Behind-the-Scenes at REAP 2025

It’s that time of the year – as activities in the fields quieten down, it’s time for the pop-up banners to blossom!

Conference season is nearly upon us, with the annual rotation of speakers and the efforts to attract delegates to the myriad of events in the industry calendar.

Our own REAP Conference is no exception, so this month we’re sharing some “behind the scenes” insights into our REAP thinking.

Co-Existence isn’t passive – it’s a strategy!

This year’s theme is “Connect, Co-Develop, Co-Exist” – signalling the way innovation happens, as well as the importance of different farming systems, technologies, and even cultures and ideologies working together.

At REAP you will Connect, after the conference we will hopefully see some Co-development, and we all will be getting more comfortable with Co-existence.

Big names and big thinking

The flywheel for every conference is the speaker line-up, and we are beyond delighted that Minette Batters accepted our invitation to give the keynote address. The timing couldn’t be more perfect, she’ll be straight from her Farm Profitability Review, sharing her thoughts which will impact the industry at every level.

But in addition to a great keynote, you also need a fantastic line-up of speakers to maintain momentum. Instead of long seminar-style talks, REAP talks are short and energetic, with lots of time for panel discussion and questions from the audience.

Keeping it real with the farmers, we’re going to be following up Minette’s keynote session with a panel of leading farmers – Ali Capper (Stocks Farm, and British Apples and Pears), Laura Rous (Dennington Estate), James Beamish (Holkham Estate) and Jake Freestone (Overbury Estate) comprise our “farmer insights” session.

Everyone always wants to hear from government, but – as recent events have revealed – there is always uncertainty around Ministerial attendance! So instead of elected officials, we invite those who advise the Ministers and we’re welcoming Harley Stoddard, Defra’s Head of Climate Mitigation Science alongside Niab’s CEO (Mario Caccamo) and AGCO’s Head of Government Affairs, Mark Moore.

The Research Into Practice session will be led Andrew Blenkiron from the Elveden Estate, who’ll be asking the “so what” question of the scientists as they explain their research, and the Start-Up Showcase will reveal a selection of new agritech ventures making their mark in the industry.

Understanding our audience

With so many conferences, how do we make sure REAP is a go-to reason to clear your diary for the day?

The short answer is, with a lot of thought and planning, but more importantly by putting ourselves in the shoes of our different groups who come to REAP.

Farmers are likely wanting to be weighing the benefits of the latest technology or practices and like meeting and chatting together. So, we organise a farmer-exclusive breakfast before the conference, with an opportunity to meet the keynote speaker.

Tech companies want to meet customers and potential collaborators, so with some of the UK’s leading farmers in the room, we are pretty confident that box is ticked. With our biggest ever technology exhibition as well, this is the place for profile.

Meanwhile, researchers love to have real-world validation and ground-truthing of their thinking and innovations and always have new discoveries to share. And a recent member survey revealed people really rate hearing “bite-sized” insights into the latest science.

Seeds of progress, fruits of celebration

The thing we aim to get right is to keep everyone fed and watered – and we’re planning a “fruity” surprise as well. As we’re at a new venue this year, we’re working hard to make sure delegates remember REAP for all the right reasons – and we close the conference with a networking reception to reflect on the day.

See you there?!

Find out more and book your REAP 25 ticket today