R2Kast - People in Food and Farming/All In

Today I had Iain on the R2Kast 🎙️ A really interesting chat with someone whose career has taken him from agricultural college through to farming, consultancy, environmental regulation and now working across farming in protected landscapes. 🌾We spoke about his route into agriculture through Seale Hayne Agricultural College before heading off around the world working harvests and farms across Australia, New Zealand and the USA. From huge arable operations in Montana to cattle work in Queensland, it was a brilliant insight into how travel and hands on experience can shape your understanding of farming systems. 🍎  A big...

Today we’re back with Field to Front Door 🎙️David, Martin and Wallace this time chatting right in the middle of peony season pressure, with everything starting to speed up very quickly on farm.  A big part of this episode was around direct selling and how different things become when you’re dealing with the customer yourself rather than supermarkets. We got into the reality of picking peonies at the right stage, managing subscriptions, handling labour pressure and trying to deliver quality at exactly the right moment.There was also a really i...

Today I had Robyn on the R2Kast 🎙️ She lives completely off grid in Scotland, raising her own livestock, growing her own food and documenting the whole journey online. 🌾We spoke about how she ended up there, from a background in animal care and the military into building her own off grid setup from scratch. Buying the land, converting a shipping container into a home, setting up solar, water systems and then gradually adding livestock and veg production around it. It was a proper look at what it actually takes to live like that day to day. 🍎  ...

Today on series two of Tales of a Nuffield Scholar supported by NFU Mutual we begin looking ahead to the 2026 Nuffield Farming Scholarships Conference in Leeds 🎙️ Across this series we’ll hear from scholars who will feature within the conference presentation groups, giving a flavour of the conversations, ideas and experiences set to shape the event 🌍This first episode focuses on the presentation group “New Pathways for Land, Rivers, Carbon and Nature” with Ali Warren Walker, Laura Underdown, Stu Oates and Ben Andrews 🌱We spoke about the journeys that brought each of them into agriculture...

Today I had Jack on the R2Kast 🎙️ A farm consultant, new entrant farmer and someone heavily involved in giving young people a voice in the food and farming sector. 🌾We spoke about his route into agriculture, from a family connection through to studying at SRUC and building a career in consultancy. That led into working with livestock, including buffalo, before moving back into consultancy and now stepping into a new role helping lead a team while building his own farming business alongside it. 🍎  A big part of the conversation focused on what consultancy...

Today I had Karen on the R2Kast 🎙️ She is Co-Dean in Agricultural Science and Practice at the Royal Agricultural University, working across teaching, research and international partnerships. 🌾We spoke about her journey from Venezuela to Spain and then into the UK, building a career in agronomy and agricultural systems before moving into academia and leadership. It was a really interesting look at how different agricultural systems around the world compare and what that brings into teaching. 🍎  A big part of the conversation focused on education. What students are learning, how university farms are used for...

Today we’re back with Field to Front Door 🎙️David, Martin and Wallace this time getting really stuck into regenerative farming, soil health and what changing systems on farm actually looks like in practice.  A big focus of this episode was David starting to move parts of the farm towards lower input and regenerative approaches, with Martin explaining everything from soil biology and cover crops through to seed treatments, ploughing depth and why modern systems may have stripped so much life out of soils over time.We also got into the bala...

Today I had Liv on the R2Kast 🎙️ She works in commercial content across the agricultural media space, creating campaigns, events and storytelling that connect farming with a wider audience. 🌾We spoke about how she found her way into agriculture from outside the sector, starting with an English degree and teaching before moving into marketing and eventually into agricultural media. It was a really honest chat about trying different things, figuring out what works and what doesn’t, and how those decisions shape where you end up. 🍎A big part of the conversation focused on co...

Today on the Tales of a Nuffield Scholar series I had the pleasure of chatting with Kate Speke Adams 🎙️ Kate is Managing Director of the Herefordshire Rural Hub, a farm support organisation helping farmers and rural businesses navigate everything from regulation and resilience to succession and business change. She is also a 2015 Nuffield Scholar whose study looked at how farmers can be re engaged with their soils through fear, finances, regulation or education 🌾This episode also brings us to the end of series one of Tales of a Nuffield Scholar, eight episodes looking at those eligible for the...

Today we’re back with Field to Front Door 🎙️David, Martin and Wallace picking things up again with a real mix of what’s happening on farm right now and where things might be heading next.  We covered everything from late frosts and irrigation to how that actually impacts crops on the ground, through to peony season kicking off and the pressure of getting everything picked, packed and delivered at the right time.A big part of this one was about selling direct and what that really looks like in practice...

Today I had Andrew on the R2Kast 🎙️ He is the current NFU Scotland President, farming in Aberdeenshire alongside a career that’s spanned agricultural finance, machinery and business. 🌾We spoke about growing up on a family farm, studying agriculture in Aberdeen and then heading into the commercial side of the industry through Velcourt, banking and dealership roles before coming back into farming and the union. It was a really good insight into how varied a career in agriculture can be and how much of it comes down to people and relationships. 🍎We got into his...

Today on the Tales of a Nuffield Scholar series I had the pleasure of chatting with Alex Brewster 🎙️ Alex is an upland beef and sheep farmer in central Scotland, running a large scale hill farm that has gone through huge system change over the past decade, with a real focus on soils, grazing and whole farm resilience 🌾We spoke about Alex’s early life, heading off to New Zealand as a young lad and quickly realising there was a lot more to learn about farming than he first thought. That experience planted a seed that would later come...

Today we’re back with Field to Front Door 🎙️David, Martin and Wallace picking things back up again, this time right on the edge of peony season kicking off and everything that comes with it. We covered a mix in this one from the reality of seasonal pressure with peonies and getting everything lined up for harvest, through to weather challenges across the UK and how different things look depending on where you are.There was a really good discussion around direct selling, meat boxes and whether smaller scale, higher value sy...

Today I had James on the R2Kast 🎙️ He works in PR across the agricultural and automotive sectors, creating content, campaigns and media that connect businesses with the wider industry. 🌾We spoke about his background growing up in London, studying journalism and then moving into PR when the opportunities in traditional media started to shrink. That led him into agriculture and automotive, where he’s now spent over a decade working with clients across both sectors. It was a good insight into how skills from outside farming can transfer into the industry. 🍎A big part of t...

Today on the Tales of a Nuffield Scholar series I had the pleasure of chatting with Robin Asquith 🎙️ Robin is Head of Environment at Camphill Village Trust, working at the intersection of farming, nature and social care, supporting people with learning disabilities, autism and mental health challenges through real farm based environments 🌾We spoke about Robin’s early life growing up in North Yorkshire, spending time on his grandparents’ soft fruit farm, and how that shaped his understanding of community, people and the land. From training as a plumber to working in commercial horticulture...

Today we’re back with Field to Front Door 🎙️David, Martin and Wallace this time joined by Sophia as well, which brought a really good angle looking at the next generation and what farming looks like coming through. We covered a proper mix in this one from peony production and how that whole system works, through to direct selling, subscriptions and building a customer base that actually values what you produce. There was also a good chat around logistics, online selling and the reality of getting products to people in a way that keeps qu...

Today we welcome Matt Smee to the R2Kast 🎙️ Head of Agricology, a free knowledge hub bringing together practical information for farmers, growers and researchers across the food system. 🌾We spoke about Matt’s journey into agriculture, starting in international development in Burma and Thailand before returning to the UK to explore farming hands on. That led into over a decade running small scale organic market gardens, building veg box schemes, supplying restaurants and developing food products, while navigating the financial realities of making that model work long term.The conversation then moved into Agric...

Today on the Tales of a Nuffield Scholar series I had the pleasure of chatting with Gordon Whiteford 🎙️ Gordon is a farmer based in Moray running a diverse business built around free range and organic egg production, alongside dairy, sheep and a strong direct to consumer focus through his farm shop 🌾We spoke about Gordon’s early life growing up on a dairy farm in Ayrshire before his family moved away from farming when he was young. That shift created a real drive in him to build something of his own, which eventually led to starting a poultry...

Today we’re back with Field to Front Door 🎙️David, Martin and Wallace picking things straight back up where we left off, still very much figuring out what this is and where it could go. This one was a proper deep dive into farming realities. We got into everything from sugar beet and margins through to regen, inputs and whether it’s actually possible to grow without sprays. There’s a real honesty in it, especially around trying things, getting them wrong, and learning as you go.A big part of the chat...

Today we welcome Julie McLaren to the R2Kast 🎙️ Julie is Relationship Director, Agriculture & Landed Estates, and currently serves as Vice Chair of Women in Agriculture Scotland. Julie joined me to discuss her journey into the agricultural sector after more than two decades working in business and rural finance. We spoke about the importance of relationships in agricultural finance, the role financial partners play beyond simply lending money, and why communication between farmers and their professional teams is more important than ever in a volatile global market. A big part of the conversation focused...