Eighteen progressive people from the agrifood industry have been awarded fully funded places to attend the Oxford Farming Conference which runs from 5 – 7 January 2022.
The ‘Inspire’ programme targeted at 30 – 45 year olds replaces the Emerging Leaders initiative which has run since 2017 and has an alumni of over 70 people.
The group selected for Inspire 2022 represent a wide range of sectors in agriculture, food and the environment, including a software developer, teacher and vet.
In addition to the January conference, the group will attend a pre-conference away day from Thursday 2nd to Friday 3rd December including dinner, a guest speaker, exclusive visit, networking session and overnight accommodation at The Farmers Club in London.
The programme, sponsored by The Institute for Agriculture and Horticulture (TIAH), has been designed to support individuals who would otherwise face barriers to attending the Conference.
Commenting on the announcement, OFC Director Emily Norton said,
“We had a huge number of excellent applications, making it a real challenge for our panel to make their selection. Through creating Inspire, we really wanted to develop an initiative that supported those who have not attended the OFC before and may not have been able to attend this year without the support of a bursary.
“As well as coming from a wide range of backgrounds, skills and experience, our 2022 cohort have all demonstrated a commitment to agriculture, to improving the diversity of our sector and to providing opportunities to others, for example through encouraging the next generation or developing new communications approaches.
“We really look forward to bringing the group together in London to learn from each other and our great guests and experiences, and I am excited to start their journey towards OFC together”
The (OFC) is the leading international conference held in the UK for farming and agribusiness. Its charitable remit is to inform, challenge and inspire all those who attend, to resonate and be a force for positive change throughout the industry. The OFC Inspire Programme brings a key audience to the Conference, immerses them in Conference activity, inspires them to progress their own business and relay experiences to others.
OFC 2022 Inspire Programme Delegates
| Polly | Davies | South Wales | Tenant Farmer |
| Claire | Eastham | Dorset | Farmer and Advisor |
| Joe | Fisher | Nottinghamshire | Farmer |
| Bryony | Gittins | Monmouthshire | Farmer |
| Charles | Goadby | Warwickshire | Farmer |
| Kendra | Hall | Wiltshire | Agricultural and Rural Communicator with Reverberate PR |
| Kelly | Hewson Fisher | Lincolnshire | Lincolnshire Catchment Advisor for Anglian Water |
| Ed | Hodson | Lincolnshire | Product Specialist for GRIMME UK Ltd and Vice Chairman of the Agricultural Engineers Association Technical Committee |
| Sarah | Law | Aberdeenshire | Farmer and Business Development Manager in the Distillery, Food & Beverage industries |
| Emily | Linton | Cornwall | Veterinary Surgeon |
| Sean | McDermott | Northern Ireland | Head Gardener with L’Arche Community Belfast |
| Flavian | Obiero | Sussex | Farmer |
| Adam | Short | Devon | Smallholder and, founder of MA Systems Ltd and Cloud-Lines.com |
| Emma | Smail | South Yorkshire | Project Manager for the Trent Rivers Trust |
| Alec | Smith | Suffolk | Chartered Environmentalist and Senior Business Advisor for Sentry Limited |
| Dan | Stamper | Cumbria | Agricultural Lecturer at Kendal College |
| Gregg | Tayler | Shropshire | Farm Manager |
| Chris | Taylor | Monmouthshire | Agronomist |
The Oxford Farming Conference will take place from 5 to 7 January 2022, focused on the theme “Routes to Resilience. Delegates have the option to attend in Oxford or online. Tickets are now on sale at www.ofc.org.uk
You can download photographs of the group here
And read their biographies here.
JCM Media Contact: Rebecca Dawes – rebecca@janecraigie.com or 07792 467730