The Farmers Weekly Podcast

The inside track on the biggest stories affecting UK agriculture - with Johann Tasker, Louise Impey and Hugh Broom. Every Friday.

The Farmers Weekly Podcast is a news podcast hosted by Farmers Weekly, with 100 episodes on record and a Required Pod Score of 80.

Farmers Weekly hosts The Farmers Weekly Podcast, a news show with 100 episodes published.

Our AI reads these to draft pitches. Use them as grounding for a pitch that cites a real guest and a specific topic.

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  Episode #325

  SFI 26: Sifting through the wreckage of the Sustainable Farming Incentive

  Sep 28, 202650 minS1

  Farmers are ploughing up environmental features after thousands were shut out of the Sustainable Farming Incentive when funding ran out less than six hours after applications opened. In this episode of the Farmers Weekly Podcast, we hear from Lincolnshire farmer Charles Anyan as returns buffer strips to wheat production after problems with his SFI application. NFU vice-president Robyn Munt sets out what the union wants Defra to do next – including urgent clarity for farmers left without agreements and an earlier opening for SFI 2027. Shadow farming minister Robbie Moore gives the Conservative response and argues that the government and Treasury must provide greater certainty over future funding. And we visit the Allerton Project, where a planned SFI agreement worth about £85,000 a year failed to get through. Allerton head of sustainable farming Joe Stanley considers what the debacle means for environmental delivery – and whether private natural-capital markets can fill some of the funding gap. Chapters 00:00 – SFI fallout: farmers start ploughing up environmental features 09:27 – Autumn drilling update: grassweed control with Bayer Crop Science 12:19 – NFU demands answers from Defra 25:41 – Political fallout from the SFI closure 37:18 – Markets: beef and sheep strengthen 39:42 – Allerton Project: £85,000 SFI shortfall 45:20 – What now for farm environmental policy? Special Guests Charles Anyan – Lincolnshire farmer Robyn Munt – vice-president, National Farmers’ Union Robbie Moore MP – shadow farming minister Joe Stanley – head of sustainable farming, Allerton Project Useful links Sustainable Farming Incentive 2026 – scheme information Defra: SFI26 Window 2 update Defra: SFI26 Window 2 applications and statistics NFU: SFI scheme guidance and information Allerton Project This episode of the Farmers Weekly Podcast is co-hosted by Johann Tasker, Louise Impey and Hugh Broom. Edited and produced by Johann Tasker. To get in touch with the Farmers Weekly Podcast: - Contact or follow Johann: linkedin.com/in/johanntasker/ Contact or follow Louise: linkedin.com/in/louise-impey-95470b20b/ Contact or follow Hugh: linkedin.com/in/hugh-broom-9b11906a/ For Farmers Weekly, visit fwi.co.uk or follow linkedin.com/company/farmers-weekly To contact, sponsor or advertise on the Farmers Weekly Podcast, email podcast@fwi.co.uk . In the UK, you can also text the word FARM followed by your message to 88 44 0.  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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  Episode #324

  Emergency Episode: SFI26 funding gone in under six hours – what happens now?

  Sep 22, 202622 minS1

  Defra is under intense pressure after the £233 million budget for the 2026 Sustainable Farming Incentive was exhausted just  five hours and 48 minutes after applications opened. In this emergency episode of the Farmers Weekly Podcast, farmers describe technical problems that prevented them from submitting complete applications despite weeks of preparation – leaving some facing holes of more than £50,000 in their farm budgets. Farm business consultant James Bush explains what went wrong, what farmers should do next and why Defra and the Rural Payments Agency need urgently to clarify what happens to those who missed out. Podcast hosts Johan Tasker, Hugh Broom and Louise Impey discuss the wider fallout – including fears that farmers could abandon environmental measures if funding remains unavailable. In this episode 00:00 – SFI funding exhausted in under six hours The £233m budget disappears after applications open, leaving thousands of farmers without agreements. 00:52 – West Sussex farmers hit by application problems Frans de Boer and Rupert Hoare describe unexplained compatibility errors, missing options and incomplete applications despite extensive preparation. 02:45 – £55,000 hole in a Cambridgeshire farm budget Beef and arable farmer Peter Hatley explains how technical problems prevented his application and why losing expected SFI income could force major changes to his farming system. 04:14 – Dartmoor farmer loses £50,000 agreement Matthew Cole describes spending hours preparing his upland application only for errors to prevent submission before the budget disappeared. 05:19 – Hugh and Louise react Hugh Broom and Louise Impey discuss the stress, confusion and frustration surrounding the application window – and the consequences for farmers who missed out. 08:07 – Farm consultant James Bush: what went wrong? James Bush, head of agriculture at GSC Grays, describes consultants preparing for a 24-hour application marathon – only to see the entire budget exhausted within six hours. 10:08 – What Defra needs to fix Technical problems, mapping issues and the shortcomings of a highly compressed application window. 12:00 – What farmers should do next James explains why land-use codes, land cover, digital mapping and contingency plans need to be checked ahead of any future application window. 13:07 – The particular problem facing upland farms Why farmers in the uplands have fewer alternatives when environmental support disappears – and how one moorland agreement was left with a major funding shortfall. 15:04 – Don’t panic – but demand clarity What farmers need to know about another SFI window and how SFI 2026 might interact with future schemes. 16:10 – Could environmental land go back into production? Hugh warns that frustration with government schemes could encourage farmers to remove margins and other environmental measures. 19:38 – Budget, IT – and communication Louise argues that Defra must either provide sufficient funding or redesign the scheme around the budget actually available. 21:03 – What happens next The team looks ahead to Friday’s Farmers Weekly Podcast and further coverage of the SFI fallout. Guests Frans de Boer – West Sussex farmer Rupert Hoare – West Sussex farmer Peter Hatley – Cambridgeshire beef and arable farmer Matthew Cole – Dartmoor farmer James Bush – head of agriculture, GSC Grays Useful links Farmers Weekly – latest Sustainable Farming Incentive news and analysis Defra – Sustainable Farming Incentive guidance Rural Payments Agency – SFI applications and scheme information GSC Grays – agricultural and farm business advice This emergency episode of the Farmers Weekly Podcast is co-hosted by Johann Tasker, Louise Impey and Hugh Broom. Edited and produced by Johann Tasker. To get in touch with the Farmers Weekly Podcast: - Contact or follow Johann: linkedin.com/in/johanntasker/ Contact or follow Louise: linkedin.com/in/louise-impey-95470b20b/ Contact or follow Hugh: linkedin.com/in/hugh-broom-9b11906a/ For Farmers Weekly, visit fwi.co.uk or follow linkedin.com/company/farmers-weekly To contact, sponsor or advertise on the Farmers Weekly Podcast, email podcast@fwi.co.uk . In the UK, you can also text the word FARM followed by your message to 88 44 0.  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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  Episode #321

  SFI scramble, sugar beet arbitration, maize quality, & Daniel Zeichner on life inside Defra

  Sep 19, 202651 minS1

  Farmers face a race to secure funding when the Sustainable Farming Incentive reopens – with warnings that the available money could be allocated within just 24 hours. We look at how to prepare an SFI26 application, why growers should resist simply chasing grant money and what could happen to farmers whose existing agreements prevent them joining this time around. Sugar beet growers face another period of uncertainty after price negotiations between NFU Sugar and British Sugar break down. With the 2027/28 contract heading to arbitration, we ask whether the crop can continue to earn its place in the rotation. After one of the earliest maize harvests on record, we examine maize quality, forage shortages and why regular silage analysis could prove particularly important this winter. And former farm minister Daniel Zeichner gives an extraordinary account of life inside Defra – including his claim that he knew nothing about the government’s inheritance tax changes until after they were announced in the 2024 Budget. This episode is brought to you by Bayer Crop Science – weeding out uncertainty . Chapters 00:00 – Introduction 01:09 – SFI26: will the money run out in 24 hours? 08:01 – SFI: preparing for the scramble 14:21 – Autumn drilling update: managing dry seedbeds 16:56 – Sugar beet price talks head to arbitration 20:50 – Does sugar beet have a future? 25:39 – Around the farming world 30:01 – Maize harvest: quantity versus quality 34:25 – Markets: livestock up, grain down and diesel jumps 36:46 – Daniel Zeichner: what really happened inside Defra? 44:20 – Abi Kay on an extraordinary interview Special Guests Chloe Timberlake – farm business adviser, Ceres Rural Nick Scantlebury – senior farms manager, Elveden Estate Neil Groom – maize specialist, Grainseed Daniel Zeichner MP – former Defra farm minister Abi Kay – Farmers Weekly chief reporter Useful links Sustainable Farming Incentive 2026 SFI26 Window 2 update Sugar beet price arbitration British Sugar’s Cantley plans Bovine TB transmission research Daniel Zeichner interview This episode of the Farmers Weekly Podcast is co-hosted by Johann Tasker, Louise Impey and Hugh Broom. Edited and produced by Johann Tasker. To get in touch with the Farmers Weekly Podcast: - Contact or follow Johann: linkedin.com/in/johanntasker/ Contact or follow Louise: linkedin.com/in/louise-impey-95470b20b/ Contact or follow Hugh: linkedin.com/in/hugh-broom-9b11906a/ For Farmers Weekly, visit fwi.co.uk or follow linkedin.com/company/farmers-weekly To contact, sponsor or advertise on the Farmers Weekly Podcast, email podcast@fwi.co.uk . In the UK, you can also text the word FARM followed by your message to 88 44 0.  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

  ListenShow Notes
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  Episode #321

  Farm rent cuts, secret rural crime workshops, pig sector crisis, & Derek vs Derek

  Sep 15, 202649 minS1

  Tenant farmers are being urged to seek rent reductions as difficult arable economics put pressure on farm businesses – but how far should landlords go to share the pain? This week, we examine calls for rent cuts of up to 20% and ask whether landlords and tenants need a new approach to negotiating rents during difficult years. We also investigate the secret workshops helping farmers protect themselves against increasingly sophisticated rural crime. Security specialist Frank Cannon explains why some crime-prevention advice is deliberately kept behind closed doors. Meanwhile, pig producers face a difficult autumn after processors served notice on supply contracts. Thousands of pigs could be left without a contracted buyer each week, accelerating the decline of independent production. And finally, we head to the cinema for Derek vs Derek , a feature-length documentary following two neighbouring Devon farmers with very different ideas about the countryside: dairy farmer Derek Banbury and rewilder Derek Gow. Derek vs Derek is directed by James Dawson and follows Derek Banbury and Derek Gow over three years. Its UK cinema release begins on 2 October 2026 . This episode is brought to you by  Bayer Crop Science – weeding out uncertainty . Chapters 00:00 – Introduction 00:59 – Should tenant farmers demand rent cuts? 09:41 – Who should carry the pain in a bad year? 13:27 – Autumn drilling update with Bayer Crop Science 15:23 – Secret workshops tackle rural crime 18:11 – How farmers can make themselves harder targets 25:10 – Farming politics on the road 27:35 – Back British Farming Day 29:06 – Pig producers face contract crisis 33:43 – Markets: livestock, grain and fuel 36:09 – Derek vs Derek: farming meets rewilding 38:38 – Food production or nature – must farmers choose? 47:23 – Podcast wrap-up Guests and useful links: Richard King – partner, Andersons farm business consultants Jeremy Moody – secretary and adviser, Central Association of Agricultural Valuers Frank Cannon – chartered security professional, Rural SafeGuard Alistair Driver – editor, Pig World This episode of the Farmers Weekly Podcast is co-hosted by Johann Tasker, Louise Impey and Hugh Broom. Edited and produced by Johann Tasker. To get in touch with the Farmers Weekly Podcast: - Contact or follow Johann: linkedin.com/in/johanntasker/ Contact or follow Louise: linkedin.com/in/louise-impey-95470b20b/ Contact or follow Hugh: linkedin.com/in/hugh-broom-9b11906a/ For Farmers Weekly, visit fwi.co.uk or follow linkedin.com/company/farmers-weekly To contact, sponsor or advertise on the Farmers Weekly Podcast, email podcast@fwi.co.uk . In the UK, you can also text the word FARM followed by your message to 88 44 0.  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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  Episode #320

  River Wye pollution progress, gene-edited soya, falling livestock numbers & Great British Harvest Festival

  Sep 4, 202643 minS1

  In this episode, we examine new farm-level evidence suggesting phosphorus is coming into balance on farms in the River Wye catchment – and ask what it means for water pollution. We visit a field trial where precision breeding could make UK-grown soya commercially possible. We examine the continuing decline in cattle and sheep numbers, and run the rule over the latest livestock and arable markets. And we discover why some of Britain’s biggest music names are heading to Suffolk for a harvest festival with a difference. This episode is brought to you by Bayer Crop Science – weeding out uncertainty. Chapters 00:00 – Introduction 00:51 – River Wye: are farmers turning the tide on pollution? 10:18 – Bayer autumn drilling update: tackling weeds field by field 12:20 – Could gene-edited soya become a UK break crop? 21:51 – Farming news: El Niño, Asian hornets and SFI26 26:07 – Why are Britain’s beef and sheep herds shrinking? 32:21 – Markets: beef firms as grain prices rise 34:59 – A Great British Harvest Festival with a difference 42:13 – That’s all for this week Guests Dan Smith – farm facilitator, Herefordshire Rural Hub Rachel Banks – technical manager, Bayer Crop Science Dr Frank Röber – Europe Breeding Alliances lead, Corteva Agriscience Philip Case – Farmers Weekly Prys Morgan – beef and lamb sector director, AHDB Andrew Sunnucks – farmer and music producer Useful links River Wye nutrient balance project River Wye water quality – Environment Agency SFI26 Window 2 AHDB Beef & Lamb Bayer Crop Science Great British Harvest Festival This episode of the Farmers Weekly Podcast is co-hosted by Johann Tasker, Louise Impey and Hugh Broom. Edited and produced by Johann Tasker. To get in touch with the Farmers Weekly Podcast: - Contact or follow Johann: linkedin.com/in/johanntasker/ Contact or follow Louise: linkedin.com/in/louise-impey-95470b20b/ Contact or follow Hugh: linkedin.com/in/hugh-broom-9b11906a/ For Farmers Weekly, visit fwi.co.uk or follow linkedin.com/company/farmers-weekly To contact, sponsor or advertise on the Farmers Weekly Podcast, email podcast@fwi.co.uk . In the UK, you can also text the word FARM followed by your message to 88 44 0.  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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