The Oxford Farming Conference

Thursday 8th December, 2022

08:45
OFC 2023 Fringes - hosted online in December - watch back here

The Oxford Farming Conference and partners hosted a full day of live fringes, on Thursday 8 December 2022. You can watch back the session, by visiting our video library. Our thanks go to our Headline Sponsor, Trinity AgTech, and all the Fringes hosts for their support of the fringe programme and OFC 2023, which takes place in Oxford from 4 to 6 January 2023. 

Wednesday 4th January, 2023

12:00
OFC TICKETS
To book your ticket for OFC2023, click here.

In-person tickets, to join us in Oxford, will close on 16 December 2022.

Digital tickets, to watch online, will close on 2 January 2023.

12:30
OFC AGM
13:00
Scholars Leadership Training

This session is only open to OFC Scholars and will take place at the Examination Schools. If you are a Scholar, you will receive an email ahead of the conference with more information.

14:00
Inspire Programme Gathering

This session is only open to OFC Inspire delegates and will take place at the Examination Schools. If you are an Inspire delegate, you will receive an email, ahead of the conference, with more information.

16:30
OFC 2023 Report Launch

Supply Chain Synergies: What is the appropriate role of supply chains in achieving responsible production at farm level?

Speaker: Lesley Mitchell, Forum for the Future

The launch will take place at the Oxford University Museum of Natural History and is included with your OFC conference ticket. Space is on a first-come basis so we recommend arriving early to get a seat.

This session will run from 16:30 to 17:30

17:30
Fieldwork Book Club, in partnership with OFC

Hosted in partnership with the Fieldwork Book Club, this session will see Adam Bedford interview authors, Sarah Langford and Bella Bathurst, as they discuss their books and reflections on agriculture. 

This session takes place at the Oxford University Museum of Natural History and is included with your OFC ticket. Space is on a first come basis, you do not need to pre-register.

18:00
Innovative Farmers' Great Beer Debate

As part of a series of fringe events at this year’s Oxford Farming Conference and Oxford Real Farming Conference, Innovative Farmers will host a ‘Great Beer Debate’ on Wednesday 4 January 2023. The Innovative Farmers' Great Beer Debate is an opportunity to discuss some of the challenges we all face, while celebrating great produce grown by British farmers. This event requires booking, it is not included in your ticket. Click "more" to find the link.

Book your ticket here

18:30
Chair’s Welcome Event

Join us for our Welcome Event hosted by OFC 2023 Chair, Emily Norton with drinks and a light dinner included. This event is not included in your conference ticket but booking is available via the OFC Booking system.

Tickets cost £45 plus VAT and are on a first come basis.

This event will run from 18:30 to 22:00 at Oxford University Museum of Natural History

Thursday 5th January, 2023

07:00
The Mike Potter Memorial Run

Led by OFC Director Will Evans, this special (and short!) run is hosted in memory of Mike Potter, a friend and keen supporter of the Oxford Farming Conference.

07:25
Morning Prayers

Kickstart your day at the Oxford University Chapel as Bishop Helen-Ann Hartley (Bishop of Ripon) leads a special service for the Oxford Farming Conference. This event is open to anyone with a ticket for the conference.

07:30
Breakfast Session: GrowUp Farms

Join Oxford Farming Conference sponsor, GrowUp Farms, at this year's event for a breakfast session focused on collaboration across the British farming ecosystem...however you grow.  As GrowUp opens their newest farm in Kent, they're more focused than ever on the diversity and innovation needed to create a truly resilient food system for the UK.

GrowUp's founder, Kate Hofman, will facilitate an interactive workshop exploring opportunities for collaboration and integration between conventional and vertical growers. She'll be joined by GrowUp's Impact Director (and Sheep Farmer) Gillon Dobie, and Head of Projects (and Arable Farmer) Ben Logan for what we hope will be an engaging discussion over pastries and coffee. 

This breakfast session is open to any delegate who has purchased a ticket to attend OFC and will take place at the Oxford Examination Schools.To join and help manage catering, book your complimentary place, using the GrowUp Farm Eventbrite link found in your member area. Click here to login.

07:30
Breakfast Session: UK Agri-Tech Centres

Networking and presentations from the UK's Agri-Tech Centres. Includes breakfast. This breakfast session is open to any delegate who has purchased a ticket to attend OFC and will take place at the Oxford Examination Schools.To join and help manage catering, book your complimentary place, using the UK Agri-Tech Centres Eventbrite link found in your member area. Click here to login.

09:30
Conference Session 1: The Big Picture - Regenerative economies: political and trade systems for healthy, vibrant farming and communities.

OFC Chair, Emily Norton opens the first session of #OFC23, hosted at the Examination Schools. This session will run from 09:30 to 12:00

09:35
The future of sustainable trade

Jason Hafemeister  Acting Deputy Under Secretary for Trade and Foreign Agricultural Affairs and the Trade Counsel to the Secretary at the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) and Kimberley Botwright, Head of Sustainable Trade for the World Economic Forum.

10:00
Getting the rules right

Jojo Mehta, Executive Director and Co-Founder of Stop Ecocide International, and Kyle Lischak, Head of UK, ClientEarth

10:25
UK Policy

Mark Spencer - Minister of State (Minister for Food, Farming and Fisheries) Baroness Kate Rock  - farmer and Member of House of Lords, and Daniel Zeichner - Member of Parliament.

11:10
The Well-being of Future Generations Act

Jane Davidson, Author of #Futuregen: Lessons from a Small Country

11:30
The Frank Parkinson Lecture: Advancing Climate Change and Food System Solutions

Cynthia RosenzweigSenior Research Scientist and Head of the Climate Impacts Group at the NASA Goddard Institute for Space Studies. World Food Prize winner 2022, recognised for her work assessing climate change's threat to agriculture and food security.

11:50
OFC Honorary President

OFC Honorary President, HRH The Princess Royal, Princess Anne

12:00
Lunch & Networking

OFC 2023 has a real focus on networking this year, with even more time allocated over lunch and during the breaks, so you can meet as many people as possible. Take the next two hours to grab a bite, catch up with friends and make new connections.

12:30
Lunch Session: Nature, net zero and food - who decides best use of land?

Chair: Sue Pritchard, Chief Executive, Food, Farming and Countryside Commission. To help navigate decisions about how land is used in England, government has committed to introducing a Land Use Framework. But what is this, and what does it mean in practice for farm businesses? The Food, Farming & Countryside Commission (FFCC) will host a conversation between farmers and policymakers exploring how a Land Use Framework needs to work in order for farm businesses to flourish and for government to achieve its targets for climate and nature, food security, productivity and rural regeneration.

This lunchtime panel session is open to any delegate who has purchased a ticket to attend OFC and will take place at the Oxford Examination Schools.To join and help manage catering, book your complimentary place, using the FFCC Eventbrite link found in your member area. Click here to login.

14:00
Conference Session 2: Business and Innovation - Tomorrow's toolbox: businesses, ideas and innovation fit for the future.

This session will run from 14:00 - 16:30

14:05
The business case for nature-based solutions

James Alexander, Finance Earth, Beccy Speight, Chief Executive for RSPB and Jamie Butler from Meon Springs.

14:40
Farming Innovations

Dung Beetles for Farmers with Sally-Ann Spence - Entomologist and Farmer, Earth Observations with Jacquie McGlade, Agroforestry, is it just for hipsters who wear sandals? with Abi Reader - Farmer and NFU Cymru Deputy President, and Vertical Farming with Kate Hofman.

15:25
Scaling local food economies

Mairi Gougeon,Cabinet Secretary for Rural Affairs and Islands, Scottish Government / George Burgess, Interim Director of Agriculture and Rural Economy, Scottish Government / Jannine McMahon, Moss Lane Farm.

15:50
Farmers leading the battle for soil and soul

Sir Tim Smit, Executive Vice-Chair and Co-founder of the Eden Project

16:30
Event Close
16:45
Leadership Pathway

This event is opening open to OFC Scholars and Inspire Programme delegates, and will run from 16:45 to 17:45.

16:45
Teatime Session: Trinity Natural Capital Group - To farm a new future, we cannot do what we have always done.

Join Trinity Natural Capital Group at Oxford Farming Conference 2023 for an interactive and unique session looking at decision-making and implementation. To farm a new future, we cannot do what we have always done.During this networking event, you will be guided by expert speakers to explore your own mindset. Discover how our individual mindsets impact our decision making and affect the implementation of new management practices. Explore how we can change our own mindsets and discover tools to change the mindsets of others. This session will help us find out more about ourselves, the people around us, and how we can forge better connections to work collaboratively to farm a new future. Drinks and canapés provided.

This lunchtime panel session is open to any delegate who has purchased a ticket to attend OFC and will take place at the Oxford Examination Schools.To join and help manage catering, book your complimentary place, using the Trinity Natural Capital Group registration link found in your member area. Click here to login.

16:45
Teatime Session - Map of Ag: Adapting to the economic and environmental landscape

It's the end of the first full day of conference! Lots to consider and to digest. So why not join Map of Ag for a cup of tea/coffee and a slice of cake and hear from one of the UK's leading farm entrepreneurs, Charles Buckley, who will give a short talk and take questions. Charles is a farmer, developer and asset manager, founder and partner of Belport Limited and partner of Culworth Grounds Farm Partnership. He established Belport in 2016 with Alistair Emery to establish a creative team of entrepreneurial property professionals and asset managers with over £300 million of assets under management, most notably the Strutt and Parker Farms Ltd portfolio. Specialising in the agricultural and real estate sectors, its founders have extensive farming experience and a proven track record investing in and managing farms and estates. Charles will discuss his approach to farming and how his business interests are adapting to the economic and environmental landscape.  We are delighted to bring Charles exclusively to this session and look forward to you joining us to learn, unwind, and network with your peers...

This session is open to any delegate who has purchased a ticket to attend OFC and will take place at the Oxford Examination Schools.To join and help manage catering, book your complimentary place, using the Map of Ag registration link found in your member area. Click here to login.

18:45
The OFC Oxford Union Debate

Motion: This house believes that humans will not be needed on farms in a generation. Propose: Simon Pearson and Kit Franklin. Oppose: David Rose and Ben Taylor Davies. The debate will run from 18:45 – 19:30, please note space is limited at the Oxford Union debate chamber. Space is allocated on a first-come basis, with priority offered to those who pre-registered when purchasing their ticket.

 

19:45
McDonald's Celebration Dinner, North School

This event is only open to Scholars.

19:45
Post-debate Supper, Christ Church College

This event is not included in your conference ticket but booking is available via the OFC Booking system. Tickets cost £90 plus VAT and on a first-come basis.

 

Friday 6th January, 2023

07:30
Breakfast Session: CAAV

This breakfast session is open to any delegate who has purchased a ticket to attend OFC and will take place at the Oxford Examination Schools. To join and help manage catering, you may be required to book with the host partner, CAAV, using their own Eventbrite link. More information will follow late-November 2022.

07:45
Breakfast Session: BASF, Farming, the Biggest Job on Earth

Feeding an ever-growing population, conserving nature, economic uncertainty and responding to a changing climate. There has never been a more challenging time for farming, farmers, and the industry. That’s why BASF believe farming is the biggest job on earth. In this breakfast session at the Oxford Farming Conference, you’ll hear from farmers from both at home and abroad who are continuously battling these challenges whilst balancing the need to produce high-quality food and care for the natural environment for future generations. Farming, the Biggest Job on Earth provides a platform for those within the industry to share their stories and advocate for UK agriculture at a time when we need it the most. To show your support, join this session and receive a free Biggest Job on Earth T-Shirt.

Breakfast will be included.

This breakfast session is open to any delegate who has purchased a ticket to attend OFC and will take place at the Oxford Examination Schools.To join and help manage catering, book your complimentary place, using the BASF Eventbrite link found in your member area. Click here to login.

08:00
Breakfast Session:The Prince's Countryside Fund

The Prince’s Countryside Fund (PCF) and McDonalds UK & Ireland invite you to breakfast for the launch of our new practical guide which is supporting small family farms reduce their costs whilst maintaining productivity: The Great Grazing Guide. Farmers’ profits are under intense pressure: fertiliser and feed costs are rapidly rising at the same time uncertainty surrounds farm support payments. Whilst artificial fertiliser and concentrate feed have been a useful way to boost productivity, this new guide will look at other approaches which could reduce businesses reliance of them saving time and money, and with environmental benefits too. It will outline short-medium term ways of reducing their use, such as more efficient use of organic matter, and introduce ideas from regenerative agriculture such as the use of herbal leys, grazing and livestock management, and the benefits of improved soil health and structure. Hear from Keith Halstead and Allan Wilkinson (The Prince’s Countryside Fund) and Nina Pritchard (McDonald’s UK & Ireland) and enjoy a selection of breakfast rolls.

This publication following the success of our recent A-Zero: A farmer’s guide to breaking free from environmental jargon

This session is open to any delegate who has purchased a ticket to attend OFC and will take place at the Oxford Examination Schools.To join and help manage catering, book your complimentary place, using the BASF Eventbrite link found in your member area. Click here to login.

09:30
Conference Session 3: Taking Responsibility - Doing differently – leadership, inspiration, and personal responsibility for what's next.

This session will run from 09:30 to 12:00. Lunch will be available after the event.

09:35
Is consensus on land in Britain possible?

Sir Charles Godfray, Director of the Oxford Martin School, including the Oxford Martin Programme on the Future of Food.

10:15
Inspiring Farmers

Mary Quicke from Quicke's Traditional Ltd, Chris Jones from Woodland Valley Farm and Salih Hodzhov from WB Chambers Farms Ltd

11:05
Laurel Prize Winner: Nature and Environmental Poetry

Linda France won Simon Armitage's Laurel Prize for the best collection of nature and environmental poetry published in 2022.

11:10
Disrupting global food politics - a personal manifesto

Danielle Nierenberg, President of Food Tank

11:35
Succeeding after adversity

Samantha Kinghorn MBE, Double Paralympic Medallist

12:00
Lunch Session: School of Sustainable Food and Farming - Farming for a Sustainable Future

The School of Sustainable Food and Farming at Harper Adams University will be hosting a session looking at both the challenges and the solutions of farming for a more sustainable future. The School; supported by its steering partners Morrisons, McDonalds UK & Ireland and National Farmers Union aims to Educate, Inspire and Empower current and future farmers to achieve net zero within a sustainable farming and food system. The School has recently run a ‘Journey to NetZero’ challenge competition supported and sponsored by Bradford Estates, Harper Adams University, McDonalds UK & Ireland, Morrisons, National Farmers Union, Trinity AgTech and Trinity Global Pioneers. The competition has encouraged UK farmers to apply for a share of a prize pot which can be used to support the development or implementation of a system, process or processes which will have a positive and measurable impact on how winners can farm in a sustainable way.

As part of the session ‘Farming for a Sustainable Future’ we will announce the winners of the competition and share details of the journeys they will be going on to implement those sustainable processes and practices into their farming systems. As well as announcing our competition winners we will also have a number of topical talks and case studies all focused around the journey to net zero and supporting the sector to farm in a more sustainable way working towards a better, more secure future for farming.

This lunchtime panel session is open to any delegate who has purchased a ticket to attend OFC and will take place at the Oxford Examination Schools.To join and help manage catering, book your complimentary place, using The School of Sustainable Food and Farming  Eventbrite link found in your member area. Click here to login.

12:00
Lunch & Networking

Time to reflect on the conference, and catch up with more friends and new connections, before heading home for the weekend.