Four Future Farmers have been awarded prized bursary places at the big farming dates in Oxford this January.
Amanda Watson, Joe Seels, Alice Arnott and Tristan Featherby will be at these annual seats of debate and industry intrigue to hear and take part in wide-ranging topical debates about farming and its future.
Amanda and Joe are our Future Farmer delegates attending at the Oxford Farming Conference (OFC) where the theme is ‘Facing Change, Finding Opportunity’, while Alice and Tristan will represent Future Farmers at rival event, the Oxford Real Farming Conference (ORFC).
Big audiences for big topics
OFC is held on 8-10th January. It has been running since 1936 and welcomes more than 700 delegates.
This year’s conference explores how current and future farming policies provide new opportunities for farmers; how we can adapt, with the help of science and new practices, to the changing natural world we farm in; and how change and adversity can produce inspiring innovators and leaders who can transform people, farming and food production.
ORFC, taking place for the 16th time, unfolds over two days, on 9-10th January, attracting more than 1,500 delegates and featuring more than 150 sessions spread across 19 venues. This year’s programme highlights the urgent need to align agricultural practices with ecological resilience.
Working with partners in the UK and internationally, this self-styled “alternative farming conference” is billed as an event that “brings the real food and farming movement together”.
Our Future Farmers will be sharing their experiences of the conferences afterwards, so look out for their reports in the coming months.
Introducing our 2025 Oxford conference delegates
Amanda Watson – OFC
Amanda is a farmer, and a livestock technical specialist for Woodhead Bros (Morrisons), based in the Harrogate District.
Amanda said:
Joe Seels – OFC
Joe, who is a well-known face to many as a passionate advocate for agriculture via his YouTube and TikTok channels, farms near Doncaster.
Joe said:
The conference’s unique setting at Oxford University is bound to be inspiring.
I believe this event will provide a fantastic opportunity to challenge my thinking on the future of food production, both within the UK and globally.
Alice Arnott – ORFC
Alice is a sheep farmer on the edge of the Yorkshire Wolds and runs Acklam Farm Stays, an off-grid glamping and wild camping venture near Malton.
Alice said:
I’m not one to shy away from interesting and sometimes difficult discussions within the agricultural industry, not just at local level but also at global level too.
The Oxford Real Farming Conference is seen to be particularly progressive in its panel discussions.
Tristan Featherby – ORFC
Tristan is an arable farmer in East Yorkshire where his family grow wheat, barley, oilseed rape, sugar beet and peas.
Tristan said:
The UK farming industry constantly needs to adapt and be open to innovative ideas.
I believe that the opportunity to take part in discussions about our food and farming system will provide me with new ideas and fresh perspectives that will be invaluable to my career in agriculture.
