The FarmED Podcast

Guest: Abby Allen, Director of Farming at Pipers FarmHost: Ian Wilkinson, Founder of FarmEDAbby talks about her role, how the Piper’s Farm model can be upscaled and her views on the future of regenerative farming. There’s a hopeful takehome message too.The FarmED Podcast seeks to offer ‘hopeful conversations around farming, food, nature and the environment.’ At this crucial moment in time, when biodiversity loss and climate change is at the forefront of everyone’s minds, we hope these entertaining and important exchanges of knowledge with specialists in their field will offer thought-provoking ideas and inspiration. Please follow us on Instagram @TheFarmEDPodcastAbout Pipers Farm: Pipers Farm was founded by Peter and Henri Greig in 1989 as a reaction to the increasing industrialisation of farming. Pipers Farm works directly with a network of 50 small, independent, family-run farms, rearing high-quality meat using nature-friendly practices. At the heart of Pipers Farm is the belief that livestock should be reared ‘in harmony with nature’. It champions pasture-fed, native breeds and passionately campaigns for small-scale abattoirs.www.pipersfarm.com @pipersfarmFor more information and a full transcript, visit:https://www.farm-ed.co.uk/news/57/the-farmed-podcast-episode-2-abby-allen-director-of-farming-at-pipers-farmAbout FarmED: FarmED is a living textbook of regenerative farming, on a 107 acre demonstration farm in the Cotswolds, a place for learning, meeting and eating. www.farm-ed.co.uk

Guest: Chris Rumming from Lydiard Turkeys  Host: Alex Dye, FarmED’s Public Engagement Coordinator and resident entomologist Thanks for listening to The FarmED Podcast where you can hear hopeful conversations around farming, food, nature and the environment, brought to you by the FarmED team.  Follow us on Instagram @thefarmedpodcast In Episode 1 of this brand new series, Chris Rumming talks to Alex about high welfare turkeys, different breeds (White vs Bronze), game hanging, turkey anecdotes and how farming turkeys has helped Chris to make connections with customers and help them to connect with their purchasing of food through selling direct. Plus, you’ll hear how farming turkeys has given Chris the financial freedom to do environmental work. There’s also some tips on how to decipher turkey ‘chatter’, how to entertain a turkey, and of course some recipe tips for a perfect Christmas turkey roast!  About FarmED: FarmED is a living textbook of regenerative farming, on a 107 acre demonstration farm in the Cotswolds, a place for learning, meeting and eating.  www.farm-ed.co.uk.  About Lydiard Turkeys: Lydiard Turkeys and pop-up farm shop, is run by Chris and Lindsay Rumming on the family farm near Swindon.  They are passionate about high animal welfare, great tasting meat and nature friendly farming. For more information and a full transcript, visit: https://www.farm-ed.co.uk/news/53/the-return-of-the-farmed-podcast (https://www.farm-ed.co.uk/news/53/the-return-of-the-farmed-podcast)

Kate talks to Helen Wade from East Leach Downs Farm who has 45 organic sows with all progeny spending their entire lives outdoors, able to dig, root and graze herbal leys.They talk about Helen's journey into farming, what she has learnt along the way and how she is encouraging members of the public to visit the farm by installing a visitor hut. 

Kate talks to Amy Chapple about Redwoods Farm in Devon, where she has laying hens that roost in converted livestock trailers and her parents have broilers that live in 'chicken tractors' or polytunnels. They all get moved around the farm, following the cattle and sheep, scratching up the dung and keeping their active minds busy. Their chickens are fed on a soya-free diet with most of the feed being grown less than 10 miles from the farm. 

Fiona talks to bestselling author, Rosamund Young, in advance of the Farm & Food Literature Festival at FarmED next month. Rosamund talks about her life at Kite’s Nest Farm, on the edge of the Cotswold escarpment, where she has been an organic farmer for over forty years. Peek into the surprising private lives of some of our most familiar animals.

Danielle talks to Pete Russell, Founder of Ooooby, an online platform for small farms and local food producers to sell and deliver directly to homes. Ooooby’s mission is to put ‘small-scale’ back at the heart of our food system. More than 80 UK farms and food hubs are now using Ooooby every week to deliver local food to over 10,000 local households.

Danielle talks to soil scientist, Jed Soleiman, who is currently working at FarmED as part of the Centre for High Carbon Capture Cropping (CHCx3) Project. Jed is passionate about regenerative agriculture and rewilding, particularly in understanding the responses of soils to these, and other land uses that could help build the physical basis to bring about nature recovery. Focusing mainly on the UK, Jed has previously worked on understanding mycorrhizal responses to rewilding at the Knepp Wildland, and is now working at FarmED under CHCx3 to investigate changes to soil carbon and energetics under arable regenerative agriculture regimes. It is hoped that this knowledge can help contribute to and inform the diverse land-use matrix we need to achieve successful landscape scale conservation in the UK.Jed holds an MA in Geography from the University of Cambridge, an MPhil in Biodiversity, Conservation, and Management from the University of Oxford, and is currently studying for his DPhil (PhD) at the University of Oxford with the Ecosystems Lab and Leverhulme Centre for Nature Recovery. In his spare time, Jed is also a keen gardener, wilder, and forager who loves to share his passions with anyone who’s keen to listen!

Kate talks to Flavian Obiero, a Hampshire County Farms tenant at Tynefield Farm in Titchfield. He manages 61 acres of permanent pasture & woodland with his partner Nikki and son, Noah. They have Tamworth pigs, ex-dairy goats and a mixed-breed sheep flock. All the animals are destined for meat. They currently sell through their catering business and a few markets. Future plans include selling more locally and also setting up a butchery facility on the farm, processing fresh pork and cured meats.

Fiona talks to FarmED’s beekeeper, Tony Yarrow, in advance of his two day course at FarmED - Honey Bees & their World (18th April). Tony began keeping bees in Wales in 1975.  He has worked as a bee expert with two beehive manufacturing companies and has known and worked with some of the UK’s largest commercial beekeepers. Tony keeps 15-20 colonies in four sites in North Oxfordshire, including here at FarmED, producing around half a ton of surplus honey a year for the FarmED Cafe and kitchen. 

Kate talks to Tim Field, sustainable food, farming and land management consultant and Facilitator of the North East Cotswold Farmer Cluster, a group of local farmers and landowners interested in landscape-scale regeneration of the farmed environment and local food networks in the North East Cotswolds.

Hallam Duckworth talks to Kate about setting up the cow-calf Dairyy at Honeydale. They discuss the challenges and the highs and lows - from getting weaning times right to retaining customers, developing a business plan and fulfilling his dream of making ice cream and selling it to customers at festivals.

Ian talks to Cotswold Seeds Technical Manager, Sam Lane, about what’s in a herbal ley and how they can be tailored for different soils and uses. They discuss the benefits they bring above and below ground, improving soil fertility and encouraging earthworms, while reducing parasitic worms in livestock. Sam also talks about the new, more flexible, herbal ley options with SFI.

In advance of FarmED’s unique one-day, CPD-accredited Rural Mental Health Course in February, Kate talks to Alex Philmore from the Farming Community Network (FCN) about this issue, why 92% of farmers under 40 believe poor mental health is the biggest hidden problem they face and what you can do to notice the signs and make a difference.

Ian talks to our intern Abi about her degree in zoology and masters in tropical ecology and conservation and how it’s brought her to regenerative farming. Abi talks about starting a career in regenerative agriculture and agroecology, overcoming barriers and imposter syndrome and why she loves working in the Kitchen Garden.

Tanya talks to Fiona about taking honey bees back to their ancestral home in the trees. At FarmED free-living bees occupy hollow cavities made in old trees by wood sculptor Rhys Davies. She talks about the hive mind, encompassing intelligence of bees, mating patterns, communication channels and the differences between wild and managed colonies. She also explains how honey can help cure skin problems. 

Danielle talks about using waste from the FarmED kitchen to produce rich compost for use in the Kitchen Garden, minimising food waste. She talks us through Compost tumblers, Bokashi (a Japanese form of fermentation) and using earthworms and microorganisms to produce the richest compost.

What does Farm to Fork food mean and how does it work in restaurants and at home? Sally and Fiona discuss supply chains, food miles, working with Community Supported Agriculture Schemes, and how to eat more seasonally and nutritionally. Recipe tips included! 

Tim May from Kingsclere Estate talks about his innovative Pitch-Up project (running throughout November), a creative way of opening up opportunities for farming entrepreneurs, from shepherds to chicken enterprises and counsellors. He discusses the importance of including a budget for mental health and embracing the ‘cycle of change’.

Ever wondered how farmers decide what to grow in their fields each season? Do you remember learning about Turnip Townsend in history lessons at school? Ian explains how growing a succession of different crops reduces the need for chemicals and improves the quality of the soil, offering environmental and economic sustainability. He discusses the eight year rotation at FarmED, including four year herbal leys, a mixture of seventeen grasses, legumes and herbs. Regenerative farming. 

Podcast hosts, Kate and Danielle, introduce the brand new series of FarmED Podcasts. They discuss our new flagship course, An Introduction to Agriculture and talk about their own introductions to agriculture. Kate talks about her grandfather, George Henderson and his inspiring book, The Farming Ladder, while Danielle talks about her passion for earthworms.