Defra Farming Podcast – Details, episodes & analysis

Defra Animal Health and Welfare lead Martin Jenkins talks to North West dairy farmer Karen Halton and vet James Russell about the support that is available from government to help livestock farmers drive down disease and improve animal health and welfare on their farms.

Guidance for farmers and apply now - Guidance for farmers - Annual health and welfare review of livestock (defra.gov.uk)

AHDB material for vets - What is the Annual Health and Welfare Review? | AHDB

In episode 14 of the Defra Farming podcast, Michael Sturla talks to Robin and Christopher Milton, a father and son team farming beef and sheep on the Exmoor uplands, who have recently signed up to SFI.

Robin and Christopher share how they found the SFI application process and the SFI actions they have signed up to that suit their farming system, including clover and herbal leys, hedgerows, nutrient management, integrated pest management and vet visits.

Find out more about how to apply for SFI https://farming.campaign.gov.uk

Read more on the latest SFI announcement from Defra https://defrafarming.blog.gov.uk/2024/01/04/environmental-land-management-in-2024-details-of-actions-and-payments

In the sixth episode of the Future Farming podcast, Janet talks with British Farming Awards Arable Innovator of the Year Tim Parton.

Tim is Farm Manager at Brewood Park Farm, Staffordshire, where he manages 300 hectares using regenerative agriculture methods. Listen in to find out how Tim has moved to no-till, reduced insecticide and fungicide use and brewed his own nitrogen-fixing bacteria.

Follow Tim @parker419 and Janet @JanetHughes on Twitter.

In September 2021 the Farming Forum held a two-part Q&A session with Janet Hughes, Defra’s Future Farming and Countryside Programme Director. Farmers were invited to submit their questions about the Sustainable Farming Incentive. Clive Bailye, Director of the Farming Forum, put the most-asked questions to Janet.

The original videos can be watched here and here. We are making this version available as slightly abridged highlights version on the podcast. 

In our third Future Farming podcast, Janet Hughes talks to Gabe Brown.

Gabe has been named one of the twenty-five most influential agricultural leaders in the United States. He is one of the pioneers of the soil health movement and author of the book, “Dirt to Soil, One Family’s Journey Into Regenerative Agriculture.”

He farms at Brown’s Ranch, a diversified 5,000 acre farm and ranch in North Dakota, with his wife Shelly and son Paul.

Gabe is  a partner in the regenerative farming consultancy Understanding Ag and an instructor for the Soil Health Academy, which teaches the power and importance of healthy functioning ecosystems.

You can read more about the six principles of soil health here.

In our second Future Farming podcast, Janet Hughes talks to Nic Renison.

Nic farms with her husband Paul on the edge of the North Pennines in Cumbria, where they produce cattle, sheep, pigs and chickens. They are part of a growing movement towards regenerative farming that has been picking up pace since 2014. 

Nic is on the steering group for the Nature Friendly Farming Network (NFFN) and is part of the Carbon Calling @carboncallfarm regenerative conference organising team.

In this podcast, Nic shares her approach to farming and her views on the future of the industry and the English countryside. Janet and Nic also discuss farm life in the North Pennines and the Renisons’ homemade version of the eggmobile!

You can follow Nic on Instagram @renisons_farm and Twitter @NRenison

In our first ever Future Farming podcast, Janet Hughes talks to Neil Heseltine. 

Neil is a farmer and the Chair of the Yorkshire Dales National Park Authority. He works with The Pasture-Fed Livestock Association (PFLA), The Nature Friendly Farming Network (NFFN) and Land Workers Alliance. 

Janet and Neil discuss how working with nature can not only safeguard it but can be more profitable. 

Neil was born and grew up on Hill Top Farm at Malham in the Yorkshire Dales National Park. He runs the farm with his partner Leigh Weston. 

You can follow them on Instagram and Twitter @hilltopfarmgirl

In episode 13 of the Defra Farming Podcast, Defra Productivity and Innovation Lead Andrew Powley spoke to Richard Wordsworth, NFU Senior Adviser (Support Schemes), and North Yorkshire beef and sheep farmer Richard Findlay.

The group's in-depth conversation covers everything you need to know as a farmer to access business support through the government's Farming Resilience Fund.

Find out more on GOV.UK about how to get free business advice for your farm through the Defra Farming Resilience Fund.

You can read Andrew's blog posts on the Resilience Fund on the Defra farming blog and you can also subscribe to the Defra Farming blog to stay up to date on all the latest news on government funding for farming in England.

The Sustainable Farming Incentive (SFI) pays farmers for actions that support food production, farm productivity and resilience, whilst protecting and enhancing the environment.

In 2023, the Sustainable Farming Incentive (SFI) will be bigger and more flexible with 23 pick and mix actions for farmers to choose from, including on soil health, moorland, hedgerows, integrated pest management, farmland wildlife, buffer strips, and low input grassland.

For episode 12 of the Defra Farming Podcast, we brought together Claire Robinson, Senior Countryside Adviser at the National Farmers Union, and Defra Sustainable Farming Incentive lead Jonathan Marsden to talk about what farmers can do to get ready to apply for SFI in 2023.

If you are a farmer or land manager and you'd like to apply for SFI this year, please fill out this online form.

Find out more about how to get ready for SFI.

In episode 11 of the Defra Farming podcast, Defra payments lead Lisa Warne talks to father and son John and Charlie Renner, who farm on the border of the  Northumberland National Park between Berwick-upon-Tweed and Alnwick.

Lisa gave an update about what's happening next in the growth and rollout of our environmental land management schemes. John and Charlie talked about how the new farming payments will fit in with the management of their farm and had plenty of questions about the new grants and actions from the farmer's point of view.

For more information on how the Renners farm, see the LEAF (Linking Environment And Farming) website.

There’s something for everyone in Defra's schemes and grants. We’ve made them much more straightforward, flexible and workable, so if you haven’t yet looked, now is the time. Find out what you can get paid for on the Defra Farming blog.