R2Kast - People in Food and Farming/All In

Today I had Cora on the R2Kast 🎙️ A first generation farmer who, alongside her husband David, now runs a large hill sheep enterprise in East Ayrshire while also becoming a leading voice around sustainability, biodiversity and women in agriculture. 🌾

We spoke about her route into farming from a background in law, PR and events with absolutely no agricultural connection before meeting David and gradually becoming part of the business. It was a really honest discussion about learning on the job, questioning everything and finding her own place within the farm rather than simply fitting into what was already there. 🍎

A big part of the conversation focused on hill sheep farming and the role it can play in nature recovery. We discussed adaptive grazing, peatland restoration, biodiversity and why food production and environmental improvement should not be treated as opposing ideas. Cora explained how their system works with the landscape rather than against it and why she feels hill farming is often misunderstood in wider conversations around sustainability. 🌍

We also spoke about Women in Agriculture Scotland, mentoring, confidence building and creating better connections across the sector, alongside winning both Farmers Weekly Sheep Farmer of the Year and the National Women in Agriculture Awards Sustainability Champion title.

Enjoy! 🙂

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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 part of the conversation focused on his work with the Environment Agency and now within the Yorkshire Dales National Park, helping support farmers through environmental regulation, landscape management and changing policy. We got into the balance between food production and environmental responsibility, how farming has changed over the last two decades, and why communication and trust matter so much when working with the industry. 🌍

We also spoke about mentoring, football coaching and helping younger people into the sector, and how passing knowledge on is becoming more important as experience gradually leaves the industry.

Enjoy! 🙂

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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 interesting discussion around regenerative farming and soil biology, with Martin explaining everything from cover crops and reduced tillage through to microbes, seed treatments and why farming systems have changed so much over the last few decades.

We also spoke a lot about social media and building value around what you produce. From apples and peonies through to grains and direct selling, the conversation kept coming back to the idea that farmers have more value in their products than they often realise if they can build trust and connect with people properly.

Alongside all of that there were the usual stories and tangents, from Chelsea Flower Show and tourists stripping apple orchards bare through to agroecology on Arran and the challenge of keeping farming viable in very different parts of the country.

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 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. 🍎

A big part of the conversation focused on producing your own food. Sheep, pigs, rabbits, chickens and growing veg, and what it’s like to go full cycle from raising animals to having food on your plate. We also got into public perception around things like rabbit meat, welfare and the reality of living closely with the animals you produce. 🌍

We also spoke about the lifestyle itself. Costs, challenges, water, power, winter, and why it’s not as simple or romantic as people sometimes think, but still something she wouldn’t change.

Enjoy! 🙂

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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 and Nuffield, from commercial science and food systems through to regenerative farming, television, environmental research and flooding resilience. It was fascinating hearing how different backgrounds and industries can all arrive at similar questions around the future of land use and sustainability 🚜

Across the episode we explored everything from fossil free farming and natural capital markets through to waste valorisation, flooding, biodiversity and the role of farming in protecting rivers and ecosystems. One of the most interesting parts was hearing how much their thinking has already changed through travel, conversations and seeing systems first hand around the world 🌍

There were some brilliant discussions around collaboration too, particularly how farmers, researchers and businesses can work together rather than in isolation. While all four scholars have very different topics, there was a clear thread running through the conversation about resilience, curiosity and challenging the way things have always been done 🌾

We also got a real insight into the Nuffield experience itself, how topics evolve during travel, how ideas get reshaped by the people you meet, and why being open minded is such an important part of the process. Without giving away everything that will be shared on stage in Leeds, this episode gives a really strong taste of what people can expect from the conference later this year

Thank you to NFU Mutual for their support of this project.

Enjoy! 🙂

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