The Oxford Farming Conference

We have teamed up with the Farmers Weekly to bring you one of their Question Time sessions, hosted at the Examination Schools. Spaces are limited so to join us, please select this option when booking your OFC26 ticket.

Join us as OFC26 Chairman Jude McCann officially opens the conference, and our 90th celebrations with a drink and light nibbles. Please note, this event is not included in your conference ticket and charged at £25 plus VAT. You can add it to your booking when buying your OFC26 ticket.

Kick-off the day with a short run, enjoying some of the sites in Oxford. Suitable for all levels of fitness, led by OFC Director Sheena Horner. Meet at the steps of the Oxford Examination Schools at 6:50am, ready to stretch those legs from 7am. The run will last no longer than 40-minutes.

An OFC tradition, Morning Prayers will take place in the University College Chapel, led by Reverend Mark Newman.

In keeping with OFC tradition, our political session will hear from Ministerial representatives sharing their priorities for the agricultural sector. Keep an eye on this page for an announcement on the speakers.

Louise Manning, Managing Director at LJM Associates Ltd, will present the OFC Report, supported by the Frank Parkinson Agricultural Trust, who have been supporting the conference for 25 years. This will focus on agriculture’s future opportunities, providing insights and recommendations gathered from both the UK and across the world, exploring how the sector can benefit and grow its resilience. The premiss for the report and the wider conference is how UK Agriculture might evolve into a mission-led, agile and opportunity driven industry, with people that can adapt to embrace the future. She will be joined by a panel, who will reflect on the findings.

Mike Rivington, Senior Scientist at James Hutton Institute, and Laura Lukasik, Founder and President of Numen Bio, will look forward to the future of farming, the opportunities and potential for growth.

During this interactive session, PhD researcher at University of Edinburgh Lucy Jenner, will encourage you to think about what could be next.

The Post-Debate supper will take place in Christ Church, renowned for its links to fame with Alice in Wonderland written at the college in the 19th Century by Lewis Carroll, and the Great Hall used as inspiration for the Dining Hall in Harry Potter. A three-course meal will be served with wine for those who wish to purchase a ticket at £95 plus VAT. To add this to your booking, please select it when buying your OFC26 ticket. 

With no presentations, our Growing Farmers panel will discuss and take questions from the floor - Simon King, Farm Manager at J Wharton (Agriculture) Ltd, Business Owner at Thrive In Farming Ben Martin, Farm Manager at The Warriner School Farm Stuart Armitage, and Martha Headley, Commercial Manager at Withernay Ltd.

Our closing keynote speakers will look at the past, current and future with Speaker Dame Fiona Reynolds, and Farm Business Consultant and FCN Volunteer Tom York, bringing different perspectives.