Future Farmers Autumn Debate preview with McClarrons

Future Farmers of Yorkshire X Farmer Scientist Network

Autumn Debate 2025

Please note: This event is now fully booked

Preview with Grant Hartley, Head of Rural at McClarrons Insurance Brokers, sponsor of the Autumn Debate

Generations of farmers have shaped not only the region’s landscape, but also its identity, communities, and local economy. Today, the sector stands at a critical crossroads. Challenges such as climate volatility, increasing regulation, changing consumer demands and rising input costs are forcing farms to evolve.

Embracing technology is often key to meeting these challenges. Across the region, farmers have already proven that tradition and innovation can coexist, creating stronger, more resilient operations that are prepared for the future.

Tradition forms the backbone of agriculture. Local knowledge, passed down through generations, enables farmers to understand their land, livestock and environment in a way no algorithm can replicate.

For many farms, tradition is not about resisting change; it is about ensuring that change strengthens their way of life rather than undermining it.

Technology can play a critical role in sustaining that way of life. From precision farming and drone surveying to automated feeding systems and AI-driven crop monitoring, innovation can offer new levels of efficiency, performance and risk management. These tools can help farmers reduce input usage, improve yields, meet environmental obligations and respond to labour pressures.

In an increasingly unpredictable climate, digital insights and real-time data can help farms make faster, more confident decisions. When adopted, technology has the ability to be able to enhance farming practices.

However, innovation is not without challenges. The upfront investment required for new systems can be significant, particularly when financial returns are uncertain. There are also new risks to consider, from equipment breakdown and data loss to emerging cyber threats linked to connected systems.

For many farmers, adopting technology requires a leap of faith, and support to ensure they are protected should anything go wrong.

At McClarrons, we understand that the transition to more technology-enabled farming brings both opportunity and uncertainty. As insurance partners to the agricultural community, we work closely with clients who are integrating digital tools and automated systems into their operations, ensuring they have the right protection in place as their businesses evolve.

Whether it’s safeguarding high-value machinery, mitigating new liability risks or protecting valuable farm data, our goal is to give farmers the confidence to embrace innovation without compromising on security or risk management.

Yorkshire’s farming future will not be shaped by choosing between past and future – it will likely be defined by how successfully we can blend them.

The region’s strength lies in its ability to collaborate and innovate from a foundation of deep-rooted knowledge and resilience. By pairing generational expertise with forward-thinking tools, farms can build businesses that are potentially more productive, sustainable and better future-proofed.

We are proud to stand alongside our farmers. Tradition and technology are not opposing forces; they are partners in helping secure a thriving agricultural future for Yorkshire.

We are pleased to be supporting the Tradition and Technology: The Future of Farming in Yorkshire debate to support the region’s understanding and implementation of technology in our rural communities.

What to expect

Hosted by Future Farmers of Yorkshire Chair, Joe Seels, our Autumn Debate brings together forward-thinking farmers, agricultural scientists, and industry experts to debate one of the most pressing issues in modern agriculture: should the future of farming lean into technological innovation, or return to more traditional, regenerative approaches?

The debate is a collaboration between the Future Farmers of Yorkshire and the Farmer Scientist Network – two of the Yorkshire Agricultural Society’s leading networks.

Together, these farming networks work to ensure that the agricultural community is stronger, more resilient, and better equipped for the future.

The debate will explore the benefits, limitations, and long-term impacts of both, high-cost and low-cost technologies, and traditional methods, asking: what will produce the most resilient, sustainable, and profitable farming in Yorkshire over the next 20 years?

Please note: This event is now fully booked

Read about the line up of speakers here