Somerset Council

Latest speaker line-up announced for major new regenerative farming conference, LandAlive

Poster of a farmer + pictograms of a bee/sapling/worm, captioned: 'LandAlive, A New Regenerative Farming & Sustainable Food Show for the South West'.

LandAlive, a major new regenerative farming conference, has just released its speaker line-up, which includes over 50 leading practitioners and experts in nature-friendly farming and sustainable food. The event, at the Bath & West Showground, Somerset, on Friday 22 and Saturday 23 November, offers 2 days of talks and a full-scale exhibition showcasing the latest innovations, services and support to help farmers negotiate the transition towards more environmentally sustainable ways of farming.

With a focus on rebuilding soil health, a key theme will be how to ‘weatherproof’ farm operations, looking at practices that help make farms ‘climate adaptive’ and more profitable in the years ahead. It’ll look at ways to relocalise food systems, boosting local economies and resilience and making good food more accessible, and it will trace the connection between healthy soils and healthy people with reference to the latest science.

Highlights include:

  • Leading soil scientist Professor Andy Neal from Rothamsted teams up with Ian Wilkinson of FarmEd and Cotswold Seeds, and ‘biological farmer’ Tim Parton to take on the thorny ‘Glyphosate vs. Tillage’ debate.
  • Martin Lines, CEO of the Nature Friendly Farming Network, and consultant Tim Williams (Earth Farmer) will show how biodiversity and profitable farming belong together;
  • Nikki Yoxall, small-holder grazier and Head of Research at Pasture For Life will talk about ‘the magic of diverse pastures’; while Philip Lymbery, farmer, author and global head of Compassion in World Farming, will report on the progress of regenerative farming around the world;
  • Farm advisor Niels Corfield will be leading a session on how to ‘weatherproof’ farms with ‘Grassfed Farmer’ Silas Hedley-Lawrence;
  • Farmer and ecologist Rob Havard will explore aligning beef cattle genetics with diverse pastures;
  • Vet and dairy farmer Lucy Noad, (who supplies regenerative dairy co-operative First Milk), will reveal why her focus is on improving soil health and biodiversity, demonstrating how dairy farming can balance cow yield and environmental benefits.
  • Exmoor farmer Holly Purdey will explain why she believes regenerative farming will create a better future for her children.

With plenty of delicious local food and drink, and lots of opportunities to socialise in between talks, this’ll be a ‘melting pot of ideas’ and a valuable opportunity for peer-to-peer learning, so farmers can get up to speed on the significant changes going on in farming over the next few years.

Tickets are available at landalive.co.uk, starting at only £5 for a 1-day exhibition ticket. If you’re interested in exhibiting at the event, contact paul.waterer@bathandwest.co.uk.