The FarmED Podcast

In this episode of The FarmED Podcast, guest host, Lydia Smith from NIAB talks to Minette Batters, the first woman to be President of the National Farmers Union, in advance of the publication of her autobiography and farming manifesto, Harvest. The wide-ranging conversation covers everything from how to command respect as the first woman President of the NFU and juggling a high-pressure job with m...

This month, Alex is joined by science communicator Sally-Ann Spence who has spent many years enthusing people about the wonders of the natural world. Her boundless and passionate enthusiasm for the earth sciences has taken her from being a dung beetle expert to ecology, archaeology, paleontology and travelling to fourteen different countries last year exploring sustainable farming. She’s also a me...

Award-winning architect, Tim Tasker, who designed the FarmED Conference Barn and Cafe, has recently been working on a new building at Honeydale Farm which is constructed of hempcrete, a hugely versatile, breathable and sustainable building material that captures carbon.  Tim has been working with UK Hempcrete and the Centre for High Carbon Capture Cropping and on this episode of the FarmED Podcast...

Co-founder of FarmED, Ian Wilkinson has been on sabbatical to Australia and New Zealand. In this episode of The FarmED Podcast he talks to Alex about his original journey from agricultural college to seed merchant, as owner of Cotswold Seeds, and then the decision to buy Honeydale Farm with his wife, Celene, and fulfill a dream of being a farmer. Ian and Celene founded FarmED as a regenerative dem...

In this month’s episode of The FarmED Podcast, co-founder of Wildfarmed, Andy Cato, talks to co-founder of FarmED, Ian Wilkinson. Andy famously found fame as part of Groove Armada and then sold his music publishing rights to buy a farm in France, before going on to establish Wildfarmed and starring on Clarkson’s Farm.  Andy talks to Ian about his inspiration, the tough lessons he learned in France...

Our guest this month is cattle farmer, ecologist, Nuffield scholar and trainer Rob Havard, who will be running a course on Holistic Planned Grazing at FarmED on 11th March.  After working for various wildlife trusts and conservation organisations, Rob returned to his family’s farm and now he and his wife, Lizzie, run Phepson Angus, a 100% grass-fed suckler herd of Pedigree Aberdeen Angus across 1,...

For many people for many years, Adam Henson, presenter of the BBC’s flagship programme, Countryfile, has been the face and voice of British farming so it was a delight to welcome him to The FarmED Podcast studio to record our Christmas Special.  As well as talking about Christmas at the Cotswold Farm Park, founded by Adam’s father over forty years ago, Adam talks to presenter, Alex Dye, about his...

Alex talks to cook, writer and veg grower, Kathy Slack about her book, Rough Patch , and how growing vegetables helped her recover from burnout.  Kathy had a high flying career in advertising before she suffered a physical and mental collapse that left her ‘distraught, crippled by depression and grief and panic’.  She explains how her mother coaxed her out of the house into the garden and she ‘wou...

This episode of The FarmED Podcast is recorded on location, at Baddaford, Guy Singh-Watson ’s farm in Devon. Guy, founder of Riverford, has been dubbed ‘the most brutally honest farmer in Britain.’ Here, Guy talks to Alex about how he finds regenerative agriculture a ‘difficult subject, because I absolutely welcome the sort of broad church approach that has drawn in farmers who, for whatever reaso...

Something a little different for this episode of The FarmED Podcast, which covers computer systems and farming systems and a little agricultural history too. You’ll discover why farmers grow grass as well as what AI and beekeeping have in common. Alex is joined by Paul Totterdell, who started his career studying IT and is now Director of FarmED’s sister company, Cotswold Seeds, which supplies 20,0...

‘We are a rainforest people, who live in a rainforest nation,’ says conservationist and writer, Merlin Hanbury-Tenison, speaking to Alex Dye on The FarmED Podcast and explaining why these ancient forests are so vital for combating climate change as well as for our own wellbeing.  In his bestselling memoir,  ‘OurThe Oaken Bones, ’ Merlin talks about how, while serving with the British Army in Afgha...

This month on The FarmED Podcast, Alex Dye talks to acclaimed author and producer/presenter of BBC Radio 4’s Food Programme, Dan Saladino. Dan explains how his childhood in the citrus and olive groves of Sicily led to his ‘passion for telling stories of food and flavours’ and just why these ‘wonderful stories’ are ‘the richest subject for any journalist’, a lens through which to look at ‘politics,...

Following the huge success of her book, Rooted: Stories of Life, Land, and a Farming Revolution, Sarah Langford has become a voice for the regenerative farming movement and she talks to Alex about her writing and career, her belief that regenerative farming can change the world and what’s next for her. For nearly a decade, Sarah Langford was a criminal and family barrister.  While on parental leav...

The latest episode of the FarmED Podcast is all about bugs! Presenter, Alex Dye, FarmED’s resident entomologist, is in conversation with fellow entomologist, Dr Geroge McGavin. George McGavin was an academic zoologist for 30 years before becoming a television presenter. He is widely recognised throughout the UK as a regular contributor to the BBC One Show delighting viewers with his bug-life and e...

Guest: Abby Allen, Director of Farming at Pipers Farm Host: Ian Wilkinson, Founder of FarmED Abby talks about her role, how the Piper’s Farm model can be upscaled and her views on the future of regenerative farming. There’s a hopeful takehome message too. The FarmED Podcast seeks to offer ‘hopeful conversations around farming, food, nature and the environment.’ At this crucial moment in time, when...

Guest: Chris Rumming from Lydiard Turkeys  Host: Alex Dye, FarmED’s Public Engagement Coordinator and resident entomologist Thanks for listening to The FarmED Podcast where you can hear hopeful conversations around farming, food, nature and the environment, brought to you by the FarmED team.  Follow us on Instagram @thefarmedpodcast In Episode 1 of this brand new series, Chris Rumming talks to Ale...

Kate talks to Helen Wade from  East Leach Downs Farm  who has 45 organic sows with all progeny spending their entire lives outdoors, able to dig, root and graze herbal leys. They talk about Helen's journey into farming, what she has learnt along the way and how she is encouraging members of the public to visit the farm by installing a visitor hut. 

Kate talks to Amy Chapple about Redwoods Farm in Devon, where she has laying hens that roost in converted livestock trailers and her parents have broilers that live in 'chicken tractors' or polytunnels. They all get moved around the farm, following the cattle and sheep, scratching up the dung and keeping their active minds busy. Their chickens are fed on a soya-free diet with most of the f...

Fiona talks to bestselling author, Rosamund Young, in advance of the Farm & Food Literature Festival at FarmED next month. Rosamund talks about her life at Kite’s Nest Farm, on the edge of the Cotswold escarpment, where she has been an organic farmer for over forty years. Peek into the surprising private lives of some of our most familiar animals.

Danielle talks to Pete Russell, Founder of Ooooby , an online platform for small farms and local food producers to sell and deliver directly to homes. Ooooby’s mission is to put ‘small-scale’ back at the heart of our food system. More than 80 UK farms and food hubs are now using Ooooby every week to deliver local food to over 10,000 local households.

Danielle talks to soil scientist, Jed Soleiman, who is currently working at FarmED as part of the Centre for High Carbon Capture Cropping (CHCx3) Project. Jed is passionate about regenerative agriculture and rewilding, particularly in understanding the responses of soils to these, and other land uses that could help build the physical basis to bring about nature recovery. Focusing mainly on the UK...

Kate talks to Flavian Obiero, a Hampshire County Farms tenant at Tynefield Farm in Titchfield. He manages 61 acres of permanent pasture & woodland with his partner Nikki and son, Noah. They have Tamworth pigs, ex-dairy goats and a mixed-breed sheep flock. All the animals are destined for meat. They currently sell through their catering business and a few markets. Future plans include selling m...

Fiona talks to FarmED’s beekeeper, Tony Yarrow, in advance of his two day course at FarmED - Honey Bees & their World (18th April). Tony began keeping bees in Wales in 1975.  He has worked as a bee expert with two beehive manufacturing companies and has known and worked with some of the UK’s largest commercial beekeepers. Tony keeps 15-20 colonies in four sites in North Oxfordshire, including...

Kate talks to Tim Field, sustainable food, farming and land management consultant and Facilitator of the North East Cotswold Farmer Cluster, a group of local farmers and landowners interested in landscape-scale regeneration of the farmed environment and local food networks in the North East Cotswolds.

In a special episode of the FarmED Podcast, recorded at the Oxford Real Farming Conference, earlier this month, Ian interviews Patrick Holden, and Patrick interviews Ian, looking back over nearly fifty years of organic, regenerative and epigenetic farming!  Patrick is the founder & CEO of the Sustainable Food Trust, whose mission is to work internationally to accelerate the transition towards...