The 2026 Oxford Farming Conference (OFC) report, UK Agriculture: Grasping the Opportunities, authored by Dr Louise Manning is kindly supported by a generous donation from the Frank Parkinson Agricultural Trust. It calls for urgent action to reshape UK farming into a confident, mission-led and opportunity-driven sector. Drawing on insights from 25 leaders and disruptors across the agrifood system, the report challenges policymakers, industry and farmers alike to embrace change, build resilience, and invest in people, technology and innovation. As Dr Manning notes, “Change is not optional. The UK farming sector has reinvented itself many times before – it can, and must, do so again.”

Read the press release here. 

Read the Executive Summary here.

Read the full report here.- if you would prefer to read chapters indivually, the full list of downloads can be found a the bottom of this page. 

Here is the business and personal assessment form. 

Listen to the OFC podcast here, with author Dr Louise Manning, Ali Capper, hop and apple farmer and OFC Director, George Collison, argi and rural consultant and Nicola Shadbolt, a New Zealand farmer and professor in farm and agribusiness management. 

Full report chapters can be accessed below.

Chapter 1 - Political and economic context

Chapter 2 - Policy context

Chapter 3 - Mindset and thinking

Chapter 4 - Self-identify: "I am a farmer"

Chapter 5 - Mission-led agricultural businesses

Chapter 6 - Portfolio asset management: a farming-related perspective

Chapter 7 - The business as an investment product

Chapter 8 - Looking forward

Acronyms & references