2010 - 2024

This session will provide an update on the situation for small and local abattoirs in the UK. With further closures over the past year, many farmers are facing a crisis as they struggle to find an abattoir to meet their needs. Government funding is set to be rolled out at the start of 2024 and this session will provide an opportunity to find out more about the fund, who can apply and how farmers can…

A farming journey, founded on the vital importance of meadows. The meadow is the mother of the farming system. We want to bring back this old saying with natural unfertilised meadows; to show you how to produce everything you need for a healthy life and sustainable business through increasing biodiversity using the meadow system. By feeding animals meadow hay you bring in micro- minerals and fertiliser to your land, enabling the creation of amazing produce,…

The power of pesticide companies and the drive for profit is hindering the efforts of campaigners and policy- makers when it comes to pesticide reduction. We will discuss the ways in which corporate influence on policy and science underpin injustice in global food systems. We will explore the topic of investors influencing, or withdrawing support for companies that are driving biodiversity decline and harming human health, and what we can learn from the climate movement…

No-till has risen in popularity in recent years but many growers still struggle to adopt the practice and remain chemical-free. While no-till and min-till techniques have taken off in horticulture, a prominent question remains – how do you terminate your cover crops without chemicals or destructive tillage? Through the Innovative Farmers programme, growers are pioneering new machinery and strip till techniques to find ways of maximising the benefits to soil health. In this session, you’ll…

The Fibreshed movement is a network of not-for-profit groups working to create local supply networks for agroecologically farmed fibres and dyes. This session launches the new Farming Fashion Toolkit, and will focus on wool, being currently our most abundant yet chronically undervalued natural fibre resource, and is open to sheep farmers as well as those interested in working with it. The first half of the session will take the format of an introduction to the…

Farm animals have been recognised as sentient beings and the role of early separation between young animals and their mothers an increasing point of contention. In this session, we hear from three experts who are championing natural weaning and who will highlight the multiple benefits of adopting a later and natural approach with the mother removing the young animal herself. Keeping animals together typically leads to improved animal welfare outcomes, which impacts longevity and economic…

The model of Share Farming is common elsewhere in the world, especially in New Zealand where it provides a pathway for new entrants to progress from getting started through to farm ownership. But how might it work in the UK? Join a panel of share farmers, industry professionals and a Churchill Scholar as they look at how the model works elsewhere and the opportunities and challenges for this model becoming more widespread in the UK.

LUSH is a model for providing high- quality food to food poverty projects at the same time as paying the supplier a full price and addressing social and community needs. We think this partnership arrangement is an unusually nifty model that addresses the many challenges of working in this area, so we want to explain and showcase it. We will examine the issues and hear a case study from the ground.

Understand what makes a good story, unlock your creativity and kickstart your ideas in this interactive media education session with the Just Farmers team. Join broadcast journalist and author Anna Jones, filmmaker Alex Price and Just Farmers’ Managing Editor Emily Davies for an hour-long Make Yourself Heard Workshop that explores the relationship between the public and the media. Learn what the media wants by developing your news sense and editorial judgement, and have a go…