Be at the epicentre of all agriculture’s pressing issues at the start of 2023 by heading to the Oxford farming conferences courtesy of the Future Farmers of Yorkshire.
Future Farmers are offering bursary places at the Oxford Farming Conference and Oxford Real Farming Conference to help its members engage with the key topics affecting their industry and to encourage their personal and professional development as future leaders of UK agriculture.
To be in with a chance of being awarded a place, drop us a line by emailing futurefarmers@yas.co.uk no later than Friday 7th October 2022.
Tell us a little bit about yourself, your career journey to date and what you hope to gain by attending an Oxford conference as a Future Farmer.
All we ask of successful applicants is a report about your experience of either conference so that we can share these valuable insights with our wider membership after the event.
Both the OFC and ORFC take place on 4-6th January 2023.
Oxford Farming Conference
OFC will explore ‘systemic solutions to the cumulative biodiversity, climate, food and energy crises that collectively we are facing, with optimism and determination not to repeat the mistakes of the past’.
It promises to be a fascinating series of debates, discussions and networking opportunities, not least because the conference will take place in-person (and online) for the first time in three years after the pandemic forced the event online-only.
OFC 2023 Chair Emily Norton, previews the Conference further on the OFC 2023 website, saying:
As the council begin to develop the programme for January, it is evident that crisis and conflict are at the front of our minds… The collective challenge is not just to avoid the mistakes of the past.
Instead, it is to seek the systemic solutions that prevent poverty, environmental exploitation and ultimately conflict.
In exploring the consequences of conflict on our farms and communities, we’re aware that we cannot rely on yesterday’s toolbox to fix today’s problems.
Hence OFC23 aims to inspire a regeneration in our politics, our society and our supply chains, as well as our farms.
Oxford Real Farming Conference
ORFC is also making a welcome return as an in-person (plus online) event after the enforced disruption of the last two years.
Working with UK and international partners, the ORFC aims to ‘bring the real food and farming movement together every January’.
Billed as a place to share progressive ideas, ORFC attracts farmers, growers, activists, policymakers and researchers who are interested in transforming the food system.
More details about the line ups for both conferences will be available soon.
What is it like to be part of the big Oxford dates?
Future Farmer Joe Weston attended OFC 2022 online.
The Conference Committee delivered a seamless event that drew an array of speakers from all over the globe and covered so many of the topics that are set to impact our industry.
The conference could not possibly have answered all the questions asked of both UK and global agriculture, however, it provided all the attendees with a great deal to think about.
Future Farmer Amelia Preston attended ORFC 2021, also online.
It’s great to challenge yourself to look at farming from a different perspective. My key take-home-message from ORFC is ‘keep learning and challenging’ to continue progressing UK agriculture.
More: Full testimonials from our previous OFC attendees and ORFC delegates
