REAP Conference 2025: Connect, Co-Develop, Co-Exist

Minette Batters was the first woman to be elected President of the National Farmers’ Union in 113yrs. She’s represented the interests of over 46,000 farming businesses across England and Wales through unprecedented times, navigating the challenges of Brexit, Covid 19 and the war in Ukraine. During this time, she worked with four Prime Ministers – three of them in one year – and six Defra Secretaries of State. She stood down from the post in February 2024.

Minette is a tenant farmer on the Longford Estate near Salisbury, Wiltshire. Today the farm has a spring and autumn calving Aberdeen Angus beef herd, arable crops and a few sheep. The business is widely diversified, with a wedding and events venue in a 17th century tithe barn, holiday cottages, and winter grazing for polo ponies, alongside a recently restored walled garden growing native British
flowers.

Minette is an ambassador for Farm Africa. In 2021 Minette was made a Deputy Lieutenant to Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth, and in July 2024 she was made a Crossbench Peer in the House of Lords.

Elveden Farms Ltd, Suffolk includes a substantial and varied in-hand farming operation, two pubs, a farm shop/café, forestry and Christmas tree business, a residential and commercial property portfolio and various other commercial and charitable activities.  Being located on “thin” Breckland blowing sand Elveden effectively utilises a massive amount of water on an annual basis and produces a range of root crops.

Andrew comes from a family farming background, with his grandparents having run a small, tenanted hill suckler and sheep farm in Nidderdale, Yorkshire. Andrew’s previous experience has included working in rural businesses in every region and most soil types in England, from Dorset to Northumberland.

He has recently completed a term as  the Chairman for NFU Suffolk and he sits on various industry boards and committees, including being Vice Chairman of the National Fallen Stock Board, he is a Professional Fellow of the institute of Agricultural Management and a Fellow of the Royal Agricultural Societies.

Born and brought up on a country estate in South Norfolk as the son of a gamekeeper it was the summer harvest job from the age of 14 that fuelled the passion for a career in agriculture.

Having completed a 3yr National Diploma in Agriculture at Easton College which included a placement year on a mixed dairy / arable farm in Suffolk, James then spent a year travelling and working on various farms in Australia.

After returning James went to work for the Salle Park Estate – staying for 19 years concluding his time there as Crop Production Manager for the latter 8 years. It was during this time that a real interest in rotations, soil management and long-term farming systems was developed.

During this time James also achieved both Basis and Facts qualifications and then went on to complete the advanced Basis modules in cereals and sugar beet.

From 2013, whilst at Salle James worked in tandem with the University of East Anglia to host the Defra funded Demonstration Test Catchment Project which was a 7-year project looking into mitigation of nutrient losses into water courses through different farming systems.

In January 2016 James took up the position of Farm Manager on the Holkham Estate and has since been appointed as a Director of Holkham Farming Company (HFC). HFC manage the 3700 ha of in-hand farming operations for various members of the Coke family with an emphasis on long term farming systems which are sustainable for both food production and the environment, this includes developing an 8-year rotation which has gone back to incorporating livestock within an arable system as well as using every opportunity to improve soil conditions with tailored cultivations and the use of organic manures and cover cropping.

Professor Mario Caccamo is CEO and Director of Niab and also holds an honorary professorship at the University of East Anglia. Mario is also Director of the Oxford Farming Conference.

Mario has over 20 years’ experience in life science research, including specific projects genetics and bioinformatics methods to advance our understanding of crop performance. At Niab, Mario leads more than 350 crop scientists, agronomists and pathologists focused on addressing the challenges of food security, climate change and sustainable agriculture and horticulture.

Ali is a Partner at Stocks Farm, Suckley, Worcestershire UK with her husband Richard and his father Mark. The Cappers specialise in growing hops, dessert and cider apples.

Ali is a Nuffield Farming Scholar (2013), former Board member (2012-2024) of and Chairman (2016-2022) of the NFU’s national Horticulture & Potatoes Board and was a Trustee of Nuffield Farming Scholarship Trust (2014-2019). Ali was also a long-standing Board member of British Hop Association and Wye Hops until 2024.

Today, in addition to numerous roles at the farm, she works as a Trustee of the Oxford Farming Conference, is Executive Chairman of British Apples & Pears Ltd, Chairman of Horticulture Crop Protection Ltd, and a non-executive Director of NFU Mutual. Ali is a Deputy Lieutenant for Worcestershire and 2024/25 Chair of Herefordshire Agricultural Club.

Belinda is driven by the belief that innovation is vital for agricultural productivity, environmental sustainability and economic growth.

Starting her career in research, Belinda has worked mainly at the interface between industry, innovation and government, and became determined to bring farmers, researchers and technology developers closer together to improve the efficiency of communication and mutual understanding, and to accelerate the adoption of new innovations on farms.

For the past decade Belinda has led the creation and expansion of the award-winning membership network: Agri-TechE . In 2021 she received the Sir Timothy Colman Prize for “outstanding leadership in the agri-tech sector” and was awarded an OBE in the 2024 Kings’ Birthday Honours List for services to agri-technologies and farming.

Jake manages the 1600 Ha in-hand farming operations for Penelope Bossom trading as Overbury Enterprises on the Gloucestershire/Worcestershire border. The farm gained LEAF Demonstration Farm (Linking Environment and Farming) status in 2012. The arable farm has been in a Regenerative Agriculture system since 2015 and is integrated with a flock of 1000 outdoor lambing ewes. The farm hosts a diverse Higher Tier Stewardship scheme which started in January 2021 and a 2023 SFI scheme.

In January 2013 Jake gave a paper at the Oxford Farming Conference, ‘Will Precision Farming Change the Face of UK Agriculture?’ In January 2014 he presented some of his Nuffield Farming Scholarship findings at the Pershore Farming Conference and The Real Oxford Farming Conference.

In October 2012 Jake was awarded a Nuffield Farming Scholarship, his topic was ‘Breaking the Wheat Yield Plateau in the UK’.  Post Nuffield Jake has presented his findings to the Nuffield Conference, Groundswell Conference and the Institute of Agricultural Managers at their annual conference in November 2014 and that month was awarded the Farm Business – Food and Farming ‘Progressive Farmer on the Year’.

In 2020 Jake was awarded the ‘Soil Farmer of the Year’ by the Farm Carbon Toolkit, he is a farmer advisor for Trinity Ag Tech and a director of The Green Farm Collective.

In 2021 Jake was crowned Environmental Champion by Farmers Weekly and as Arable Innovator of the Year at the British Farming Awards. In 2022 and 2023 Jake won the BBC Food and Farming ‘Future of Farming’ award, on his own and subsequently as part of The Green Farm Collective. He was proudly awarded the inaugural Caroline Drummond Award for Innovation and Communication in 2023.

Jake has previously been co-opted to the National Crops Board for the National Farmers Union and has also been the Worcestershire County Chairman.

Jake has been writing a blog (farmerjakef.blogspot.com) since 2006 and has been ‘tweeting’ since October 2010 (@No1FarmerJake). Harvest 2011 saw the launch of his YouTube channel documenting life at Overbury Enterprises, helping promote the positive aspects of our Regenerative Agricultural system.

During my 35+year career I have been defining requirements for agricultural technology and developing its application in agriculture.

In 2012 I joined the AGCO Africa team and focused on the Future Farm project, which brings farmers and industry partners together to develop the value from innovation through a range of practical demonstrations and educational programs.

My agricultural engineering skills and knowledge has led to my current AGCO role of Director, Government Affairs.  I am tasked with creating awareness amongst policy makers on the opportunities of using innovation in agriculture to increase sustainable food production.  I work closely with the European Farm Machinery Trade Association (CEMA) where I am vice chair and secretary to the CEMA strategic committee.

I am also a trustee of the Douglas Bomford Trust, which provides support to organisations and young individuals that want to develop knowledge and careers in agricultural engineering.  In 2024 I was elected president of the Institution of Agricultural Engineers, which supports the career development of professional engineers around the world.

Coming from an arable farming family background based in North Yorkshire, Craig joined the AHDB Cereals & Oilseeds knowledge exchange team in early 2024 having previously worked in the precision ag sector for almost a decade. As both a FACTS and BASIS registered advisor, Craig specialised in the practical application of precision farming tools and techniques for clients across the UK. During this time, Craig also managed a commercial field services team, operating on a nationwide scale, offering precision soil sampling and scanning services for investigating everything from macro/micronutrition to multi-depth soil carbon measurements. Craig has also previously worked on and contributed to numerous funded Agri-TechE projects (UKRI/Newton Fund), tackling problem topics such as supply chain traceability, 5G integration and remote sensing solutions for crop production.

Dennington Hall Farms is a multi-generational arable and livestock farm in Suffolk focused on regenerative agriculture and innovation-led diversification. Laura previously worked in product development for tech startups and as an analyst in the property sector, and now brings that strategic, commercial and operational experience to building a resilient, future-facing rural enterprise. Laura is passionate about using technology, biodiversity, and thoughtful design – whether in products, landscapes or systems – to reimagine the future of farming at Dennington.

Rothamsted Enterprises supports small businesses to start and scale in the world of Agtech. The Rothamsted campus provides access to expertise, scientific kit, office and lab space as well as opportunities to meet other innovative businesses.

In her role as CEO, Nicole is responsible for driving forward the growth and development of the business portfolio on campus and provide the campus community with opportunities to deliver impactful science for society.

Harley is the Head of Climate Mitigation Science for the UK-based Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra), providing scientific support to evidence-based net zero policy making and manages the research interests across Agriculture, Forestry, Biomass, Peat (& soils), Waste, Wastewater and F-Gases sectors.

Previously he was the lead on agricultural emissions at the national Agriculture and Horticulture Development Board. Harley was formerly a farm surveyor, an environmental policy advisor for Defra, and a bioeconomy advisor for Department of Energy and Climate Change (DECC, now renamed the Department of Energy and Net Zero (DESNZ)).

He is responsible for understanding policy issues affecting the land-based sectors, as well as the emissions from and mitigation potential across the sectors. Harley is a Chartered Biologist, and a Member of Institute of Agricultural Managers.

Veryan is a leader in fresh produce supply, innovation, and sustainability, with over 30 years of experience in the UK retail sector. As former Commercial and Technical Director at Suncrop Produce, she oversaw ESG, technical, and commercial operations. She now leads Food Intelligence Limited and advises on different aspects of the fresh produce supply chain including innovation, policy, and compliance. Veryan also holds key industry roles, shaping the future of agriculture through governance, mentoring, and strategic leadership.

Paul joined the firm in 1996 coming from an agricultural management background in England and abroad and thus has over 25 years of experience providing management and consultancy services. Paul has a MBA in Agri-business Management and a BSc in International Agricultural Trade. His main area of work is to provide holistic proactive and strategic input to rural businesses. In 2020 Paul took on the role as Divisional Head of the Agricultural Business Consultancy Department and has been the marketing Partner at Brown & Co since 2012.

Dave Chandler is an agricultural entomologist at the University of Warwick. A lot of his research focuses on Integrated Pest Management in horticultural crops, including the development of IPM tools and systems to help growers and farmers be more productive, profitable and sustainable.  He has a particular interest in biological pest control and biopesticides. He is a co-founder of Warwick Agri-Tech, a joint initiative with experts in engineering and technology at Warwick Manufacturing Group to derisk innovation for agri-technology developers, farmers and growers.

John Ferguson (University of Essex) investigates how plants adapt to their environments, using cutting-edge phenotyping to improve photosynthesis, water-use efficiency, and stress resilience in crops like maize — delivering climate-smart insights for sustainable agriculture.

Dave George is an applied farm systems researcher and lecturer at Newcastle University. Most of his work takes place across the 800ha of Newcastle University’s mixed commercial farming operation, utilising established teaching and research platforms – some of which are over 125 years old. In his role as ‘Director of Farms Research’ Dave also works closely with Newcastle’s Commercial Farm Director, James Standen, to ensure that this work is communicated to farmers and other stakeholders.

Dr. Luke Bell’s research focuses on crop science, plant biology, and food chemistry at the University of Reading. His research portfolio centres on enhancing agricultural resilience, optimising crop nutritional quality, and preventing food loss. He has an industry and academic background, and holds a PhD from the University of Reading, an MSc from the University of Warwick, and a BSc from the University of East Anglia. He currently supervises a group of ten PhD students across varied research areas, and is the academic lead for the Crop & Environment Laboratory (CEL) at Reading.

Dolapo Olawoyin is a Research Support Officer at the School of Food Science and Nutrition, University of Leeds, working on the Innovate UK-funded project, Lupin Loop: The Revolutionary Food Ingredient. Dolapo’s research focuses on transforming lupins into sustainable alternative protein ingredients, with a particular emphasis on protein quality, digestibility, and functionality.

He has expertise in protein extraction and characterisation, enzymatic hydrolysis of food proteins, in silico assessment of bioactive peptides, protein quality evaluation, techno-functional property testing, and functional ingredient development.

Previously, Dolapo worked on producing protein hydrolysates and bioactive peptides from rice, quinoa, and pea proteins, exploring their potential antidiabetic, antioxidant, and antihypertensive properties. A Chevening Scholar, he has a background in Biochemistry and earned his MSc in Food Science and Nutrition from the University of Leeds. Dolapo is also the co-founder of Biospherea, a global research community that supports early-career bioscientists.

Nadia Radzman, Research associate at Sainsbury Laboratory Cambridge University (SLCU) and College Research Associate at Entrepeneurship Lab (E-Lab) King’s College Cambridge.

Dr Radzman’s expertise is in plant peptides and legume development. She is currently investigating novel peptides that regulate plant growth and development. She also leads an interdisciplinary project, Broad ‘n Mind, to improve UK broad beans as accessible functional food for mental health. Additionally, she is a steering committee member of the research consortium, Cambridge Global Food Security, focusing on interdisciplinary approach to improve the food system.

Mark M^cMullan is an evolutionary biologist developing genetic surveillance tools to stay ahead of crop disease threats. By tracking how resistance evolves in wild crop relatives and how virulence emerges in pathogens, his work reveals the genetic ingredients of both invasion and defence. This dual approach points the way to earlier detection of dangerous pathogen strains and rapid identification of resistance genes that can stop them. His current research focuses on wheat take-all, the world’s most important wheat root disease, and sugar beet rust, a pathogen moving between crops and their wild relatives.

After B.Sc. in Biochemistry from Edinburgh followed by a crop protection M.Sc. Andrew trained as an agronomist. He joined Hutchinsons in 1993, was MD for 15+ years and became Chairman of H.L. Hutchinson Ltd from 1^st Jan 2024. He was also a Past Chairman of AIC.