R2Kast - People in Food and Farming/All In

Today we’re back with Field to Front Door 🎙️
David, Martin and Wallace catching up as harvest continues, with plenty to chat about from heritage grains and regenerative farming through to some pretty brutal yields and what actually makes farming stack up financially.

David had been exploring heritage grains and the growing market around them, which led into a really interesting conversation about older varieties, milling, sourdough and whether sometimes the future of farming might actually involve looking back at what worked in the past.
We got properly into regenerative farming again too, including what regen actually means, whether reducing one spray is enough to call something regenerative, cover crops, soil biology and the challenge of changing a farming system when you still need to make money while doing it.

Harvest brought some fairly stark realities as well. Some crops have performed, others really haven’t, and we spoke about the frustration of putting a year into something only to find there simply isn’t enough crop there to make it pay. That led into why finding different markets, selling direct and getting paid properly for lower input produce could be so important.

We also got into saving your own seed, different varieties adapting to individual farms, soil testing, organic matter and plenty more experiments for David and Martin to try before the next one.
We’re going to keep this going fortnightly for now and see where it takes us. If you’ve got ideas on what we should cover or who we should bring in, send them our way.

Enjoy! 🙂

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Today I had Philip on the R2Kast 🎙️ Philip is a parasitologist at the Moredun Research Institute who has spent decades researching sheep and cattle parasites, helping farmers better understand disease and develop more sustainable approaches to livestock health. 🌾

We spoke about growing up in Northern Ireland, how a fascination with parasitology led him into research, and the work Moredun has done over many years to improve animal health through diagnostics, vaccines and better parasite management. It was a fascinating insight into a subject that affects almost every livestock farm but often goes unnoticed until problems appear. 🍎

A big part of the conversation focused on parasite resistance, why routine blanket worming is no longer sustainable and how targeted treatments, diagnostics and breeding more resilient livestock can help protect both animal health and the effectiveness of the medicines we still have available. We also discussed liver fluke, roundworms, climate change and the way parasites continue to adapt alongside changing farming systems. 🌍

We wrapped up chatting about curiosity, research and why there will always be new challenges in livestock health. It was a brilliant conversation that showed just how much science, practical farming and long term thinking come together to support healthier animals and more sustainable farming.

Enjoy! 🙂

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Today on series two of Tales of a Nuffield Scholar supported by NFU Mutual we continue looking ahead to the 2026 Nuffield Farming Scholarships Conference in Leeds 🎙️

This is the final episode of the series focusing on the main Nuffield Scholarship presentation groups before we finish series two with the Next Gen Scholars 🌍

This episode focuses on the presentation group “Sustainable Growth through Innovation and Regeneration” with Dave Oates, Edward Fane Trefusis and Sam Steggles. Martin Gott will also join the group on stage in Leeds, but unfortunately could not join us for this conversation 🌱

We spoke about three very different approaches to building resilient rural businesses. Dave explored stacking land uses and how farming, nature, energy and other uses can work together on the same land. Edward looked at managing risk in a changing environment and what businesses need in place to anticipate challenges, adapt and bounce back. Sam brought a slightly different perspective with a brilliantly simple question after years of growing and diversifying his own business, when is enough enough? 🚜

Sam’s story was particularly fascinating. His original Nuffield journey was interrupted by Covid while he was in Australia, with his cheese business losing almost all of its market almost overnight. What followed was a pop up farm shop that grew into a substantial retail and hospitality business, completely reshaping both his business and eventually the questions he wanted his Nuffield work to answer.
Dave and Edward took us around the world too, exploring everything from different approaches to land use and environmental delivery to the foundations that allow businesses to innovate and grow. A big theme throughout was context. What works brilliantly in one country, landscape or business might make absolutely no sense somewhere else, and understanding your own situation has to come before simply copying someone else’s solution 🌾

There was also a really interesting conversation around what Nuffield itself gives you. Travel is a huge part of it, but the people, networks and conversations often become even more valuable. Whether that meant learning from scholars across the UK, travelling with other scholars or simply following a conversation to an unexpected farm or business, some of the best learning was never part of the original plan 🌍

Without giving away everything that will be shared on stage in Leeds, this was a brilliant way to round off our look at the main presentation groups and another reminder of just how broad the ideas being explored through Nuffield can be.
Thank you to NFU Mutual for their support of this project.

Enjoy! 🙂

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Today I had Hans on the R2Kast 🎙️ A commercial fisherman and boat builder who has spent decades working the west coast of Scotland and is now operating what he believes is the world’s only fully electric commercial fishing boat. 🌾

We spoke about growing up between Glasgow and Argyll, learning boat building before moving into commercial fishing, and how years of working on the water eventually led him to question whether a fishing boat really needed a diesel engine. That curiosity turned into years of research, design and problem solving before converting his own working boat into a fully electric vessel. 🍎

A big part of the conversation focused on the practical realities of electric fishing. We discussed battery technology, range, maintenance, running costs and the challenges of convincing others that the concept can work commercially. Hans shared why he believes the biggest benefits aren’t just environmental, but also reliability, simplicity and dramatically lower maintenance compared to conventional engines. 🌍

We also chatted about life as a west coast fisherman, building boats, the future of the fishing industry and why innovation often starts with someone simply asking, “What if?” It was a fascinating conversation about challenging assumptions and finding practical solutions to real world problems.

Enjoy! 🙂

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Today we’re back with Field to Front Door 🎙️
David, Martin and Wallace catching up as harvest begins, discussing everything from grain markets and crop prices to social media and what’s happening on farm as another busy season gets underway.
A big part of this episode focused on grain markets and futures trading, looking at the risks of selling crops before they’re harvested and how weather, yields and global markets can completely change the financial picture for farmers. It led into a wider conversation around food security, subsidies and why producing food profitably is becoming more challenging every year.
We also spent plenty of time talking about regenerative farming, with discussions around Johnson Sue compost, compost extracts, seed treatments, soil biology and the role of farmyard manure in improving soil health. It was another fascinating insight into the practical experiments happening on farms and why there’s no single right answer.
Alongside that we chatted about harvest decisions, oilseed rape, wheat, rainfall and how sharing the realities of farming on social media can help people better understand what goes on behind the scenes.
We’re going to keep this going fortnightly for now and see where it takes us. If you’ve got ideas on what we should cover or who we should bring in, send them our way.
Enjoy! 🙂

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.