RASE Farm of the Future

For this episode we’re joined by Ifan Roberts, a contract dairy farmer originally from North Wales, who brings a sense of positivity when talking about dairy farming. His mission is to openly share the positives of his experiences as a dairy farmer, through his Nuffield report to help inspire others into the sector. Ifan’s experience of dairy farming has surpassed his expectations leaving college, where he was led to expect real hardship and challenges. His upcoming Nuffield report shares how different approaches and mindsets from around the world, including in New Zealand, can help inspire those interested in the industry, and bring about a change in communication that is far more positive about the dairy industry. For more information about recruiting, training and retaining great people and developing farming teams, find the Teams bitesize guide on the reports page of the Royal Agricultural Society of England website.

For this episode we’re joined by Helen Wyman, founder of TwoCan Mentor, a company that connects individuals across the food, farm and horticultural ecosystems, to pass on knowledge and skills. Helen’s belief is that everyone in the ag industry needs a mentor. Helen’s excellent understanding of both the industry and the people working within it stems from her work in farming and renewables sectors, as well as her 2022 Nuffield scholarship in which she explored how mentoring can bring positive change in agriculture. For more information about recruiting, training and retaining great people and developing farming teams, find the Teams bitesize guide on the reports page of the Royal Agricultural Society of England website.

For this episode host Iory Hughes is joined by Chris Manley, founder of consultancy Traction Limited, which leads sustainability strategies and supply chain initiatives for some of the UK’s biggest retailers including M&S, Müller, Sainsbury’s and Tesco. Chris did a Nuffield Scholarship in which he researched what great leadership looks like in farming teams. Chris is also the pioneer of Walk With Me, a mental health campaign which encourages farmers and others in the rural community to open up through the simple act of walking and talking. Chris’ mission in his work is to champion people first leadership to build stronger and more sustainable food systems. This episode is about what truly excellent leadership looks like on a farm, and how it can enrich the lives and work of everyone working on farms. For more information about recruiting, training and retaining great people and developing farming teams, find the Teams bitesize guide on the reports page of the Royal Agricultural Society of England website.

For this episode host Iory Hughes is joined by dairy farmer Liz Haines, who works with Farmers Weekly on the Level Field campaign. Liz undertook a Nuffield Scholarship to help the industry better understand the needs of those in agriculture who are neurodivergent, and how they can be better supported in their work. Prior to farming Liz worked in publishing, specialising in autism and special educational needs. She moved on to take up a contract farming opportunity in Shropshire. Now having moved to Staffordshire, Liz is a tenant dairy farmer, milking 375 spring calving cattle. Liz is also a non-executive director of Mole Valley Farmers. The episode is all about what neurodiversity means, how conditions may impact someone at work and how we can improve interaction with people who are neurodivergent. For more information about recruiting, training and retaining great people and developing farming teams, find the Teams bitesize guide on the reports page of the Royal Agricultural Society of England website.

For this episode host Iory Hughes is joined by Dan Smith, an agroecological farmer and consultant from the Wye Valley who is driven by cultivating both healthy eco-systems, and the next generation who will build and continue to care for them. Dan works with land managers to transition to more environmentally conscious systems of land management. In this episode he gives us excellent insight and practical actions, and challenges the agricultural sector to take them, to make the sector more accessible for all. Dan and Iory discuss equity, diversity and inclusion and bringing new people into the industry, as well as showing the opportunities in agriculture. This includes invigorating the industry with fresh ideas and perspectives while preserving and respecting the rich culture of UK farming. For more information about recruiting, training and retaining great people and developing farming teams, find the Teams bitesize guide on the reports page of the Royal Agricultural Society of England website.

Introducing the new series of the Farm of the Future podcast: Solving Staffing in Ag. Hosted by Iory Hughes, this season explores how to build, retain, and support high-performing farm teams. From next-gen labour to leadership pipelines, each episode features conversations with farmers, Nuffield scholars and industry experts exploring fresh thinking and real-farm solutions to the staffing challenge. Whether you're managing a family enterprise, shaping policy, or seeking your future role in agriculture, this series is for you.

For this episode we’re joined by David Speller from OptiFarm, to talk about how artificial intelligence can be used in livestock farming. During the episode we discuss how artificial intelligence can already be used in livestock farming and how deep learning AI can be used to accelerate agricultural know-how.

For this episode we’re joined by Alastair Leake from the Allerton Project, to talk about regenerative root crops. Alastair was the winner of the 2023 RASE National Agricultural Award, which was presented in recognition of how he has developed The Allerton Project to demonstrate how farming can deliver food production and environmental outcomes simultaneously. During the episode we dig into how root crops can be grown as part of a regenerative system, despite the level of soil disturbance required.

Regenerative farming means different things to different people. For our November 2023 Farm of the Future podcast episode, Deborah Crossan from Innovation for Agriculture and Natasha Smith from RASE spoke to John Cherry, co-founder of Groundswell and a regenerative farmer, to understand his perspective on regenerative agriculture. In John’s words, regenerative farming refers to “Any farming system which improves the functionality of any of the systems that we rely on as farmers.” What do we mean by that? What systems do farmers rely on? And what does regenerative farming look like in practice? Listen to the episode to hear more.

Listen to this episode to hear how calf monitoring technologies can be used to improve calf health and growth rates, impacting both farm profitability and environmental outcomes. For this episode, Natasha Smith and Laura Palczynski from Innovation for Agriculture are joined by livestock vet Emily Linton, from Torch Farm Vets and Chris Dorrington from Smartbell. Emily, Chris and Laura are all incredibly passionate about how small tweaks to calf health practices can have a disproportionally large impact on farm businesses as a whole. The episode includes insights into how any calf rearer can improve health outcomes in their calves, and also delves into the potential to make better use of data to further improve calf rearing in the future.

Listen to episode two of the RASE Farm of the Future podcast to hear how farming at the maximum sustainable output can increase farm profitability, free up farmers’ time and deliver environmental benefits. For this episode Natasha Smith and Arran Redman from Innovation for Agriculture were joined by Martin Lines from the Nature Friendly Farming Network. They discuss the findings of the ‘Farming at the sweet spot: How farming with nature can make you happier, healthier and wealthier’ report, which was published earlier this year by Nethergill Associates, The Wildlife Trusts and the Nature Friendly Farming Network. The episode includes insights into how the maximum sustainable output model can work in practice for arable and livestock systems, including examples from Martin’s own farm.

In this episode, we are joined by Kit Franklin from Harper Adams University, to delve into the possibilities of using autonomous vehicles on UK farms. Kit was one of the pioneering team of agri-tech researchers behind the Hands Free Hectare. Back in 2017, this team were the first to grow a crop entirely using autonomous vehicles, without any operators in driving seats or agronomists on the ground. Since then, the Hands Free Hectare has expanded to a ⁠Hands Free Farm⁠, and the team has completed further research and trials around use of autonomous vehicles in farming systems. Listen to find out about the benefits autonomous vehicles can offer to farm businesses and what to consider when incorporating them into a farming system.