Farm Gate

In this episode of Farm Gate Leaders, ffinlo Costain speaks to Lieutenant General Richard Nugee. Nugee is a retired British Army officer who served in senior roles, including Chief of Defence People. He's also a Soil Star - a member of a group of scientists and experts, each a pioneer in their respective field, who share a commitment to soil as a lever to deliver action on climate change.

ffinlo Costain (8point9.com) and Martin Lines (Nature Friendly Farming Network) discuss what's happening on Papley Grove farm in the coming month of April. They also turn their attention to English farm policy - and then to the Welsh and Scottish Government elections, coming this May. ffinlo and Martin are joined by Rhys Evans (NFFN Cymru) and Nim Kibbler (NFFN Scotland).

New pests and diseases are threatening UK livestock, crops and forests. They're coming to the UK in the wind, with birds, on people and in imported soils. Why are these pests and diseases migrating? Can we prevent them from coming? And what do we need to do to mitigate the risks? ffinlo Costain is joined by Catherine Harries, Senior Crop Protection Scientist at AHDB - by Kate Palmer, the Techn...

Cattle in regenerative farm systems deliver remarkable ecological value at the same time as producing food and fibre. In this programme, we focus on methane and hydroxyl radicals - the highly reactive molecules that wash methane out of the sky, dismantling it back into its constituent parts of carbon and hydrogen. We talk about where hydroxyl radicals come from, and why, in well-hydrated regenerat...

The government has published England’s first ever Land Use Framework. What does it all mean? ffinlo Costain (8point9.com) is joined by Sue Pritchard (Food, Farming and Countryside Commission) and by Phil Stocker (Chief Executive of the National Sheep Association and Chair of the Dartmoor Land Use Management Group).

Which of our farms will exist in 20 years? Can they survive a breakdown in global supply chains? Do we need to change our stocking rates, our breeds, cropping and soil health? These are not academic questions - they're real, immediate and practical - and to discuss them ffinlo Costain is joined by a fantastic panel of southwest farmers and rural professionals. Helen Rogers is a farmer, a vet a...

'Well, I'm not going to read that to the kids at bedtime' - ffinlo Costain (Farm Gate/8point9) and Joe Stanley (GWCT Allerton Project) discuss rock 'n' roll science, the profound effects of pesticides on soil, the new Sustainable Farming Incentive for England, the intelligence chiefs' biodiversity assessment - and Joe asks, 'Is ffinlo a spy...?' More food, farming a...

Farm Gate Leaders: Nikki Yoxall, Regenerative farmer Nikki Yoxall, a regen farmer based in the north-east of Scotland, embodies the UK regen farming movement - young, passionate, outspoken, media-savvy, first generation into farming, focussed on the ecological impact of her system just as strongly as she is on her cattle management and the food that she's producing. In this programme, ffinlo C...

A new report, the RegenCompass Version 1.0, developed by EARA (Euro Alliance for Regen Agriculture), offers the first comprehensive, farmer-led evaluation of the systems designed to identify and distinguish genuine regeneration while remaining accessible and valuable to the farmers doing the work. The report evaluated 29 monitoring, reporting and verification (MRV) systems. ffinlo Costain joined b...

At its heart, regenerative agriculture is an opportunity to reset a farm's relationship with both nature and economics. Most farmers who take the time to re-think their system, to reduce their use of expensive inputs, to mix livestock and crop production into long rotations, and to maximise the efficacy of free natural resources (such as sunlight and water), find that they are more economicall...

Antibiotics are critical medicines for humans and livestock - but profligate use has led to rapidly increasing resistance, which is a threat for animal and human health. How then do we replace, reduce and refine the use of antibiotics in farm settings? And what are the opportunities for livestock producers? ffinlo Costain is joined two southwest dairy farmers - Sophie Alexander from Hemsworth Farm...

Brazil has lifted 40 million people out of food insecurity in just two years. This historic achievement was driven by political choices that put family farmers and food access first. ffinlo Costain is joined by Elisabetta Recine, the President of the Brazilian National Food and Nutrition Security Council - and by Raj Patel, a professor of food systems from the University of Texas.

Integrated pest management is about establishing a farm as a connected ecosystem. To investigate the subject ffinlo Costain is joined by horticulturalist, Andy Dibben , the head grower at Abbey Home Farm near Cirencester - by Patrick Barker an arable farmer from Lodge Farm near Westhorpe in Suffolk - and by Angus Walton , a livestock producer from Peelham Farm in the Scottish Borders.

Martin's Farm: February. ffinlo Costain finds out about integrated pest management and a hedge-laying competition run by Martin Lines at Papley Grove. Martin and ffinlo are also joined by Peter Craven, head of agriculture at Natural England, who’s talks through Natural England's new strategy and what it means for farmers and food production. ffinlo Costain is the editor of 8point9.com and producer...

Dr. Jonathan G Lundgren is an agroecologist, the founder and director of the Ecdysis Foundation, and Chief Executive of Blue Dasher Farm. He's the author of 107 peer-reviewed journal articles, he received the Presidential Early Career Award for Science and Engineering at the White House, and served as an advisor for regulatory agencies on pesticide and GM crop risk assessments. On GM, Lundgren say...

In this month's Wheat from the Chaff, ffinlo Costain (8point9.com) and Joe Stanley (GWCT Allerton Project) discuss: Venezuela, Greenland and world security Minette Batters' Farm Profitability Review Sustainable Farming Incentive back in June Inheritance tax climb down RFK's call to 'Eat real food' Farmers back nature-friendly farming Farm Gate is the world's highest ranking food security podcast,...

Stuart Rogers has found the sweet spot - by focussing on herd health and the overall health of his system, Rogers' dairy herd at Longmoor Farm in Dorset is both high yielding and regenerative. Listen now to find out how he does it. This is the latest in our Farm Gate Leaders series in which ffinlo Costain meets remarkable regen food and farming innovators. Farm Gate is part of 8point9.com, the...

ffinlo Costain (8point9.com) talks to Martin Lines (Nature Friendly Farming Network) to find out what's happening this January at Papley Grove farm. The pair also meet Alice Groom (RSPB) and Vicki Hird (The Wildlife Trusts) to review what's happened in food, farming and nature policy in 2025 - and to peer into the crystal ball for 2026.

ffinlo Costain (8point9.com) and Joe Stanley (GWCT Allerton Project) meet for Farm Gate’s monthly news discussion programme. This time: Christmas round-up Succession planning, IHT and SFI COP30 and food systems Backsliding on environmental policy Soil carbon Finding lights in a dark age

What's it like living next door to Britain's most notorious rewilder? The new movie, Derek vs Derek investigates. In this programme ffinlo Costain meets the two Dereks - rewilder, Derek Gow, and dairy farmer, Derek Banbury - alongside the film's director James Dawson. #derekvsderek

What’s happening this December on Papley Grove Farm, St Neots? ffinlo Costain talks to Martin Lines from the Nature Friendly Farming Network – and meets Michael Meharg, who farms near Dundrod in Northern Ireland. Michael is a past chair of the NFFN in Northern Ireland. The trio discuss farming's contribution to Christmas, Irish Moiled cattle, the ecological crisis in Lough Neagh (the largest f...

The farm vet is critical for farmers navigating the transition to food and ecological security. In this programme we find out what that means in practice. How is the veterinary profession changing? Can a business model built on meds and emergency care pivot to preventative health and farm system advice? ffinlo Costain is joined by The Regenerative Vet, Claire Whittle - by Lee-Anne Oliver from Rumi...

ffinlo Costain talks to author Chris Smaje, whose new book, Findings Lights in a Dark Age, is the perfect Christmas gift for anyone with a vested interest in the future of humanity. Now is the time, says Smaje, for local communities - not multinational corporations or centralised government - to reorganise economy, land, energy and food production, so that the light at the end of the tunnel is lit...

We focus on natural capital opportunities for farmers in Scotland. How can farmers and other land owners get support and earn an income by improving nature and selling natural capital outcomes. ffinlo Costain is joined by Bruce Wilson, Head of Policy and Advocacy at Scottish Wildlife Trust - by David Robertson, Director of Investment and Business Development at Scottish Woodlands Limited - and by...

Professor Sir Dieter Helm's recent paper - The future of British farming - has received applause and consternation on social media. For Helm, British farming stands on the brink of its most profound transformation "since the coming of tractors and fertilisers" - but the vision he sets out is disturbing. The paper describes the technical and financial forces shaping modern agriculture...