The Farmers Weekly Podcast

Farm leaders are calling for an urgent rethink of inheritance tax and investment allowances ahead of the autumn Budget on 28 October.
With farm investment stalling and confidence at a low ebb, the NFU and major supermarket chains are urging the government to introduce tax reforms that could unlock billions of pounds of private investment in UK agriculture.
CLA chief tax adviser Louise Speke explains why changes to inheritance tax and capital allowances could help farmers invest in machinery, buildings and reservoirs – without requiring major government spending.
We visit Lincolnshire potato grower Alex Godfrey, who explains how drought, soaring fuel costs and increasingly unpredictable weather are making potato production more challenging.
With irrigation and storage requiring substantial investment, growers want greater certainty over water supplies and future contracts.
Meanwhile, McCain’s latest FarmDex report highlights growing concerns about extreme weather, rising costs and government policy.
We also examine the government’s plans to encourage organic farming, the newly agreed sugar beet price for 2027-28 and the latest livestock, grain and fuel markets.
And Jeremy Clarkson and Cheerful Charlie Ireland make a surprise appearance at the Conservative Party conference, highlighting the financial pressures facing British farmers.
Plus, our autumn drilling update with Bayer Crop Science examines herbicide resistance and how growers can protect the effectiveness of weed control programmes.
Chapters
00:00 – Introduction: What farming needs from the autumn Budget
01:28 – Farm tax reform: NFU and CLA call for investment incentives
02:03 – Louise Speke: Inheritance tax and capital allowances
05:45 – Farm investment stalls amid policy uncertainty
11:08 – Food security and the case for government action
16:41 – Autumn drilling update: Herbicide resistance and Italian ryegrass
18:59 – Potato harvest: Drought, irrigation and rising production costs
22:31 – Why growers need better access to water
23:46 – Lessons from a challenging potato harvest
26:27 – McCain FarmDex: Farmers struggle with costs and uncertainty
29:24 – Farmers Weekly journalists celebrate industry awards
31:30 – Hedgehog decline: The debate over farming and badgers
34:29 – Organic farming: Government plans to expand production
37:58 – Sugar beet: New 2027-28 price agreement
40:40 – Markets: Beef, sheep, pigs, cereals and diesel
43:08 – Jeremy Clarkson and Cheerful Charlie at the Conservative Party conference
45:37 – Farming policy and the future of environmental regulation
49:12 – Conclusion: What next for British farming?
Special guests:
Louise Speke – Chief tax adviser, Country Land and Business Association.
Jenny Deakin – Bayer Crop Science.
Alex Godfrey – Potato grower, Lincolnshire.
Useful links:
National Farmers’ Union – Farming policy and campaigns
Country Land and Business Association – Taxation and rural business policy
HM Treasury – Government Budgets and financial statements
HMRC – Agricultural Property Relief
HMRC – Annual Investment Allowance
GB Potatoes – Potato industry information
AHDB – Agricultural market intelligence
This episode is brought to you by Bayer Crop Science – weeding out uncertainty.
This episode of the Farmers Weekly Podcast is co-hosted by Johann Tasker, Louise Impey and Hugh Broom. Edited and produced by Johann Tasker.
To get in touch with the Farmers Weekly Podcast: -
Contact or follow Johann: linkedin.com/in/johanntasker/
Contact or follow Louise: linkedin.com/in/louise-impey-95470b20b/
Contact or follow Hugh: linkedin.com/in/hugh-broom-9b11906a/
For Farmers Weekly, visit fwi.co.uk or follow linkedin.com/company/farmers-weekly
To contact, sponsor or advertise on the Farmers Weekly Podcast, email podcast@fwi.co.uk. In the UK, you can also text the word FARM followed by your message to 88 44 0.
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Soaring diesel prices are putting fresh pressure on farm businesses – and the outlook suggests volatility could continue well into 2027.
In this episode of the Farmers Weekly Podcast, we examine what is driving the surge in fuel costs, whether farmers should buy now or wait, and how hedging and reducing diesel use could help manage the risk.
We also ask whether artificial intelligence could eventually replace your agronomist after Bedfordshire grower Andrew Robinson handed control of a winter wheat fungicide programme to AI.
Plus, we hear from some of the winners at the 2026 Farmers Weekly Awards, discuss the latest debate over rural Britain and farm policy, bring you our weekly market round-up, and unveil Farmers Weekly Live – a new farm business event coming to Stoneleigh Park in July 2027.
The episode also includes the Farmers Weekly Autumn Drilling Update, in association with Bayer Crop Science.
Chapters
00:00 – Introduction
00:53 – Why diesel prices are soaring
03:59 – Should farmers buy diesel now or wait?
06:33 – What expensive diesel means for farming
14:10 – Autumn Drilling Update
17:02 – Can AI replace your agronomist?
19:05 – How AI could change agronomy
24:36 – This week in farming
27:37 – Rural Britain and Westminster
31:17 – Farming and the UK’s relationship with Europe
34:05 – Markets
36:38 – Farmers Weekly Live launches
43:01 – Podcast close
Guests
Patrick Crean – fuel procurement manager, AF Group
Jenny Deakin – Bayer Crop Science
Andrew Robinson – Bedfordshire arable farmer
Andrew Meredith – editor, Farmers Weekly
Dan Smith – managing director, Farmers Weekly
Presented by: Johann Tasker, Louise Impey and Hugh Broom.
Useful links
Farmers Weekly Live – 6-7 July 2027, NAEC Stoneleigh
Details of the new event and registration of interest.
⁠https://www.fwi.co.uk/sp/events/farmers-weekly-live
Red diesel price volatility hits autumn fieldwork
Farmers Weekly’s report on the sharp rise in fuel costs and the implications for autumn operations.
⁠https://www.fwi.co.uk/business/red-diesel-price-volatility-hits-autumn-fieldwork
Farmers Weekly Awards 2026 winners
The full list of this year’s winners, including Farm Manager of the Year Will Jones and Environmental Champion Colin Chappell.
⁠https://www.fwi.co.uk/sp/events/past-winners-2026
Alistair Leake – Lifetime Achievement Award
Farmers Weekly profile of the 2026 Lifetime Achievement winner.
⁠https://www.fwi.co.uk/news/farmers-weekly-awards-2026-lifetime-achievement-winner
Bayer Crop Science – autumn grassweed management
Advice on blackgrass, Italian ryegrass and brome management in wheat.
⁠https://cropscience.bayer.co.uk/insights/weed-management/weed-out-uncertainty
Alternator Met herbicide information
Bayer Crop Science information on autumn cereal weed control and application timings.
⁠https://cropscience.bayer.co.uk/our-products/herbicides/alternator-met
Farmers Weekly – latest farming news, analysis and markets
⁠https://www.fwi.co.uk/
Contact the podcast: podcast@fwi.co.uk
UK listeners can text FARM followed by their message to 88440.
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Farmers are ploughing up environmental features after thousands were shut out of the Sustainable Farming Incentive when funding ran out less than six hours after applications opened.
In this episode of the Farmers Weekly Podcast, we hear from Lincolnshire farmer Charles Anyan as he returns buffer strips to wheat production following problems with his SFI application.
NFU vice-president Robyn Munt sets out what the union wants Defra to do next – including urgent clarity for farmers left without agreements and an earlier opening for SFI 2027.
Shadow farming minister Robbie Moore gives the Conservative response and argues that the government and Treasury must provide greater certainty over future funding.
And we visit the Allerton Project in Leicestershire, where a planned SFI agreement worth about £85,000 a year failed to get through.
Allerton head of sustainable farming Joe Stanley considers what the debacle means for environmental delivery – and whether private natural-capital markets can fill some of the funding gap.
Chapters
00:00 – SFI fallout: farmers start ploughing up environmental features
09:27 – Autumn drilling update: grassweed control with Bayer Crop Science
12:19 – NFU demands answers from Defra
25:41 – Political fallout from the SFI closure
37:18 – Markets: beef and sheep strengthen
39:42 – Allerton Project: £85,000 SFI shortfall
45:20 – What now for farm environmental policy?

Special Guests
Charles Anyan – Lincolnshire farmer
Robyn Munt – vice-president, National Farmers’ Union
Robbie Moore MP – shadow farming minister
Joe Stanley – head of sustainable farming, Allerton Project
Useful links
Sustainable Farming Incentive 2026 – scheme information
Defra: SFI26 Window 2 update
Defra: SFI26 Window 2 applications and statistics
NFU: SFI scheme guidance and information
Allerton Project
This episode of the Farmers Weekly Podcast is co-hosted by Johann Tasker, Louise Impey and Hugh Broom. Edited and produced by Johann Tasker.
To get in touch with the Farmers Weekly Podcast: -
Contact or follow Johann: linkedin.com/in/johanntasker/
Contact or follow Louise: linkedin.com/in/louise-impey-95470b20b/
Contact or follow Hugh: linkedin.com/in/hugh-broom-9b11906a/
For Farmers Weekly, visit fwi.co.uk or follow linkedin.com/company/farmers-weekly
To contact, sponsor or advertise on the Farmers Weekly Podcast, email podcast@fwi.co.uk. In the UK, you can also text the word FARM followed by your message to 88 44 0.
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Defra is under intense pressure after the £233 million budget for the 2026 Sustainable Farming Incentive was exhausted just five hours and 48 minutes after applications opened.
In this emergency episode of the Farmers Weekly Podcast, farmers describe technical problems that prevented them from submitting complete applications despite weeks of preparation – leaving some facing holes of more than £50,000 in their farm budgets.
Farm business consultant James Bush explains what went wrong, what farmers should do next and why Defra and the Rural Payments Agency need urgently to clarify what happens to those who missed out.
Podcast hosts Johan Tasker, Hugh Broom and Louise Impey discuss the wider fallout – including fears that farmers could abandon environmental measures if funding remains unavailable.
In this episode
00:00 – SFI funding exhausted in under six hours
The £233m budget disappears after applications open, leaving thousands of farmers without agreements.
00:52 – West Sussex farmers hit by application problems
Frans de Boer and Rupert Hoare describe unexplained compatibility errors, missing options and incomplete applications despite extensive preparation.
02:45 – £55,000 hole in a Cambridgeshire farm budget
Beef and arable farmer Peter Hatley explains how technical problems prevented his application and why losing expected SFI income could force major changes to his farming system.
04:14 – Dartmoor farmer loses £50,000 agreement
Matthew Cole describes spending hours preparing his upland application only for errors to prevent submission before the budget disappeared.
05:19 – Hugh and Louise react
Hugh Broom and Louise Impey discuss the stress, confusion and frustration surrounding the application window – and the consequences for farmers who missed out.
08:07 – Farm consultant James Bush: what went wrong?
James Bush, head of agriculture at GSC Grays, describes consultants preparing for a 24-hour application marathon – only to see the entire budget exhausted within six hours.
10:08 – What Defra needs to fix
Technical problems, mapping issues and the shortcomings of a highly compressed application window.
12:00 – What farmers should do next
James explains why land-use codes, land cover, digital mapping and contingency plans need to be checked ahead of any future application window.
13:07 – The particular problem facing upland farms
Why farmers in the uplands have fewer alternatives when environmental support disappears – and how one moorland agreement was left with a major funding shortfall.
15:04 – Don’t panic – but demand clarity
What farmers need to know about another SFI window and how SFI 2026 might interact with future schemes.
16:10 – Could environmental land go back into production?
Hugh warns that frustration with government schemes could encourage farmers to remove margins and other environmental measures.
19:38 – Budget, IT – and communication
Louise argues that Defra must either provide sufficient funding or redesign the scheme around the budget actually available.
21:03 – What happens next
The team looks ahead to Friday’s Farmers Weekly Podcast and further coverage of the SFI fallout.
Guests
Frans de Boer – West Sussex farmer
Rupert Hoare – West Sussex farmer
Peter Hatley – Cambridgeshire beef and arable farmer
Matthew Cole – Dartmoor farmer
James Bush – head of agriculture, GSC Grays
Useful links
Farmers Weekly – latest Sustainable Farming Incentive news and analysis
Defra – Sustainable Farming Incentive guidance
Rural Payments Agency – SFI applications and scheme information
GSC Grays – agricultural and farm business advice
This emergency episode of the Farmers Weekly Podcast is co-hosted by Johann Tasker, Louise Impey and Hugh Broom. Edited and produced by Johann Tasker.
To get in touch with the Farmers Weekly Podcast: -
Contact or follow Johann: linkedin.com/in/johanntasker/
Contact or follow Louise: linkedin.com/in/louise-impey-95470b20b/
Contact or follow Hugh: linkedin.com/in/hugh-broom-9b11906a/
For Farmers Weekly, visit fwi.co.uk or follow linkedin.com/company/farmers-weekly
To contact, sponsor or advertise on the Farmers Weekly Podcast, email podcast@fwi.co.uk. In the UK, you can also text the word FARM followed by your message to 88 44 0.
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Farmers face a race to secure funding when the Sustainable Farming Incentive reopens – with warnings that the available money could be allocated within just 24 hours.
We look at how to prepare an SFI26 application, why growers should resist simply chasing grant money and what could happen to farmers whose existing agreements prevent them joining this time around.
Sugar beet growers face another period of uncertainty after price negotiations between NFU Sugar and British Sugar break down. With the 2027/28 contract heading to arbitration, we ask whether the crop can continue to earn its place in the rotation.
After one of the earliest maize harvests on record, we examine maize quality, forage shortages and why regular silage analysis could prove particularly important this winter.
And former farm minister Daniel Zeichner gives an extraordinary account of life inside Defra – including his claim that he knew nothing about the government’s inheritance tax changes until after they were announced in the 2024 Budget.
This episode is brought to you by Bayer Crop Science – weeding out uncertainty.
Chapters
00:00 – Introduction
01:09 – SFI26: will the money run out in 24 hours?
08:01 – SFI: preparing for the scramble
14:21 – Autumn drilling update: managing dry seedbeds
16:56 – Sugar beet price talks head to arbitration
20:50 – Does sugar beet have a future?
25:39 – Around the farming world
30:01 – Maize harvest: quantity versus quality
34:25 – Markets: livestock up, grain down and diesel jumps
36:46 – Daniel Zeichner: what really happened inside Defra?
44:20 – Abi Kay on an extraordinary interview
Special Guests
Chloe Timberlake – farm business adviser, Ceres Rural
Nick Scantlebury – senior farms manager, Elveden Estate
Neil Groom – maize specialist, Grainseed
Daniel Zeichner MP – former Defra farm minister
Abi Kay – Farmers Weekly chief reporter
Useful links
Sustainable Farming Incentive 2026
SFI26 Window 2 update
Sugar beet price arbitration
British Sugar’s Cantley plans
Bovine TB transmission research
Daniel Zeichner interview
This episode of the Farmers Weekly Podcast is co-hosted by Johann Tasker, Louise Impey and Hugh Broom. Edited and produced by Johann Tasker.
To get in touch with the Farmers Weekly Podcast: -
Contact or follow Johann: linkedin.com/in/johanntasker/
Contact or follow Louise: linkedin.com/in/louise-impey-95470b20b/
Contact or follow Hugh: linkedin.com/in/hugh-broom-9b11906a/
For Farmers Weekly, visit fwi.co.uk or follow linkedin.com/company/farmers-weekly
To contact, sponsor or advertise on the Farmers Weekly Podcast, email podcast@fwi.co.uk. In the UK, you can also text the word FARM followed by your message to 88 44 0.
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.