The Oxford Farming Conference (OFC), supported by TIAH and BASF Agricultural Solutions, has announced the 15 individuals who will participate in its next Inspire Programme, including a fully funded ticket to OFC 2026 (7 – 9 January), themed Growing Resilience.
Focused on developing leadership, networks, confidence and knowledge, the programme has over 130 graduates and continues to be a core part of the organisation’s charitable remit to include, inspire and challenge.
Aimed at those 30 to 45 years of age with an active role within the food and farming sector, including farmers, growers, scientists, academics, media and agribusiness professionals, this year’s cohort covers the breadth and depth of the UK.
Leading the programme for 2026, OFC Director and estate manager, David Hill, highlights the importance of the initiative.
“Inspire has been a fantastic initiative in developing younger leaders, and it has also been invaluable for the OFC itself. Current Director Kelly Hewson-Fisher, who is Head of Rural Research at Savills, and I are Inspire Alumni, as was Will Evans, podcaster, farmer and columnist, Chair of our 2024 conference.
“We have two long-term sponsors of the Inspire programme, TIAH and BASF, who are also involved in the implementation of activities, which include personal development days in London, in addition to a session at the main conference.”
The 2026 cohort, selected following a competitive application process, include:
Laura Beaumont, who works on her family’s mixed farm in Herefordshire, Laura also heads up the British On-Farm Innovation Network (BOFIN)’s project management across four Innovation UK-funded projects.
Liz Bowes, head of curriculum at Gelli Aur Campus at Coleg Sir Gâr in South Wales. responsible for agriculture, agricultural engineering, and horticulture courses. She is also partner on a family-run dairy farm.
Bronagh Brennan, farm business management, training and HR consultant from Northern Ireland.
David Bristow, who grew up on a beef and poultry farm in Northern Ireland. His degree in agricultural engineering led him took him to Lincolnshire, where he now manages the farming at Stourton Estate.
Tom Cannon, from Roughway Farm is part of a farming family that has farmed in Kent for generations. Tom has helped to diversify the family farm, including into cobnuts following his research during a Churchill Fellowship.
Matt Elliott, a new entrant to farming. Matt is FarmED’s agricultural lead, a regenerative demonstration farm and education centre in the Cotswolds. Matt is also a National Trust tenant on the Sherborne Estate in Gloucestershire.
Adam Godwin, has an engineering background and is a farm management assistant working across 2,600ha.
Maryna Kuzmenko co-founded Petiole, a UK agritech company applying computer vision and deep learning to plant phenotyping and quality control in agrifood.
Beth Metson, director at HedgeLife which creates and enhances tree and hedge networks across the east and south-east of England. Beth also farms in Essex.
Agnes Mwihaki Lokoro, a specialist in sustainable agriculture and food security across Africa and beyond.
Morgan Robinson grew up on the Lowther Estate in Cumbria; he is now Estate Operations Director at the historic 17,000-acre Holker Estate in Cumbria.
William Sanders is a Dairy Farm Manager and mentor in Staffordshire, building his career from a non-farming background.
Anna Simpson, public affairs manager at the Crown Estate, leading engagement on environmental, rural and land use policy across the estate’s wide portfolio.
Andrew Teanby, director of Savills’ rural research team, responsible for farmland market intelligence and policy change. Andrew is also manager of an arable farm in Lincolnshire.
Jessica Evans Williams, a farmer from mid-Wales in the Eryri National Park, specialising in native breeds, she also works part-time as an environmental health officer.
To find out more about the individuals, download their biographies here.
Tickets for the 2026 conference are on sale. To view the full programme and to book your place, visit www.ofc.org.uk.