The new season of the Nature Friendly Farming Network Podcast is dedicated to exploring the big issues around agriculture in Northern Ireland, in association with Danske Bank and recorded at its headquarters in Belfast.

In this episode, NFFN NI manager Cormac Dolan speaks to Stephen and Hannah Alexander of Ballyboley Dexters, a family-run farm in County Down producing Pedigree Dexter cattle.

Stephen and Hannah discuss the benefits and challenges of cutting out the middle man and selling their beef directly to customers. They explain why producing a high-quality product is only part of the journey, and why good marketing and building relationships with customers are increasingly important for farmers looking to add value to what they produce.

Stephen and Hannah share how direct sales can help strengthen the connection between farmers and consumers, while supporting animal welfare and helping to limit the environmental impact of their farming system.

Packed with practical insights on diversification, direct sales, marketing and producing food in a more sustainable way, this episode offers an honest look at how farmers can take greater control of the journey from farm to fork.

The new season of the Nature Friendly Farming Podcast is dedicated to exploring the big issues around agriculture in Northern Ireland, in association with Danske Bank and recorded at its headquarters in Belfast.

In this episode, NFFN NI manager Cormac Dolan is joined by farmers Bronagh O'Kane and Jonny Blair to discuss soil health, low-input farming and the journey towards reducing reliance on artificial fertiliser. They explain how growing grass with little or no fertiliser is possible, why cutting back needs to happen gradually, and how healthier soils can improve both farm resilience and financial performance.

Bronagh and Jonny also reflect on the challenges of changing long-established farming practices, including the role of succession and the pressures of doing things differently from previous generations. Packed with practical insights and honest experiences, this episode offers valuable advice for farmers considering their own journey towards lower-input, more nature-friendly farming.

The new season of the Nature Friendly Farming Podcast is dedicated to exploring the big issues around agriculture in Northern Ireland, in association with Danske Bank and recorded at its headquarters in Belfast.

In this first episode, NFFN NI manager Cormac Dolan is joined by NFFN NI steering group farmer Helen Keys and Chris Shannon, who runs a software company and co-founded an organisation supporting entrepreneurs to meet social and environmental challenges. They discuss what it means for farmers to see themselves as entrepreneurs, how innovation in techniques and practices can be encouraged within the sector and how issues such as launches and risks should be managed. Helen and Chris also talk about the cultural and practical barriers that still exist and prevent farmers trying out new approaches and offer some practical tips for farmers on how they can create time and space for thinking about innovating and changing the way they work.

Helen farms with her husband Charlie just outside Cookstown in County Tyrone. Having previously been home to mixed, dairy and suckler beef farming, the main output is currently flax which is grown in nature-friendly ways and sold under the name Mallon Linen. She also works to encourage entrepreneurship with universities and businesses and has supported a number of start-ups in their journey.

Chris co-founded Stardium, a software company that helps organisations to modernise in ways that support entrepreneurship, and is also a co-founder along with Helen of Venture Folk, a social enterprise that delivers projects tackling societal and environmental issues.

The Nature Friendly Farming Network (NFFN) is a UK-wide, farmer-led membership organisation which supports thousands of farmers in their journeys towards working in ways that reduce their dependence on artificial and chemical inputs and put nature at the heart of food production. It hosts knowledge sharing events for farmers to learn from their peers while lobbying for food and farming policies from governments across the UK and the supply chain which support farmers to work in nature-friendly and regenerative ways.