The Best in Field Podcast

Best in Field is back for Season 3 with a new host and fresh conversations about the people and ideas shaping agriculture.In this opening episode, Rupert welcomes Belinda Clarke, Director of Agri-TechE, to explore the innovations driving the sector forward. From AI and robotics to data integration and farmer collaboration, Belinda shares her perspective on what really matters in agri-tech, and what it takes to make innovation work on-farm.She also dives into global lessons from the Netherlands to Singapore, the challenges of farmer adoption, and why the unglamorous work of data unification might just be the biggest game-changer of all.Whether you’re a farmer, agronomist, or tech developer, this is the perfect place to start a new season of insights and inspiration.

Are you going to Cereals Event this year? Ever wondered what’s involved for the host Farm of Cereals? How does it affect his operation and rotations? We’ve sat down with Adrew Ward MBE to talk about Cereals 2025 being at his  farm; Heath Farm, in Lincolnshire.   Covering everything from the Cereals Event to Baked Beans, Wardy’s Waffle, to his ongoing involvement in farmer protests up and down the country. We cover a lot of ground in this episode, not one to miss!

It’s time to discuss winter wheat! The UK’s most grown crop. Rob Wilkinson is Director of Farming at Strutt & Parker responsible for managing South EAU Farm Partnership who have won Best in Field for winter wheat 2024 – with a variable cost of production of just £54.16/t. If winter wheat is part of your rotation, this episode is essential listening, as it covers everything from input strategies to grain marketing and is full of technical and achievable ideas.  

'The right data + The right time = The right decision” - in discussion with Fraser Bain of A.G. & K.J. Bain. This week, we’re in East Lothian with a fourth generation arable farmer discussing how shifting from manual record-keeping to in-season farm analytics has boosted decision-making on his farm. From varieties to gross margins, learn how Fraser dives into the details of his farm records and why he finds the insights he gains valuable for his operation.  

Attention to detail and efficiency have never been more important, according to Murray Forsyth –  Managing Partner at Smiddyburn Farms in Aberdeenshire. Winning our award for Best Attention to Detail, Murray speaks with Gabby Hart at YAGRO about how he runs a meticulous operation, and why. From the small changes that drive big results, to a mindset of continuous improvement and the value of collaborative benchmarking.