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Farming Today: Embracing change in agriculture, Scottish agriculture promotion, Funny farmer, Oxford Real Farming Conference

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02/01/2018

Embracing change in agriculture, Scottish agriculture promotion, Funny farmer, Oxford Real Farming Conference

BBC Radio 4 - Farming Today, Embracing change in agriculture, Scottish agriculture promotion, Funny farmer, Oxford Real Farming Conference

As the New Year's resolutions kick in, it is all about 'embracing change' in farming.

As the New Year's resolutions kick in, it is all about 'embracing change' in farming: Charlotte Smith speaks to Ed Ford of the National Federation of Young Farmers' Clubs.

The Secretary of State for the Environment, Michael Gove, is expected to outline a potential post-Brexit farm payment system, as he addresses attendees of the Oxford Farming Conference and the Oxford Real Farming Conference this week -, both of which Farming Today will be attending.
One thing is already clear: farmers can expect change, with a capital C. Charlotte Smith asked Essex farmer Ed Ford, chairman of the National Federation of Young Farmers' Clubs, about what the next generation of farmers are hoping for in 2018.

At the Oxford conferences, there'll undoubtedly be some discussion over the importance of attracting new blood into agriculture - possibly taking inspiration from a new Scottish Government-backed initiative, that's appointing young ambassadors to persuade their peers to consider a career in the sector. BBC Scotland's Northern Isles reporter Ewan Murrie met up with one of the newly-appointed industry champions at his family farm on the mainland of Shetland.

To another Scottish farmer now - and Jim Smith from Perthshire has found a rather unique way to diversify: stand-up comedy. Richard Baynes has been finding out more.

This week, Farming Today will be broadcasting from the two big agricultural meetings of the new year: the Oxford Farming Conference, which has been running since 1936, and the Oxford Real Farming Conference, which was established nine years ago to offer an 'antidote' to the original event and which shines a spotlight on sustainability and the environment. Increasingly delegates try to make it to both events and there is one joint session, which this year is all about beer. But Nessie Reid, the ORFC programme manager, tells Charlotte there are some integral differences between the two as well.

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