My visit to the Oxford Real Farming Conference 2017

This week I traveled across the country to Oxford for the 8th annual Oxford Real Farming Conference which is held in the Town Hall in the heart of the city. I arrived on Wednesday for two days of presentations, discussions and networking. It was, as always, superbly organised and I want to congratulate the organisingContinueContinue reading “My visit to the Oxford Real Farming Conference 2017”

Brexit: An opportunity to change how we support food, farming and nature – Guest Post by Miles King

Caption: Should a future farm support scheme subsidise bioenergy crops? ©Miles King It’s finally 2017, and we can say goodbye to 2016 – what a year that was. Many may celebrate a new dawn breaking for Britain (or England anyway), while others will be very worried about future prospects for their families, businesses and ourContinueContinue reading “Brexit: An opportunity to change how we support food, farming and nature – Guest Post by Miles King”

Book Review: ‘The Dirty Life’ by Kristin Kimball

When you set out in your early adult life it is tempting to establish goals or to second guess the direction in which your life might head. It seems that, for my generation, we expect or are expected to be high achievers in every ‘area’ of life – career, relationships and gaining that apparently ohContinueContinue reading “Book Review: ‘The Dirty Life’ by Kristin Kimball”

A Farming and Conservation Partnership Success Story: The Cirl Bunting

According to the State of Nature report released earlier this year 12 out of the 26 breeding farmland birds are red listed (the highest category of risk of further decline or even extinction). Since 1970 the number of farmland birds has declined by 54%. Although it must be mentioned that since the early 1990s, when conservationContinueContinue reading “A Farming and Conservation Partnership Success Story: The Cirl Bunting”

Why do we (or at least most of us) eat turkey at Christmas?

Apologies to the vegetarians amongst you, but this post focuses on a bird that has dominated dining tables at Christmas for decades. Why are Brits so obsessed with eating turkey on Christmas Day when it is rarely eaten at other times of the year? According to YouGov, families in Britain spent an average of £796ContinueContinue reading “Why do we (or at least most of us) eat turkey at Christmas?”