OFC 2026 celebrates new cohort of Inspire delegates

FW Reporter 21 November 2025

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The Examination Schools in Oxford – home of the Oxford Farming Conference © Craig Stephen

The depth, breadth and importance of Britain’s farming history have left a legacy of purpose-led charities, trusts and organisations that continue to support people across the sector.

“The Oxford Farming Conference is one of them,” says OFC director and estate manager David Hill.

“Since our first conference in 1936, the OFC has helped many individuals, particularly young people and emerging leaders, develop their skills and networks.”

The conference’s charitable aims underpin four programmes enabling younger people to attend (see panel), all focused on leadership, confidence and industry knowledge.

Mr Hill and fellow OFC director Kelly Hewson-Fisher lead OFC Inspire, aimed at aspiring leaders aged 30-45, including farmers, scientists, academics, media and agri-business professionals.

The programme is sponsored by the Institute for Agriculture and Horticulture (Tiah) and BASF, which help deliver activities including personal development days in London and sessions at the conference.

The 2026 Inspire delegates span disciplines including farm management, engineering, policy, ecology and HR, and include:

Laura Beaumont

Laura works on her family’s mixed farm in Herefordshire. She also heads up the British On-Farm Innovation Network’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, Liz is responsible for agriculture, agricultural engineering, and horticulture courses. She is also partner on a family-run dairy farm.

Bronagh Brennan

A farm business management, training and HR consultant from Northern Ireland.

David Bristow

David grew up on a beef and poultry farm in Northern Ireland.

His degree in agricultural engineering led him to arable farming in Lincolnshire, where he now manages the farming at Stourton Estates.

Tom Cannon

Tom is from Roughway Farm and part of a farming family that has farmed in Kent for generations.

He has helped to diversify the business into areas such as cobnuts, following his research during a Churchill Fellowship.

Matt Elliott

A new entrant to farming. He is FarmED’s agricultural lead, a Cotswolds regenerative demonstration farm and education centre.

He is also a National Trust tenant on the Sherborne Estate in Gloucestershire.

Adam Godwin

Farm management assistant on 2,600ha, with an engineering background.

Maryna Kuzmenko

Maryna is co-founder of Petiole, a UK agri-tech company applying computer vision and deep learning to plant phenotyping and quality control in agri-food.

Beth Metson

Beth is director at HedgeLife, which creates and enhances tree and hedge networks across the east and south-east of England. She also farms in Essex.

Morgan Robinson

Morgan grew up on the Lowther Estate in Cumbria. He is now estate operations director at the historic 6,880ha Holker Estate in Cumbria.

William Sanders

William is a dairy farm manager and mentor in Staffordshire, building his career from a non-farming background.

Anna Simpson

Anna is a public affairs manager at the Crown Estate, leading engagement on environmental, rural and land use policy across the estate’s wide portfolio.

Andrew Teanby

As director of Savills’ rural research team, Andrew is responsible for farmland market intelligence and policy change. He also manages an arable farm in Lincolnshire.

Jessica Evans Williams

Jessica is a farmer from mid-Wales in the Eryri National Park, specialising in native breeds. She also works part-time as an environmental health officer.

Agnes Mwihaki Lokoro

Agnes is a specialist in sustainable agriculture and food security across Africa and beyond.

OFC opportunities for all

The OFC supports more than 80 people to attend the conference through four programmes:

OFC Inspire Programme, supported by BASF and Tiah, targeted at aspiring leaders aged 30 to 45 years
OFC Scholars Programme, partnered with McDonald’s, for younger people starting their career in the sector
OFC Breaking Barriers Scholarship, also partnered with McDonalds, which is open to individuals under 30 years who identify as black or person of colour
OFC Bursaries, supported by NFU Mutual Charitable Trust, which funds places for people who would otherwise not have the means to attend.

Bursary places are still available and applications can be made through the OFC website until the end of November.

The OFC 2026 runs from 7-9 January. For tickets, visit ofc.org.uk