Agonomics

Farmer Tom (AKA Tom Martin) joins The AG Show's Tom Spencer before taking the stage at AHDB’s Big Scottish Crops Conference. They’re chatting all things soil health, mental health and the AI tools Tom’s using to level up his farm game. Meanwhile, Charlotte Forkes-Rees and Hannah Clarke dive into red meat and dairy, asking the big question: what wins with shoppers - value or convenience? Plus, we’v...

Kaleb Cooper’s been checking out how farming works Down Under, and it’s got Charlotte, Hannah, and Tom thinking – could a gap year be a game-changer? They catch up with Charlie Beaty, who swapped UK fields for New Zealand pastures, and Kiwi farmer Ethan Loveridge, who’s done the reverse. Plus, dairy farmer Sophie Gregory joins in – she’s keen for her eldest to see the world before settling down on...

Join Charlotte Forkes-Rees, Hannah Clarke and Tom Spencer as they take a deep dive into a recent AHDB report that found British consumer trust in farmers has reached a record high. The trio also catch up with Lancashire farmer Eden Hill, who understands the importance of that trust and combined with the power of social media is successfully selling her meat boxes. And our F.I.E.L.D. agents begin t...

Introducing The AG Show - agri chat that matters with farming news, views and voices you will want to hear. Join presenters Charlotte Forkes-Rees, Hannah Clarke and Tom Spencer for your weekly farming fix, keeping you up to date with the latest trends and challenges, whether you're tuning in from the tractor, your pickup or grabbing a quick 30-minute break. Charlotte, Hannah and Tom are very keen...

The Farmbench team join Tom and Hannah to help call time on the podcast as they explain how they give farmers the ability to compare themselves to similar businesses. A new genetic tool called EnviroBeef that aims to reduce the carbon footprint of suckler beef is also discussed along with a report looking at the economic impact of the English red meat sector and the latest harvest updates. Plus, f...

The Agonomics team welcome their boss David Swales to discuss beef price elasticity and what it means for consumers and processors. They also catch up with their even bigger former boss, departing CEO Graham Wilkinson, to chat about his time at AHDB. Plus, what do milk price indicators AMPE, MCVE and MMV mean? And find out who had a memorable (for all the wrong reasons) experience after landing in...

Despite being able to negotiate free trade agreements, the EU remains the UK's most important trading partner. AHDB's Amandeep Kaur Purewal joins the Agonomics team to discuss what it means for exports of red meat and dairy. The spotlight also falls on abattoirs and cold storage facilities to understand how the structure of the beef and lamb processing sector in England has changed over time. Plus...

Pork is the focus in this episode as the Agonomics team are joined by AHDB colleagues Freya Shuttleworth and Vanessa Adamson to discuss the outlook for the market alongside current demand. They also look at public trust in farmers and what it means for buying British. Plus, find out who has never set foot in in a Greggs bakery. Some useful links: Pork market outlook | AHDB Q2 2025 Pork cost of pro...

In an (almost) all-female episode, AHDB Senior Analyst Becky Smith and Retail and Consumer Insight Manager Emma Wantling are in to take us through the current outlook for the beef market, along with demand, predictions and how things are going in retail and food service. CEO news, dodgy puns and teasers for future guests are also on the cards. Useful stuff: Beef market outlook | AHDB New modelling...

AHDB Analyst Grace Bolton joins the Agonomics team to talk through the headlines from the Lamb market outlook's mid-year update, with new season lambs coming through later, lighter and in slightly fewer numbers. Charlotte highlights yoghurt's positive performance in the home while Hannah and Tom help explain the importance of the milk-to-feed-price ratio for dairy farmers. Plus, find out which mem...

New AHDB Chair, Emily Norton, joins the Agonomics team to discuss her appointment as well as her aspirations for the organisation and farming in general. Emily says she's not here to fight for a "single version of any particular future" of agriculture and intends to make sure AHDB continues to serve all levy payers. Plus, find out how the recruitment process is going in the search for a new CEO. U...

UK tractor registrations have fallen significantly to their lowest level in over two decades and the Agonomics team discuss what may have caused this sharp drop. They also look at AHDB's first report of the earliest harvest for at least 19 years and this week's big question is around the importance of carcase balance. Plus, could we be expecting a lot of new jumpers to be knitted, as a sheep-shear...

The Agonomics team take a look back at Groundswell, the regenerative agriculture festival, where Charlotte was part of one of the discussion panels. From AI in farming to wireworms, Charlotte's report from the two-day event brings you a flavour of what took place at Lannock Farm in Hitchin. Tom also looks at the difference between land sparing and land sharing. Plus, have you ever met a member of...

As early harvesting begins, the Agonomics team are joined by AHDB's Lead Analyst for C&O, Millie Askew, to look at the latest crop conditions across the UK. Charlotte and Tom report back from the National Craft Butchers event in Nottingham as well as explaining what diseconomies of scale refer to. Plus, find out which presenter is rather proud of where they grew up. Important stuff to read: Mi...

Tom's joined by AHDB Senior Analyst Becky Smith to discuss the trends of cattle slaughter ages in GB, with dairy-beef generally finishing later than suckler-bred animals. Charlotte runs through her review of Easter looking, in part, at how beef and lamb fared. And Hannah's question about how many Olympic-sized swimming pools of milk we produced last year is answered. Let's just say it's quite a fe...

When it comes to dairy products, just how well are the organic and protein-rich markets faring? Hannah, Charlotte and Tom find out as they're joined by AHDB analyst Annabel Twinberrow. Following the recent spending review the team recap what we know so far before looking at the importance of seasonal demand for our farmers. Plus, find out what's been in producer Martin's lunchbox recently... Impor...

The results from this year's Planting and Variety Survey are revealed as Charlotte, Hannah and Tom are joined by AHDB Senior Analyst Helen Plant to discuss them in more detail. We also hear what happened when 28 buyers from across the globe took part in our biggest ever inward mission for the red meat sector. And as 10 top tips for managing cabbage stem flea beetle are announced, find out whi...

Charlotte, Hannah and Tom take over the reins as David looks at the economics of agriculture for one last time. Among the topics discussed are flexitarian diets, Donald Trump's tariffs and why AHDB reports on pricing. Plus, who makes the lousiest cup of coffee? More on the important stuff: Video – What does future red meat consumption look like? | AHDB Impact of UK-US deal on UK agriculture | AHDB...

AHDB chair Nicholas Saphir joins David to talk about his life in farming as he comes to the end of his five years in the role. Nicholas offers insight into British agriculture, how it compares to the rest of the world, and the challenges that lie ahead. Plus, find out how David's getting on growing his own vegetables. More on the chair of AHDB: Nicholas Saphir to stand down as AHDB chair in spring...

There’s been a lot of talk about trade deals of late with new agreements in place with the US, India and most recently the EU. David's joined by his AHDB colleagues Sarah Baker and Amandeep Purewal to discuss the impact these arrangements could have on our farmers and levy payers. Plus, welcome to the world baby Evie. More on global trade: UK–EU trade summit presents opportunity for agri-food expo...

The Land Use Framework presents an approach to inform and improve decision-making on how land is best used and managed to achieve Defra’s land use vision. In this episode David's joined by Lead Environment Specialist, Saskia van Dongen, to go through the five points AHDB raised for consideration during a recent consultation period. Plus, is buying a horse excessive? More on the framework: AHDB sub...

David delves into the world of natural capital to understand the potential ways farmers could get a financial return on their stock of natural resources such as trees, water, biodiversity, and soils. AHDB analyst Hannah Clarke is also on hand to run through the latest trends in some of the markets. Plus, find out who is a fan of The Cure. More on natural capital: Natural capital checklist for farm...

When exploring the impact of Brexit on the UK pork industry, it's important to understand that there have been multiple compounding factors at play. AHDB analysts Charlotte Forkes-Rees, Hannah Clarke, and Tom Spencer take the reins in order to go through the finer details. Plus, what were you doing five years ago? The Agonomics team reveal how the Covid lockdown affected them. More on the pork ind...

David's joined by AHDB's Head of Economic Analysis, Sarah Baker, to help farmers understand the impact recent tariffs US President Donald Trump introduced could have on UK and global agricultural markets. The pair strip it down to the basics of supply and demand to help make sense of the current uncertainty. Plus, did you spot a mystery Easter bunny running about Ipswich over the bank holiday? Dav...

It’s all about food trends as David's joined by analyst Hannah McLoughlin to look at how meat and dairy outperformed alternatives at the start of the year as well as discovering why healthy and convenient meals are on the rise. Apparently, sandwiches reign supreme at lunch although we do like to eat Italian food, pies and pasties whatever the hour. Plus, find out who gatecrashes this week's record...