod Media Ben Eagle is the founder and Head of Podcasts at RuralPod Media , a specialist rural podcast p...

This podcast was presented and produced by Ben Eagle for RuralPod Media. To find out more about our work visit ruralpodmedia.co.uk or find our podcasts on Spotify or Apple Podcasts.  Special thanks to everybody who contributed to this series including Gabriel Kaye, Bernard Jarman, Berni Courts, Alison and John Chapman,Emma Hams, Gala Bailey Barker, Louisa Ellerker, Peter Darwell and Cattherine Pow...

This podcast was presented and produced by Ben Eagle for RuralPod Media. To find out more about our work  Special thanks for this episode to everybody who contributed including Gabriel Kaye, Bernard Jarman, Berni Courts, Catherine Powell and Alison and John Chapman. Thanks also to Hawkwood College and the Biodynamic Association.  Meet the Farmers is produced by RuralPod Media, the only specialist...