Oxford Farming Conference Inspire bursary delegates revealed

Inspire

Eighteen progressive people from the agrifood industry have been awarded fully funded places to attend the Oxford Farming Conference which runs from 5 - 7 January 2022.

The ‘Inspire’ programme targeted at 30 - 45 year olds replaces the Emerging Leaders initiative which has run since 2017 and has an alumni of over 70 people.

The group selected for Inspire 2022 represent a wide range of sectors in agriculture, food and the environment, including a software developer, teacher and vet.

In addition to the January conference, the group will attend a pre-conference away day from Thursday 2nd to Friday 3rd December including dinner, a guest speaker, exclusive visit, networking session and overnight accommodation at The Farmers Club in London.

The programme, sponsored by The Institute for Agriculture and Horticulture (TIAH), has been designed to support individuals who would otherwise face barriers to attending the Conference.

Commenting on the announcement, OFC Director Emily Norton said,

We had a huge number of excellent applications, making it a real challenge for our panel to make their selection. Through creating Inspire, we really wanted to develop an initiative that supported those who have not attended the OFC before and may not have been able to attend this year without the support of a bursary.

As well as coming from a wide range of backgrounds, skills and experience, our 2022 cohort have all demonstrated a commitment to agriculture, to improving the diversity of our sector and to providing opportunities to others, for example through encouraging the next generation or developing new communications approaches.

“We really look forward to bringing the group together in London to learn from each other and our great guests and experiences, and I am excited to start their journey towards OFC together”

The (OFC) is the leading international conference held in the UK for farming and agribusiness. Its charitable remit is to inform, challenge and inspire all those who attend, to resonate and be a force for positive change throughout the industry. The OFC Inspire Programme brings a key audience to the Conference, immerses them in Conference activity, inspires them to progress their own business and relay experiences to others.

OFC 2022 Inspire Programme Delegates (read their full biographies here)

Polly

Davies

South Wales

Tenant Farmer

Claire

Eastham

Dorset

Farmer and Advisor

Joe

Fisher

Nottinghamshire

Farmer

Bryony

Gittins

Monmouthshire

Farmer

Charles

Goadby

Warwickshire

Farmer

Kendra

Hall

Wiltshire

Agricultural and Rural Communicator with Reverberate PR

Kelly

Hewson Fisher

Lincolnshire

Lincolnshire Catchment Advisor for Anglian Water

Ed

Hodson

Lincolnshire

Product Specialist for GRIMME UK Ltd and Vice Chairman of the Agricultural Engineers Association Technical Committee

Sarah

Law

Aberdeenshire

Farmer and Business Development Manager in the Distillery, Food & Beverage industries

Emily

Linton

Cornwall

Veterinary Surgeon

Sean

McDermott

Northern Ireland

Head Gardener with L'Arche Community Belfast

Flavian

Obiero

Sussex

Farmer

Adam

Short

Devon

Smallholder and, founder of MA Systems Ltd and Cloud-Lines.com

Emma

Smail

South Yorkshire

Project Manager for the Trent Rivers Trust

Alec

Smith

Suffolk

Chartered Environmentalist and Senior Business Advisor for Sentry Limited

Dan

Stamper

Cumbria

Agricultural Lecturer at Kendal College

Gregg

Tayler

Shropshire

Farm Manager

Chris

Taylor

Monmouthshire

Agronomist

The Oxford Farming Conference will take place from 5 to 7 January 2022, focused on the theme “Routes to Resilience. Delegates have the option to attend in Oxford or online. Tickets are now on sale at www.ofc.org.uk

For further details or interviews, please contact marketing@ofc.org.uk or Rebecca on 07792 467730