Field to Front Door – Episode 14 on selling direct, harvest, food prices and taking back control

Today we’re back with Field to Front Door 🎙️

David, Martin and Wallace catching up as harvest continues, with plenty happening around grain, changing markets and some increasingly ambitious plans from David.

We got into regenerative milling wheat, cleaning grain, mixed cropping and what Martin has learned from growing wheat and peas together. There was also plenty around harvest, from spelt and buckwheat through to linseed and how different crops are performing this year.

A big part of this one was David’s latest experiment with selling food directly from farms to consumers. Potatoes, vegetables, flour, apples and even milk are already involved, with meat potentially coming next. We spoke about whether farmers can work together to create a genuinely competitive alternative that gives customers fresher food while being completely transparent about what the farmer actually gets paid.

That led into a wider chat about supermarkets, postage, contracts and why the price paid to farmers can feel completely disconnected from what eventually reaches the consumer. We also got into the drought, food shortages and why farming seems to operate differently from almost every other industry when supply drops.

And we finished with the British Farming Awards, with David up for Content Creator of the Year and somehow already making friends with the competition 😂

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 Grace on the R2Kast 🎙️ Grace is a British vet based in New Zealand, working across large animal medicine, parasite management and the development of DAGI, while also helping establish the Aotearoa Veterinarians Union. 🌾

We spoke about a pretty incredible upbringing across Australia, Papua New Guinea, Africa and the Middle East, before eventually coming back to the UK to study veterinary medicine at Bristol. From there her career took her through Cornwall and South Africa before eventually settling in New Zealand and building a life and career there. 🍎

A big part of the conversation focused on drench resistance and DAGI, which stands for Drench and Grazing Integration. We spoke about refugia, grazing, weather and parasite risk, and how DAGI is helping make some of those invisible decisions much easier for farmers to see. We also got into the scale of drench resistance in New Zealand and plans to bring DAGI to the UK. 🌍

DAGI are currently looking for UK farmers interested in being part of the beta trial ahead of its planned launch here. Anyone interested can get in touch with Grace and the team through the DAGI website contact page or at info.dagi.nz@gmail.com.

We also chatted about veterinary wellbeing, setting up the Aotearoa Veterinarians Union, biosecurity, travelling the world and why your veterinary degree doesn’t have to define everything you do for the rest of your career.

Enjoy! 🙂

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Today on Tales of a Nuffield Scholar supported by NFU Mutual we bring series two to a close with something slightly different 🎙️ After seven episodes looking at the presentation groups taking to the stage at the 2026 Nuffield Farming Scholarships Conference in Leeds, we finish with the Next Gen Scholars who will also be taking to that stage to share their experiences 🌱

The Next Gen Scholarship gives those aged 18 to 25 the opportunity to experience Nuffield through a curated study tour, travelling together, visiting businesses and learning from some of the best people across the sector. For this episode we hear from both the Regenerative Agriculture and Dairy groups who will be presenting their experiences in Leeds 🌍

First up were Regenerative Agriculture Next Gen Scholars Summer Wyatt Buchan and Jessica Walker, with Craig Alexander Byrne completing their group but unfortunately unable to join us for the episode. We heard about four weeks travelling together around farms and businesses across England and Wales, exploring soil health, resilience, livestock integration and the importance of community within regenerative systems 🚜

What really stood out was how much the experience went beyond simply learning about regenerative practices. For Summer, coming from outside farming but working within climate resilience, it offered an intense introduction to practical agriculture. For Jessica, growing up on an organic beef and sheep farm in the Scottish Borders, it provided the opportunity to challenge what she already knew and learn from the journeys of people who have spent years developing their systems.

For the second half we moved into dairy with Lottie Wilson, Ed Martin and Isobel Bennett 🐄 Three young dairy farmers already taking serious responsibility within their family businesses, but operating across completely different systems in Wales, Scotland and England.

Their journey took them from Yorkshire through Scotland and across England before heading to the Netherlands, seeing everything from low input grazing systems to incredibly intensive automated dairies. We spoke about labour, succession, efficiency, family farming, environmental pressures and what British dairy can learn from the challenges already being faced elsewhere in Europe 🌾

One of my favourite parts of both conversations was hearing how quickly strangers became friends. Weeks travelling in the same car, staying with hosts and constantly questioning what they were seeing created relationships that will undoubtedly continue long after the scholarship itself. That network has always been one of the most powerful parts of Nuffield and it was brilliant seeing it beginning so early for these six scholars.

All six Next Gen Scholars will take to the stage in Leeds alongside the wider Nuffield Scholar presentations, sharing what they learned from their respective journeys and what they plan to take forward. It feels like a really fitting way to finish series two and our preview of what you can expect from the 2026 conference.

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

Enjoy! 🙂

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Today I had Tim on the R2Kast 🎙️ Tim is a livestock farmer in Yorkshire, Deputy Chair of the Food Standards Agency and someone who has spent his career working across agriculture, science and public health. 🌾

We spoke about farming in the South Pennines, running Beef Shorthorn cattle and sheep, and why changing weather patterns are becoming one of the biggest challenges facing upland farming. We also discussed his passion for working with nature, producing high quality food and creating a farm that leaves a positive legacy for future generations. 🍎

A big part of the conversation focused on the Food Standards Agency and the role it plays in keeping food safe, tackling food fraud and assessing emerging technologies such as precision breeding and cultured proteins. We also discussed how science, evidence and independent regulation help shape public confidence in the food system and why understanding where our food comes from has never been more important. 🌍

We also chatted about his journey through medical research, helping establish NICE, the relationship between agriculture and human health, and why following your passions and staying curious can lead to opportunities you never expected. It was a fascinating conversation that brought together farming, science and policy in a way that affects every one of us.

Enjoy! 🙂

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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! 🙂

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

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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