The Farmers Guardian Podcast – Details, episodes & analysis

Our Yorkshire Farm, featuring the Owen family, was an immediate success with TV viewers. Looking into the Owen family's life with nine children on one of the most remote hill farms in the country enthralled the nation, and now, six years later, one member, Reuben Owen, is carving out his own path. His latest TV series, Life In The Dales, has been a hit, and he is making his own mark on the Yorkshire Dales with his new business. But farming, of course, is never far from his mind. 

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On the podcast this week, we learn about the value of agritourism and diversification in Scotland with Dundee farmer Caroline Millar. Escaping from the world to a farm's tranquil surroundings in the Angus countryside could be the ideal answer for any couple seeking a romantic weekend getaway, with the diversification working hand-in-hand alongside the farm. The Hideaway Experience at Balkello Farm, run by Scottish farmers Caroline and Ross Millar alongside their two children Finlay and Sophie, is a collection of self-catering holiday lodges in Dundee offering bespoke luxury features including saunas and hot tubs. Guests can also enjoy the food which is produced on-farm during their stay. Rated five-stars by Scotland's national tourist organisation VisitScotland, guests can also relish the comforting surroundings of a log burning fire during winter, grill delicious red meat on a gas BBQ during summer and enjoy the wildlife surroundings of the Angus countryside in holiday lodges. The farm has two units across the 263-hectare mixed arable business, with around 120 breeding cows including Aberdeen-Angus and Herefords, and growing cereals. Branching into the world of agritourism, an agricultural operation which attracts tourists to a farm, in 2005, Caroline said her farming background has played a valuable role in her strong work ethic. Enjoy the pod!

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As part of our special podcast series brought to you by the School of Sustainable Food and Farming at Harper Adams University, this episode shares helpful on-farm tips to improve water and waste management, whilst looking at some of the practical challenges including infrastructure and investment. Livestock farmers Lizzie Halton-Harrop and Rob Havard, LEAF technical co-ordinate Megan Whatty and Berkshire arable farmer and former winner of BBC Countryfile Young Countryside Champion Eleanor Gilbert look at how to balance production, profit and ecological gain across the land, and how nurturing our ecosystems can help improve water and waste management. 

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Alex Black spoke to Farming Minister Mark Spencer about the latest changes to the Environmental Land Management scheme and his role being the voice of the farmer within Defra

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Hannah Park and Emily Ashworth shine a light on some of the fantastic support networks and initiatives in the rural sector which are available to people should they need it with. Join them as they welcome guests Alex Phillimore at the Farming Community Network, a charity at the heart of the rural community providing support in many forms and Sheena Horna, one of the founders of #Run1000 – an initiative set up three years ago to inspire people to get moving and experience the benefits this can have on mental wellbeing in January while raising money for worthy rural charities.

Farming Community Network

https://fcn.org.uk/

#Run1000

https://www.run1000.org/

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Alex Black remembers the key events of 2022 with NFU deputy president Tom Bradshaw and takes a look at the farmland market and the trends for the year ahead with Savills' Charlie Paton.

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The next episode in our 'At Home With' series is all about art, country life, women and business with Lucy Gray AKA Doodling Lucy. With over 15,000 followers on Instagram, Lucy has seen her rural based art business blossom, especially after deciding to dedicate herself to it throughout Lockdown. But this is much more than just art, because Lucy is using her platform to highlight mental health, sustainability and champion farming and the rural community.

You can see what Lucy gets up to on her instagram @doodlinglucy5 or visit her website to find out more https://doodlinglucy.com/

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FG editor Ben Briggs reflects on November’s Nuffield Farming Conference, which FG was media partners for. He speaks to former Nuffield scholars, current scholars and organisers of the amazing event in Cardiff and ask them what Nuffield means to them, why people should apply and what makes a good presentation.

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For some children, the chance to run wild and free in a big grassy field, is a far-off dream they might never experience. Disadvantaged urban living is leaving many children around the UK with a poverty of experience, particularly when it comes to nature. One charity and its farmers are trying to change that though. Jez Fredenburgh speaks to Mary Hext at The Country Trust, which takes thousands of children a year to visit farms, and Michael Gent, a host farmer in Northamptonshire, about why sharing the countryside with the children is so rewarding.

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