Meet the Farmers

In this series one finale of The Big Debate, Ally and Sophie join producer Ben to reflect on a year of conversations about farming, from profitability and challenging weather to young farmers, technology, and the future of the industry. They share how podcasting broadened their perspectives and helped them find resilience and optimism through a challenging year. Hosted as always by farmers Sophie...

In episode 23 of The Big Debate Ally Hunter Blair and Sophie Gregory discuss a busy week in UK agriculture, from the rapid closure of the Sustainable Farming Incentive application window and the pressures it created for farmers and agents to drought-related potato losses and new investment in Scotland’s beef sector. They share updates from their own farms, consider how funding and food production...

The rain has returned, but after two incredibly challenging summers, can farming afford to simply move on? In our latest episode of The Big Debate, Ally and Sophie discuss what the drought could mean for the decisions they make on their own farms - from forage and future cropping choices to water security, land availability and reducing their reliance on the weather.  And there's plenty more in th...

Big Debate hosts Ally Hunter Blair and Sophie Gregory are joined by Virgin Money's UK Head of Agriculture Brian Richardson and Head of Agriculture in Scotland Stephen Buchan to take a broad look at UK agriculture over the past few months.  🎧 Subscribe to Meet the Farmers wherever you get your podcasts, and follow us on social media @MTF_podcast Meet the Farmers: The Big Debate is produced by...

If someone handed you £1 million to invest in your farm, what would you spend it on? That's the question Ally Hunter Blair and Sophie Gregory tackle in this week's Big Debate. From buying land and securing the future of the business to investing in water storage and diversification, they explore whether £1 million is really enough to transform a modern farm – and whether they're investing for them...

Join Ally Hunter Blair and Sophie Gregory for the first-ever in-person episode of The Big Debate. They discuss the UK's worsening drought, the spread of bluetongue, harvest pressures, life on their own farms, and the challenge of juggling farming with family life during the school holidays. They also explore how British farms are adapting through diversification and changing farming practices as t...

Ben shares some news in this short episode.  🎧 Subscribe to Meet the Farmers wherever you get your podcasts, and follow us on social media @mtf_podcast for more content. 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 at https://www.ruralpodmedia.co.uk...

Summer wildfires are happening all over the UK, France, Spain, Europe and the rest of the world. Can anything be done to prevent or manage them? In this emergency podcast episode Ben is joined by Alex Crawley (Director, Grazing Management Ltd), Michael Priestley (Policy Manager, National Sheep Association), Craig Hope (National Resilience Wildfire Capability Advisor for the National Fire Chiefs Co...

In this episode of Meet the Farmers: The Big Debate Ally and Sophie are joined by Ben Briggs to discuss politics, the new Burnham government, the Farming Roadmap and the response to the Farm Profitability Review. Ally also gives his thoughts on his harvest experience so far and they discuss the weather and Farm Safety Week 2026. Hosted as always by farmers Sophie Gregory and Ally Hunter Blair. Lin...

In this episode Ben speaks to Derek Banbury and Derek Gow - two Devon farmers who star in a new documentary film called Derek v Derek, made by James Dawson. Each Derek takes a different approach to managing their land - Derek Banbury is a dairy farmer and Derek Gow a rewilding and species reintroduction advocate. However as we see in this interview there is more that brings them together than may...

In this episode, host farmers Sophie Gregory and Ally Hunter Blair put some listener questions about farm diversification and viticulture, to Annabelle Rout, a lawyer from Birketts LLP. Annabelle is also Birkett's Head of Viticulture.  🎧 Subscribe to Meet the Farmers wherever you get your podcasts, and follow us on social media @MTF_podcast  Meet the Farmers: The Big Debate is produced by RuralPo...

Ben is joined by Sophie Gregory and Tom Gregory, Dorset farmers alongside Alex Pearson from DLF Seeds to discuss cover crops and the trials that Tom and Sophie are undertaking on their farm.  This episode was sponsored by DLF Seeds. #AD  🎧 If you enjoyed this episode and want us to make more, please subscribe to the show and follow us on socials @MTF_podcast.  Meet the Farmers is produced by Rura...

In this LIVE version of The Big Debate Sophie and Ally are joined by Suffolk based organic farmer John Pawsey to discuss the future of organic farming. How does John see the future of his farm?  Hosted as always by farmers Sophie Gregory and Ally Hunter Blair.  With thanks to the Sustainable Food Trust for hosting the podcast tent at Groundswell where this was filmed. It was made possible by Groun...

In this special Live at Groundswell special episode Ben Eagle speaks with Tom McVeigh, a 13th generation farm who farms at Kenton Hall in Suffolk. Tom describes his journey coming back to the family farm, and also his ambitions to grow hazelnuts. With thanks to the Sustainable Food Trust, Groundswell and the Rothschild Foundation for enabling the Podcast tent at Groundswell.  🎧 If you enjoyed thi...

Lots to cover in this week's Big Debate episode from record breaking heat to political upheaval, the publication of the Farming Roadmap and government response to Minette Batters' Farm Profitability Review, farm safety and an interview with Nicola Appleton, Deputy Director for Agriculture and Land at the Environment Agency covering the relationship between the Environment Agency and farmers. Hoste...

Baroness Minette Batters DL is arguably one of the most influential voices in British agriculture in a generation. In 6 years as President of the NFU she worked with four Prime Ministers and six Secretaries of State at Defra. She faced Brexit, Covid, the War in Ukraine and many other challenges. But what was it really like to lead the NFU, especially as the first woman to be President? What does l...

Farming has never been more complex. More decisions, more data and less time. Ally Hunter Blair headed to Cereals 2026 to ask farmers a simple question: what does smarter farming actually mean for you?  This episode explores the vision, the reality and the opportunity. How can tech and data help farmers hit their goals, reduce the load and free up time for what matters most?  With thanks to featur...

In the latest Big Debate episode with Ally Hunter Blair and Sophie Gregory, they discuss tech, farm safety, regen ag, World Milk Day and NEETS (young people not in employment, education or training) and how agriculture can help – that’s in the light of the publication of the interim report from Alan Milburn about young people and work. Could farming be part of the answer? Also featuring special gu...

Today Ben is in the Nottinghamshire, Lincolnshire, Leicestershire borderlands meeting Tom Hawthorne who is farm manager for Flawborough Farms, farming 3200 hectares of cereals, forage maize and whole crop silage both for the home farm and contracting for 13 other landowners. The Hawthorne family have been farming at Flawborough since 1956 when Tom’s grandfather Charles inherited the farm from his...

Today on Meet the Farmers host Ben Eagle is joined by Michael Sly who heads up the Park Farm team which farms 2000 hectares in north Cambridgeshire and south Lincolnshire. They grow wheat, peas, sugar and mustard. Michael was awarded an MBE in 2022. Michael has served as the chairman of English Mustard Growers and the NFU Sugar board. Michael has also welcomed tens of thousands of people through t...

This week Ally and Sophie cover several different stories from fuel prices to trade deals, drought in the US, golden eagles to chicken campaigns and agricultural shows to Tractor Ted.  Hosted as always by dairy farmer Sophie Gregory and arable farmer Ally Hunter Blair.  Link to newsletter sign up - Sign-up to our newsletter – RuralPod Media 🎧 Please subscribe to the show and follow us on social m...

Today we’re in Nottinghamshire and Ben is meeting 5th generation farmer Joe Howard – his family have been farming their current farm since 1888. The Howards operation is diverse and consists of growing carrots, parsnips and cereals on a mix of owned, rented and contracted land alongside finishing 1,600 dairy-bred Aberdeen Angus and Hereford-cross cattle. The family also runs a hill farm near Amble...

Big Debate hosts Ally Hunter Blair and Sophie Gregory are joined by Virgin Money's UK Head of Agriculture Brian Richardson and Head of Agriculture in Scotland Stephen Buchan to take a broad look at UK agriculture over the past few months.  🎧 Subscribe to Meet the Farmers wherever you get your podcasts, and follow us on social media @MTF_podcast Meet the Farmers: The Big Debate is produced by Rura...

Today we’re in New Zealand meeting self styled Canterbury Cowboy George Dodson who in 2024 was crowned FMG Young Farmer of the Year, which for anyone who doesn’t know, is an extremely prestigious competition. He’s the Founder of the Canterbury Young Dairy Farmers Leaders Network and to give you an idea of his passion and drive for the dairy sector he was already managing a farm by the age of 20.  ...

This week Ally and Sophie are asking whether farming in Wales has a bright future? They are joined by two Welsh farmers Abi Reader and James Powell. Also on the agenda is a discussion on wool prices, a stolen egg stand, the farmer choir on Britain's Got Talent and of course news from Ally's and Sophie's farms.  Hosted as always by dairy farmer Sophie Gregory and arable farmer Ally Hunter Blair.  L...