The speaker list has been finalised for next year’s Oxford Farming Conference (OFC) and tickets are now on sale.
It promises to be a lively debate as it includes Ben Goldsmith, a controversial figure among the rural community for views on subjects such as subsidies and the impact of farmed animals on the environment. He will put forward the motion This house believes that farming for food is holding back nature recovery in protected landscapes, Cumbrian hill farmer Will Cockbain will lead the opposition to the motion.
Other key speakers include Wildfarmed co-founder Andy Cato, renowned Indian chef Romy Gill MBE and Sarah Dunning OBE. Her parents launched Tebay Services in 1972 after the M6 motorway was built across their Cumbrian hill farm. One service station has grown into several but this farming family has remained true to their agricultural roots by working with local farmers and producers.
Diversity is very much the theme for the event, which is being held between the 3rd – 5th January.
Douglas Wanstall will explain how he is moving back to the future, reintroducing livestock into his farming enterprise and developing a wedding business. Fifth-generation dairy farmer Jimmy Shanks will speak about becoming Scotland’s only producer of tomatoes, which many doubted was possible. Former Investment Banker Jan McCourt is now a full-time farmer with farm shops, including one at Borough Market in London. He will share his journey on how taking a rural business to an urban area has reaped rewards for him and his family.
For more information visit; www.ofc.org.uk
