Leading thinkers, farmers and opinion shapers will be at Hexham Auction Mart next month to explore key elements to farming success in what is an ever-changing operating context.

The theme of this year's conference on Wednesday, November 6, is ‘Future Farming Success – Owning Change’.

It will explore some key elements to farming success in what is an ever-changing operating context. What are the practical ways which farmers and land managers can continue to manage change to their advantage? How do we focus on what can control and acknowledge what we can’t?

It all starts with the natural elements such as soil, water and air, and further down the line, market elements relating to processors and the supply chain, trade deals and macro-economic factors. And finally, farming produce ends up on the consumer’s plates impacting on the UK’s food basket, public health, and well-being.

These elements – always in flux – require a fine balance to ensure successful and sustainable farming. Without profitable farming, farmers can ill afford to ‘make good’ on environmental/climate change concerns. Is there a balance between the three pillars of sustainability: economics (profitability), environment and people?

This year’s speakers include:

  • Janet Hughes, Defra’s Director for the Future Farming and Countryside Programme;
  • Lord Inglewood MRICS;
  • Robbie Moore (MP for Keighley and Ilkley) – subject to parliamentary business;
  • Tim Farron (MP for Westmorland, Furness and Eden);
  • Rachael Brown, chief reporter at the Farmers Guardian;
  • Helen Browning OBE, chief executive officer at the Soil Association;
  • Dr Awal Fuseini, Visiting Research Fellow, University of Huddersfield/AHDB;
  • Michael Blanche, The Pasture Pod, Totally Ewesome Farmer, Perth.

Also invited are Steve Reed, Defra Secretary of State and Daniel Zeichner, Farming Minister.

The Farmer Panel comprises Stuart Johnson, Soil Farmer of the Year 2023, West Wharmley Farm; Tania Coxon, Founder of the Country Girls UK, arable farmer, Sunderland; Rich Oglesby, new entrant beef, sheep and red deer farmer; and Annabel Hamilton, mixed farming enterprise, Scottish Borders.

This annual event attracts more than 200 farmers, industry experts and thinkers to network, listen and question a super line up of speakers. It is renowned for its mix of formal and informal debate and has cemented its position as the 'go-to' conference for the sector in the North.

The conference is a joint venture between Armstrong Watson, the Agriculture and Horticulture Development Board, the CLA, Hexham and Northern Marts, HSBC, Womble Bond Dickinson and Youngs RPS.

For more information and to register, visit www.northernfarmingconference.org.uk. For the latest conference news and updates, follow @NorthFarmConf on Twitter.