Tom Allen-Stevens, Martin Lines, Ed Schofield - How IPM works for us: a farmer and agronomist’s perspective

In episode 21, Chris Lyons from Innovate UK speaks to two successful recipients of government innovation funding to find out how it has helped them test new ideas, reduce risk and deliver results on-farm. Dominic Swan from Catalyst Farming explains how four Norfolk farming businesses used a Research Starter project to explore computer crop modelling to improve nitrogen-use efficiency. The work has now secured further support through ADOPT to scale up trials across more farms, soil types and m...

In episode 20 of the Defra Farming podcast, guest host Hannah Barrett—a Catchment Sensitive Farming adviser in the East of England—speaks with Norfolk farmer Charlie Ennals and Cambridgeshire farmer Thomas Gent. Together, they explore how working with nature can help farms become more resilient in the face of changing weather patterns, rising costs and increasing uncertainty. Charlie shares how gradual changes—such as cover cropping, introducing livestock and improving soil organic matter—hav...

The government’s Accelerating Development of Practices and Technologies (ADOPT) Fund helps farmers access funding to test practical ideas on their own farms, from new crops and soil systems to technology and collaborative trials. It is part of the Farming Innovation Programme delivered in partnership with Innovate UK. In episode 19 of the Defra Farming Podcast, we’re joined by two farmers with live ADOPT projects to explore what practical innovation looks like on-farm. Bryony Graham, an arabl...

Episode 18 of the Defra Farming podcast is hosted by Richard Thompson, the UK’s first Agricultural Supply Chain Adjudicator (ASCA). He is joined by Paul Tompkins, NFU Dairy Board Chair, and Michael Masters Head of Milk Supply & Operations at Barber’s Cheesemakers. Richard explains his role in enforcing the Fair Dealing Obligations (Milk) Regulations 2024 (FDOM24) and how he can support farmers improve transparency and contractual fairness. Together, they discuss how the new regulati...

In episode 17 of the Defra Farming podcast, host Neil Pickard—a farming adviser with more than 45 years’ experience in livestock and mixed farming—speaks with Soil Farmer of the Year 2023, Stuart Johnson, and Understanding Ag farming adviser, Kyle Richardville. Stuart, a tenant farmer in Northumberland, explains how he has shifted his family’s mixed sheep and cattle farm away from conventional high-input practices towards a system focused on soil health. Kyle brings the scientific perspective...