Rock & Roll Farming

Welcome to "We Need to Talk About Farming" – a new spin-off series from myself Will Evans and the Food, Farming and Countryside Commission. There's a lot of noise in farming right now. For many, the future feels uncertain. This series is about having better conversations about the biggest issues facing agriculture. In each episode, we'll take on a topic that's making headlines and dividing WhatsAp...

We head to Cumbria for episode four of Goodyear Farm Tires' Talking Crop podcast to meet the British Farming Family of the Year of 2024. The Ladds Family, headed up by Andrew and Cath and supported by sons Chris, Richard and Thomas, claimed the coveted award after a hugely successful 12 months at Benson Hall Farm in Scalthwaiterigg Operating a mixed farm including more than 200 Holstein cows, R &...

Episode three of Goodyear Farm Tires' Talking Crop podcast takes us to Crewe to meet the Hughes family. Clayhanger Hall Farm has been in the family for more than a century, with current owners Dennis and Rachel Hughes taking the helm in 2002. Some 16 years later, their two children - Andrew and Emma - returned to the farm with their families to further strengthen the team. Their dairy operations s...

Welcome to "We Need to Talk About Farming" – a new spin-off series from myself Will Evans and the Food, Farming and Countryside Commission. There's a lot of noise in farming right now. For many, the future feels uncertain. This series is about having better conversations about the biggest issues facing agriculture. In each episode, we'll take on a topic that's making headlines and dividing WhatsAp...

Becci Berry was joined by her daughters Jaz and Martha as she sat down with Talking Crop host Will Evans to discuss swapping horseracing, PR and hospitality for a life on a 365ha mixed farm. Becci is a familiar figure in the British farming industry and a trustee on the board of The Institute For Agriculture and Horticulture. The Talking Crop podcast is produced by Goodyear Farm Tires. View our ra...

Welcome to "We Need to Talk About Farming" – a new spin-off series from myself Will Evans and the Food, Farming and Countryside Commission. There's a lot of noise in farming right now. For many, the future feels uncertain. This series is about having better conversations about the biggest issues facing agriculture. In each episode, we'll take on a topic that's making headlines and dividing social...

Joe Hamer is a man on a misson.  Listen as we talk about his family's deep farming roots in Shropshire, the tragic early death of his Father and the long-lasting impact that had on him and his family, his route into farming, our mutual battles with ADHD, and the highly successful diversified public-facing business he and his wife run now.  All this, and much more.    willpenrievans@gmail.com  

Thrilled to bring you these bonus episodes for the podcast, recorded earlier this year.  In the debut episode of Goodyear Farm Tires' Talking Crop podcast, we meet husband-and-wife team Chad and Lucy Stevens who stepped back from jobs as a police officer and a beauty salon owner to become fifth generation farmers at a Yorkshire cow and sheep business. The couple tell the story of their dramatic ca...

Welcome to "We Need to Talk About Farming" – a new spin-off series from myself Will Evans and the Food, Farming and Countryside Commission. There's a lot of noise in farming right now. For many, the future feels uncertain. This series is about having better conversations about the biggest issues facing agriculture. In each episode, we'll take on a topic that's making headlines and dividing social...

Helen Chesshire is passionate about trees and how they can have a beneficial impact in farming systems.  Listen as we talk about how The Woodland Trust has changed over the years, the ways they can help farmers get more trees on their farms, and why everyone with an interest in farming and the environment should attend this year's Agroforestry Show (more information below).   willpenrievans@gmail....

Welcome to "We Need to Talk About Farming" – a new spin-off series from myself Will Evans and the Food, Farming and Countryside Commission. There's a lot of noise in farming right now. For many, the future feels uncertain. This series is about having better conversations about the biggest issues facing agriculture. In each episode, we'll take on a topic that's making headlines and dividing social...

Tom Pearson is a man who makes a difference. Listen as we talk about his family farm in Cambridgeshire, his experiences working as a medical doctor in many different countries, and his Nuffield scholorship that explores the unique roles that farmers and growers can play in delivering nutrition-based health interventions.   All this, and much, much more!     willpenrievans@gmail.com

Polly Davies never thought she'd be a farmer.  Listen as we hear about her journey back to the family farm from working in construction in London, her extremely diverse organic farming business, the challenges of direct selling produce, women in farming and wider industry, and much, much more.      www.sladefarmorganics.com   willpenrievans@gmail.com

Welcome to "We Need to Talk About Farming" – a new spin-off series from myself Will Evans and the Food, Farming and Countryside Commission. There's a lot of noise in farming right now. For many, the future feels uncertain. This series is about having better conversations about the biggest issues facing agriculture. In each episode, we'll take on a topic that's making headlines and dividing social...

By his own admittance, Tom Edmondson has been on quite the journey.  Listen as we talk about how changing to regenerative farming has transformed his business, his soils, the biodiversity on his farm, and his mental health. All this, and much more.  *Warning: Also includes sourdough bread chat  https://cranleybarnfarms.co.uk   willpenrievans@gmail.com  

Adam Bedford's reputuation as the nicest bloke in agriculture is well deserved.    Listen as we talk about how he got into farming via an Uncle and a milk round, writing for Farmer's Weekly, his time working at the National Farmer's Union, including a stint in Brussels, his present role as Collaborative Projects Director at Fera Science (and what that means!), going viral with Jean Next Door™️, an...

Dan Smith's one of my favourite people in farming.  Listen as we talk about his early life moving all around the country with his farm manager father, we compare notes on how formal education wasn't for us, his time working on a chrity farm with children and young people from diverse and disadvantaged backgrounds, the importance of putting yourself out of your comfort zone, our mutual dislike of '...

Nikki Yoxall challenges conventional thinking.  Listen as we talk about how her and her husband James became first generation farmers, her strong environmental values, the pros and cons of farming social media, how they've grown their Grampian Graziers business by collaborating with landowners, the value of peer to peer learning and networks, Pasture for Life, and how the agricultural industry can...

Andy Venables is one of the good guys.  Listen as we talk dairy farming, starting an award-winning digital marketing agency, dealing with testicular cancer, and much, much more.    www.hillsgreen.co.uk   Get in touch: willpenrievans@gmail.com  

If ever there was a superhero origin story, it's right here.  Ben Taylor Davies talks about the terrible accident his young son had, and how it turned his life, mindset, and farm around completely. We cried, we laughed - it's all here - just listen.    willpenrievans@gmail.com  

I interviewed my PT!  Listen as Rhys CattleStrength talks about his family farm in Ceredigion, his semi-pro rugby career, coming up with the idea for his on-farm gym Cattle Strength, how it's grown from initally training a few people to the monster that it is now, things we can all do to help our physical and mental fitness, his son Harri's downs syndrom diagnosis, and much, much more!    www.catt...

Sophie Gregory is busy!  Listen as we talk about dairy farming in Dorset, meeting her husband at Glastonbury Festival, being first generation farmers and their journey so far, farming with the environment, the importance of good team management, engaging with the wider community, Open Farm Sunday 2025, and much, much more!    willpenrievans@gmail.com  

I've never met anyone who loves sheep more than Bryony Gittins.  Listen as we talk about all things sheep, her route into farming via working in London and then as an outdoor pursuits instructor, the difficulties of farm succession, good mental health strategies, her fantastic farm diversifications, wider farming industry roles, and much, much more.    Get in touch: willpenrievans@gmail.com

What does it take to be the editor of the nation's biggest and best farming publication?  Andrew Meredith talks how he got from a farming background in rural mid-Wales to being the big dog at Farmer's Weekly. We talk about getting into journalism, how the magazine is put together, how print journalism is changing, the impact of social media, tackling difficult issues, dealing with criticism, his l...

Ben Martin talks farming in the East of England, his varied career in the arable sector, the positives of an early mid-life crisis (!), getting into farming recruitment, the exciting opportunities that there are in farming, surrounding yourself with the right people, and what he does to look after his mental and physical heath. All this and much more.    willpenrievans@gmail.com