R2Kast - People in Food and Farming/All In

From the lowest point at 19 to owning almost 400 cows at 28. Today’s guest, Ifan Roberts came from a farming family, his grandparents and parents operated small dairy farms in wales and he always knew it was for him but just in a much larger scale! After two years of college and around this time his parents divorce which he explains as the lowest point in his life he came out of college hungry. He...

Wanna go a cycle?…for 13 months?!A couple of months ago, as a lot of you will know I went to Ukraine with Pick Ups for Peace and spent about 15 hours in a car with a man called Bill! We got on like a house on fire and really got to know each other! We spoke about the podcast and he said his sister would be a good guest…trust me! He was right! Kate Rawles comes on to share her story today which sta...

Myanmar you listening? Today’s guest, Hattie McFadzean studied a few modules at uni that guided her into a slightly different path! Having come from a family where both parents were from farming but not farming in Hattie or her brothers lifetime Hattie found a new interest in farming but with focus on sustainability and the climate. In what can only be described as some pretty impressive procrasti...

The greatest word ever developed! That’s a pretty strong title I get but I completely mean it! People with autism, ADHD and Dyslexia amongst others in the past would have been called disabled and now the term neurodiversity has been coined I think it can only ever be a positive change for that demographic! Todays guest, Liz Haines is not only in my Nuffield cohort but also runs a farm, holds a pos...

Not all those who wander are lost, even those in Wheat, OSR and…Oak trees? One of my favourite things about the podcast is when you get the chance to open up about the career. You normally have heard about most of it but there’s always more to learn! Oak was one of my closest friends for 3 years back in my first three years of my undergraduate! Many a beer was drank, late night studying and much m...

What would you rather, Gillian Anderson filmed you before you even knew, you gave Daniel Radcliffe abdominal thrusts…or both and you get paid for both experiences?!That’s today’s guests story! Chris Jenks was the year above me at school and was always the one that was good at whatever he turned his hands to, school, fitness and in particular drama! That year was known for its thespian ways and chr...

What’s your favourite mineral? A question I didn’t expect to be answering on today’s episode! Our guest today is Dr Annie Williams! Normally I bring people on the podcast who have dabbled in a few things, now Annie has but it’s clear to see that she has one passion and she completely embodies ‘mineral nerd’. A job in the topic, followed by a PhD in the field and now carrying out her Nuffield schol...

10 years for £1?Todays guest is one who’s’ story I’ve always been aware of but not him directly! 7 years ago you may of heard of the Great Orme tenancy being made public for the ripe old sum of £1/year! Thousands of applications, one successful family and a bloody good story into the bargain! Dans life seems to be shepherding with nature at heart! The passion is clear and his interest in not only...

Soap, moisturiser and…milk??After pursuing a career in academia to achieve her PhD in biochemistry today’s guest took a change of course! Natalie Hepburn and her partner decided to adopt and Natalie took a step back from full time work! Atkinson this point she realised she could diversify on their small farm and utilise what they had! Most farm diversifications look at utilising people by bring th...

Getting grubby or get in the scrubs? Todays guest openly says his path was always laid out to follow in his fathers footsteps as a doctor! He speaks about spending most of his younger days after school waiting in wards and corridors in hospitals and it was just where he felt comfortable! A few changes for Harry Winslet and he found a fescues for food production with a particular focus on veg.5 yea...

Fancy a cuppa?!?Todays guest, Lucy George is welcomed to talk about the transition from leaving a stable job to take on her parents farm and shift it from a relatively conventional horticultural unit in the direction of tea. Where I think of yea being grown is Kuwait, China, India and of course South Wales! Lucy was game for the challenge and has created a well oiled, diversified business that not...

RAVES AND FARMING?!?This is a proper fun one! I love ever podcast I film but this is just a little different! Today we welcome Huw Evans on! Huw from London at 25 along with 2 other 25 year olds decide it was time for a change. With only a dissertation based on agriculture and a keen enjoyment walking around that type of environment as a youngster behind him the three of them put what money they h...

Today we welcome another addition of the 2024 Nuffield Scholarship cohort!…I start it by saying welcome back to R2Kast 142…it’s 152!Jock Gibson came from a farm but found himself away from the business before certain events caused him to jump back in. There’s more than just a farm however! Edinvale operates as the home farm utilising grass and forage with minimal extra inputs and MacBeth’s butcher...

When I went for my Nuffield interview I was waiting to go in and spoke VERY briefly to a gentleman with a splendiferous moustache! I was instantly hooked in what he does, we arranged a podcast and pretty rapidly I realised, “Christ it’ll be awkward if one of us isn’t successful!”However, 7 weeks down the line, we both were! Our guest today is David Tavernor! David has worked in buying for various...

A special one for a special number! Next on the pod we have Rose Davies who is an Olympic runner from Newcastle, Australia! Ed met Rose a few weeks ago when she came to Dumfries to see her friends from back in Australia that are currently staying with him to play rugby here. On this All in episode we go into detail on all things running from qualifying for the olympics to travelling the world with...

Today we welcome someone who is used to success! Jack Young who is a major part of the family business Overton farm, a farm, butchery and coffee shop growing in popularity for some time expedited during covid! Jack is a Carluke YF member and has had a lot of success in the organisation, national champion in tug of war times 2, various other awards and recently was award Mr West Young Farmer of the...

Fun day for me this! This episode marks the first of hopefully 23 over the next few months aimed at showcasing this years class of Nuffield Scholars! If you’d like one with me as a guest we’ll get Ed in to interview me! Today for number one we have Saba Erum Amir! Saba moved here late 2000s from India and completed a BSc and MSc in Biotechnology! After this moved onto study a PhD in Poultry Gut He...

For episode 147 I was super keen to get a snooker player on! Not knowing anyone to fulfil this I wasn’t sure whether I would manage it. Then when we had Bethany on the pod I told her about the idea and she told us her friends grandmother was one of the first ever female snooker players on the scene! An amazing conversation where we discussed the challenges Hilary faced, not being allowed to play i...

Today marks the day I’ve released more episodes of the R2Kast in this calendar year than in total before it! It’s almost been going 3 years…If you’re in farming in Scotland you most likely know this guest. Let me try that again. If you’re in farming…young farmers in Scotland you most likely…definitely know this guest. Our guest today, David Mitchell and I went to uni together for our HND. What’s i...

Since R2Kast 113 (32 ago - which is only 4 months btw) I haven’t uploaded video, now the reason for this is MAINLY that dealing with the best part of 10 hours of video a month is a lot, I had iPads, iPhones and my Mac all uploading at once. However I should have made an exception today!! 📱 💻 Todays guest is Katy Tunstall and throughout, as you’ll hear her gorgeous kitten Parnsip was running arou...

Today we welcome a friend. A friend I’ve only met once but by god it was some weekend! Lower Nithsdale headed down to South Wales in early July for an exchange with Wentwood Young Farmers. That’s when I met Nerys and there was some drama, I got concussed, the group took rafts down the river and much more! Nerys is so much more than that though! She is actively involved in Wales YF, deep involvemen...

Today we welcome superstars. Roger and Richard Nicholson of the much loved Cannon Hall Farm come on to talk about the transition from a difficult start for Roger to employing around 250 staff. TWO HUNDRED AND FIFTY.Roger was brought up on a farm which had to be sold by ways of compulsory purchase. The full farm sold for £7100…no 0’s on the end there, 7100. They then moved on to another place, Cann...

Todays guest, who has the best Instagram name there is Claire Whittle…or Dr_Dowhittle is a perfect inditement of what is wrong with the acceptance system of vet schools. Claire has managed to break the mould and proved that being that 7 A and advanced higher student at school isn’t the only type of person to make a good vet. Claire’s story starts in retail and now finds her self in her own words t...

This podcast has three main sections, a painfully successful start to a career in a male dominated industry, a fitness journey and…a literal near death experience! Bethany who I met at a haunted castle experience 4 years ago seems to be forward for awards consistently and always is knocking down barriers to progress in what is the biggest construction company in the country, Balfour Beatty! She al...

Much like Friday today I welcome on another friend, this one much newer in John Austin! John, from a dairy farm tenancy in Dumfries talks about the volatility of the milk price, discussing pure vs cross bred cattle for milk and his life away from the farm. He speaks about his November and December taken up by Christmas tree harvest as well as his time in young farmers from Lower Nithsdale chair to...