We Can Do Both

BECKY WILSON is the Technical Director for The Farm Carbon Toolkit, an independent, farmer-led organisation, supporting farms to become resilient, climate-positive businesses, with healthy soils, rich wildlife, and well-managed water resources. In this episode they discuss how this vision might be achieved across a range of different farms.

Listen and you’ll hear: how the Farm Carbon Toolkit works (1m00s); addressing the typical challenges of carbon reduction on arable farms (3m10s); how farmers can benefit from the research Becky is involved in (15m15s); addressing the typical challenges of carbon reduction on livestock farms (19m0...

Neil becomes the interviewee in this episode, as his producer JAKE LLOYD asks the questions. They discuss Neil’s political and farming career, what they’ve learned from making this podcast, and why both Neil and young farmers feel a sense of cautious optimism about the future.

Listen and you’ll hear: why Neil began this podcast (1m34s); a short history of his farming life (2m23s); why Neil got into politics (3m16s); what he learned about farming in the European Parliament (5m14); the challenges of being both a farmer and a politician (10m30s); wh...

AMELIA and JASON GREENWAY only began farming in 2018, but were named Tenant Farmers of the Year at the Southwest Farming Awards in 2023. Neil recently visited them at their farm on the Killerton Estate in Devon, where they breed pedigree highland cattle, alongside rare breed pigs. They spoke about the ups and downs of tenant farming and they talked about how they look after their sensitive landscape and its soils.

Listen and you’ll hear: Amelia on the farm and her journey into farming (0m55s); Amelia on how they farm highland cattle (8m41s); their partnership wi...

On his recent visit to the Devon County Show, Neil took along his sound recorder to get a flavour of what’s on the minds of farmers right now. In this episode you’ll hear his conversations with President of the National Federation of Young Farmers Clubs JOHN LEE OBE, as well as a specialist in recruiting, training and mentoring farming apprentices PETER REED, and the South West Regional Director of the Country Land and Business Association ANN MAIDMENT. In these conversations he encounters a surprising take on the inheritance tax row, a mixed reaction to the recent US trad...

Last year Hector Meanwell was named the UK’s ‘Young Farmer Of The Year’ by the National Federation of Young Farmers’ Clubs. In this episode, Neil visits the 25 year old on his 400-acre Lake District farm to find out why he’s been called ‘dynamite’ for the industry. They discuss food production and nature restoration on his farm, why he’s helping young people from deprived backgrounds engage in farming, the role that Young Farmers’ Clubs have played in his life, and the role YFC could play in the future of farming and politics.

Listen and you’ll hear them d...

The morning after the government announced the end of its Sustainable Farming Incentive scheme, Neil visited Cumbrian organic dairy farmer JAMES ROBINSON whose passion is nature friendly farming. His 300-acre Strickley Farm has been in the family since 1875, and it's been free from artificial fertilisers or pesticides for the last twenty years. In this episode he walks Neil around the farm to explain how his style of farming has evolved in this special landscape. 

Listen and you’ll hear: the history and layout of Strickley Farm (0m55s); James and Neil wade in the beck that run...

How can farmers best care for the UK's 400,000 miles of hedgerow? In this episode Neil attends Wiltshire's 'Hedgefest' to find out from self-confessed hedgerow ‘geek’ MEGAN GIMBER from the People’s Trust for Endangered Species why now is a great time for more farmers to take up the historical process of hedgelaying. He then meets farming couple and Hedgefest hosts CHRIS and LINDSAY RUMMING to explore their farm.

Listen and you’ll hear: how hedgelaying works and why it’s useful (0m40s); why a variety of species is so important to a good hedge (4m15s); what e...

On a visit to the south-west last year, former agriculture minister GEORGE EUSTICE stopped by Neil’s farmhouse for a candid look back at the time the two shared in parliament. Covering Brexit, trade deals, creating new agricultural policies, and trying to curtail the power of supermarkets, in this episode you’ll get a fascinating insight into government decisions during a turbulent time, from a man who was at the heart of it all.

Listen and you’ll hear: about George’s farming background (0m40s); why he was pro-Brexit (5m49s); the environmental schemes he helped d...

Both Neil and NFU President Tom Bradshaw were speaking at a recent agricultural conference, and after one event Neil spoke with Tom to hear the approach he is taking towards the Keir Starmer’s government, his disappointment at what’s happened but optimism for a satisfactory resolution, and his thoughts on what happens next.

Also in this episode, you’ll hear Neil speak with two of the thousands of protestors that were at Westminster in November: Conservative MP for Bridgwater Ashley Fox, and Liberal Democrat MP for Tiverton and Minehead Rachel Gilmour.

Listen and yo...

Neil visits a Somerset farm in which a colony of beavers have made their home. Joining him is JAN STANNARD who’s Heal Rewilding charity owns the farm, and EVA BISHOP from The Beaver Trust. In this episode the three of them talk about the evolving relationship between this ‘keystone’ species and farming practices.

Listen and you’ll hear: the concerns some farmers have about beavers (2m50s); how beavers lead to increased biodiversity (6m19s); the positive role beavers play in water management (11m45s); techniques for managing the impact beavers have on farms (17m37s); cons...

PROFESSOR DAVID ROSE is an expert in sustainable agricultural change, with a focus on how farmers can be supported to adopt and implement new technology that will improve outcomes for nature and for their business. In this episode he gives Neil a tour of the Harper Adams campus in Shropshire. 

Listen and you’ll hear: the best way of supporting farmers to adapt to change (1m45s); how technology could enable more ecological farming (9m04s); why government regulation struggles to keep pace with technological development (12m35s); using robots in the milking parlour (14m29s); how...

BEN GOLDSMITH is a financier, environmentalist, rewilding enthusiast and farm owner, who first met Neil when he was advising DEFRA on its food policy. In this episode, Neil visits Ben to catch up where they left off. They discuss the past, present and future relationship between farming and the environment, Ben outlines his vision for better land management and food security in the UK, and they even catch a glimpse of some wildcats.

Listen and you’ll hear: Ben’s role in helping create current government policy (0m27s); reintroducing species to the UK (10m23s); prot...

JOE STANLEY is head of sustainable farming at The Allerton Project, a 320 hectare farm in Leicestershire, which researches the effects of different farming methods on wildlife and the environment. In this episode, Neil tours the farm with Joe to find out about their latest research and to hear why Joe is optimistic about the future of British agriculture.

In this episode: why DEFRA’s top team visit this project (2m25s); how farmers could get a fairer price from supermarkets (10m15s); a tour of their agroforestry trials (18m02s); striking the balance between tree-planting and fo...

In this episode Neil and neighbouring farmer WILLIAM BARNARD chart the ups and downs of farming for food and nature in Somerset’s unique tidal landscape known as the Pawlett Hams. Top of mind for both of them: the threat now posed to their centuries-old way of managing this landscape by the energy company EDF, and its plans to create a saltmarsh by the site of nearby Hinkley Point nuclear plant, which is currently under construction.

In this episode they discuss: the wildlife in the hams (2m50s); the role of cattle in the ecosystem (7m30s...

What is the latest research on sustainable livestock production telling us? And what might the future hold for beef and sheep farmers? In this episode, Neil seeks answers to these questions and lots more, over a cider in an Oxfordshire pub with Professor JUDE CAPPER from Harper Adams University.

Listen and you’ll hear: an overview of her research (1m07s); the task of making livestock production work both economically and environmentally (5m05s); assessing the carbon footprint of farms across the UK (7m10s); the challenge of creating behaviour change (12m24s); the role of re...

As part of its sustainable farming scheme, the UK government is offering farmers £382 each year for every hectare of ‘herbal leys’ they grow. This mixture of grasses, legumes, herbs and wildflowers is said to produce a high volume of food for grazing animals; greater resilience to drought; improved soil fertility; and more carbon sequestration.

In this bonus episode, Neil puts these claims to the test in the company of award-winning organic farmers RACHEL and JOE HORLER. They've had herbal leys for more than ten years, and here they tell Neil: the theory behind it (2m24s); how t...

In recent years, farmers across Europe have protested against environmental measures being imposed on them by their governments. Campaigns and public rallies have taken place in the Netherlands, France, Germany, Poland, Czech Republic, and this year, Wales too.

The Welsh protests began in response to the Welsh Assembly’s planned ‘Sustainable Farming Scheme’, which included within it a proposal that farmers should commit to ensuring 10% of their land is under tree cover. Many farmers argue this would be costly, impractical and lead to job losses, and the Welsh Government subsequently pushed back its planned scheme to 2026.

JOHNATHAN CORP runs one of the first water buffalo farms in the UK. In this episode he shows Neil around his ‘Buffalicious’ farm near Yeovil in Somerset, and explains how he rears these animals for meat and dairy in a sustainable way. On his tour, Neil also meets the farm’s enthusiastic butcher MATT DYER and in the milking parlour, MATT LONG.

In this episode: the character and behaviour of water buffalo (2m00s); the taste of ‘proper’ mozzarella (4m50s); making the business sustainable (10m05s); the taste of buffalo meat (14m53); looking after the animals (1...

BRUCE GRIFFITHS is from North Wyke Farm near Oakhampton in Devon. His job: to a run a team that’s researching how farming can reach net zero and become resilient to the effects of climate change. In this episode Neil joins Bruce for a tour of the farm, and finds out what clever methods they are employing to understand and reduce the environmental footprint of farming in the UK.

In this episode: an introduction to the work of the farm (1m02s); using satellite data in order to apply fertiliser more judiciously (3m48s); ways to moni...

Traditional orchards are a “priority habitat” according to the Government’s Biodiversity Action Plan. In this episode, Neil is led through one such orchard by farmer JUSTIN WEEKES and his father, whose Ridge & Furrow Cider farm has won awards both for its sweet craft cider, and for the wildlife that the orchards support.

In this interview: what a ‘ridge and furrow’ orchard means (2m07s); Justin’s approach to grazing in the orchard (6m10s); the perils of drinking alcohol after being stung by bees (8m43s); biodiversity on the farm (11m03s); their thoughts on fertilisers...

Neil farms on low-lying land near the mouth of Somerset’s River Parrett. For this first episode he makes a short journey upstream to the beef and arable farm of JAMES WINSLADE. Sitting at James’s dining table they discuss the challenges of farming for both food and nature on the flood-prone, man-made landscape of Sedgemoor. 

They discuss: how pumps are used to manage water here (3m22s); the impact of prolonged flooding on biodiversity and carbon storage (10m22s); how James would like to see water being managed here in the future (12m30s); his work...

How can UK farmers both grow good food AND protect the environment? Join NEIL PARISH at his dining table to find out why he'll be seeking to answer this question in this new podcast.

This podcast is produced by jakelloyd.co.uk

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