Wilson & Ashley

Put your thoughts into the mix
In this episode of the Wilson & Ashley Podcast we’re looking at two topics that have been making plenty of noise both online and in real life: the controversy surrounding multi-million follower account, Ballerina Farm, and the ongoing debate around taking children out of school during term time.
If you spend any time on the rustic American farming side of social media, you’ve probably come across Ballerina Farm. Run by former ballerina Hannah Neeleman and her husband Daniel in Utah, the account has built a huge following by sharing a vision of traditional family life, home-produced food and farming with their eight children. But recently the farm found itself at the centre of a debate after it stopped selling raw milk following reports of high coliform bacteria levels in some testing. While the business says the decision was a commercial one and that the milk passed the required state tests while it was being sold, the story quickly grew online and raised wider questions about food safety, influencer responsibility and the way farming is portrayed on social media. We talk about what raw milk actually is, how it’s regulated in both the US and the UK, and whether the conversation would even exist if this were just an ordinary dairy farm without millions of followers watching.
We also discuss the bigger issue of how farming and food production are presented online, and whether there’s a growing gap between the romanticised version of rural life people see on social media and the realities of producing food safely and responsibly.
In the second half of the episode we turn to a topic that had a big response from our followers on social media: the rules around school attendance. Nearly half a million fines were issued last year for children being taken out of school during term time, as the Department for Education continues to tighten enforcement in an effort to improve attendance rates. Fines start at £80 per parent per child and can escalate quickly, with the possibility of court action for repeat offences. But what happens when your job simply doesn’t fit neatly into the school holiday calendar? For farming families in particular, there are times of year when work is completely dictated by the season and taking time off during school holidays just isn’t always possible.
We talk about whether the current system fairly reflects the realities of rural life, whether farming families should ever be considered an exceptional circumstance, and where the line sits between protecting children’s education and recognising that some professions operate on a very different timetable.
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@wilsonandashley
@rebeccawilsonfarming
@charlotteashleyfarm
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Whilst we endeavour to research podcast topics to the best of our ability, we cannot guarantee the accuracy and completeness of all conversations and as such, the podcast does not constitute professional advice.

Put your thoughts into the mix
This week we're asking should farmers be wearing SPF like it’s PPE? From influencer 50-step skincare routines and £100 moisturisers to the harsh reality of UV exposure in agriculture, we dig into why so many farmers skip sunscreen — and whether that says something bigger about how the industry approaches wellbeing in general.  With 17,500 new melanoma cases in the UK each year and outdoor workers at significantly higher risk, is it time farmers started taking sun protection seriously? We've had a lot of responses from our followers on social media and the results make for a great conversation!
Then we turn to the controversy around DEFRA awarding a contract (worth up to £650,000) to the Game & Wildlife Conservation Trust’s Allerton Project to deliver agricultural training for civil servants. Is this a smart move to improve farming policy? A waste of taxpayer money? Or proof that government is too disconnected from rural life?
We break down what the training could involve, why it’s caused backlash on X, and whether better-informed policymakers could mean better outcomes for British farmers.
Join our Listener Community: https://www.facebook.com/groups/1110531760649475/
If you’ve got a story, a strong opinion, or an idea for an episode… Slide into the DMs or drop us a voice note — we want to include your thoughts in our conversation.
Subscribe now and let’s get into it!
@wilsonandashley
@rebeccawilsonfarming
@charlotteashleyfarm
Powered by Ridgeline Clothing
Whilst we endeavour to research podcast topics to the best of our ability, we cannot guarantee the accuracy and completeness of all conversations and as such, the podcast does not constitute professional advice.

Put your thoughts into the mix
This episode is brought to you in partnership with with our Headline Sponsor, BKT and Kirkby Tyres. 
Is solar grazing a genuine triple-win or just clever greenwashing? This episode talks about two big topics in farming at the moment - land use and milk price - and who ultimately pays the price for cheap energy and cheap food.
We open with the rise of solar grazing, sparked by a Guardian article questioning whether putting sheep under solar panels really delivers benefits for farmers, renewables and society, or whether it’s simply a PR tool to make large-scale solar developments more palatable. With solar predicted to cover close to 100,000 hectares of UK land by 2030, we explore why the industry argues this is still a tiny fraction of national land use, and why many farmers see a very different picture when productive ground is taken out of food production. From reduced spraying and mowing costs to claims of improved soil health, animal welfare and biodiversity, we unpack the genuine opportunities solar grazing might offer — especially for new entrants — while also questioning broken promises, overgrazing risks, food security, and growing resistance from rural communities.
In the second half, we shift to the brutal reality of Britain’s milk price collapse. With dairy farmers being paid well below the cost of production, some losing thousands of pounds a day, we break down how global oversupply, rising US production, steady volumes from New Zealand and weaker Chinese demand have combined to hammer farmgate prices. We look at why cheap milk remains a supermarket weapon, why many farmers have little power over who collects their milk or what they’re paid, and how dumping milk has become a symptom of a system under strain. With nearly 20% of UK dairy farmers already gone in recent years, we ask whether the free market is fit for purpose, whether tools like quotas or a modern version of the Milk Marketing Board should return, and why farmers so often end up absorbing the cost of feeding the nation. 
Join our Listener Community: https://www.facebook.com/groups/1110531760649475/
If you’ve got a story, a strong opinion, or an idea for an episode… Slide into the DMs or drop us a voice note — we want to include your thoughts in our conversation.
Subscribe now and let’s get into it!
@wilsonandashley
@rebeccawilsonfarming
@charlotteashleyfarm
Powered by Ridgeline Clothing
Whilst we endeavour to research podcast topics to the best of our ability, we cannot guarantee the accuracy and completeness of all conversations and as such, the podcast does not constitute professional advice.

Put your thoughts into the mix
This episode is brought to you in partnership with with our Headline Sponsor, BKT and Kirkby Tyres. 
In this episode of the Wilson and Ashley Podcast, we take on two big questions shaping the future of food, work and farming.
We begin by looking at the significant changes happening on our supermarket shelves... changes which are perhaps going under the radar. From chocolate bars that are no longer legally allowed to be called chocolate, to ingredient substitutions hidden behind familiar packaging, we ask whether consumers are being misled and whether this marks the beginning of the end for recognisable, real food. We explore why rising cocoa prices and climate pressures are pushing manufacturers towards cheaper alternatives, what is lost nutritionally when real ingredients are replaced, and the environmental consequences of substitutes such as palm oil.
The conversation then turns to artificial intelligence and the growing idea that manual, land-based jobs may be among the last to withstand automation. Inspired by a Telegraph article suggesting farming could be one of the most AI-resistant careers, we discuss why increasing numbers of young people are looking towards agriculture, whether farming can truly escape the reach of AI, and what this could mean for the future of the sector. We also reflect on recent warnings from 'The Godfather of AI'. 
Do consumers deserve better transparency when it comes to food labelling? Is farming under threat or part of the solution to an increasingly automated world? And how worried should we really be about the pace and direction of artificial intelligence?
Sources: https://www.instagram.com/reel/DS7OU6JjfZA/?igsh=Y3Nhc2N3N2d3Nzgz, https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2025/08/28/to-escape-the-ai-threat-train-to-be-a-farmer-or-a-roofer/ 
Join our Listener Community: https://www.facebook.com/groups/1110531760649475/
If you’ve got a story, a strong opinion, or an idea for an episode… Slide into the DMs or drop us a voice note — we want to include your thoughts in our conversation.
Subscribe now and let’s get into it!
@wilsonandashley
@rebeccawilsonfarming
@charlotteashleyfarm
Powered by Ridgeline Clothing
Whilst we endeavour to research podcast topics to the best of our ability, we cannot guarantee the accuracy and completeness of all conversations and as such, the podcast does not constitute professional advice.

Put your thoughts into the mix
We're starting this week's episode with animal welfare and the UK Government’s new Animal Welfare Strategy for England, which aims to cover farmed animals, pets and wildlife under one policy framework. With proposed changes ranging from livestock production systems to dog breeding and wildlife management, we ask whether one strategy can realistically work for such different animals — and whether farming continues to carry a disproportionate share of the welfare spotlight.
We discuss the role of the supply chain, the risk of UK farmers being undercut by imports produced to lower standards, and whether higher welfare actually leads to better profitability, or if price still dominates consumer choice. 
In the second half, we turn to life online and what it really means to “go offline”. For farmers and rural businesses, social media has become a diary, a marketing tool and a community for support and knowledge transfer — but stepping back could mean both relief and financial risk. We talk about mental wellbeing and whether going offline is even realistic for businesses that rely on digital platforms to survive.
Before we go, we’re delighted to announce BKT and Kirkby Tyres as headline sponsors for our next series, and we’re excited to see the partnership grow.
Join our Listener Community: https://www.facebook.com/groups/1110531760649475/
If you’ve got a story, a strong opinion, or an idea for an episode… Slide into the DMs or drop us a voice note — we want to include your thoughts in our conversation.
Subscribe now and let’s get into it!
@wilsonandashley
@rebeccawilsonfarming
@charlotteashleyfarm
Powered by Ridgeline Clothing
Whilst we endeavour to research podcast topics to the best of our ability, we cannot guarantee the accuracy and completeness of all conversations and as such, the podcast does not constitute professional advice.