Opportunities to improve how farmers, processors and retailers work together will be debated by a high-profile panel of speakers, as more than 50 farming and food businesses and organisations are brought together at the Yorkshire Farming Conference on Wednesday 28 January.
A wealth of experience and broad perspectives from across the food supply chain will make for a fascinating workshop, In the Middle: The Farmer’s Role in the Big Food Picture, as part of the conference’s packed programme at the Great Yorkshire Showground.
Nigel Murray, Managing Director of Booths supermarkets will chair the session. He will be joined by, among others, Sue Pritchard, Chief Executive of the Food, Farming and Countryside Commission and Zulfi Karim, Deputy Lieutenant of West Yorkshire and Programme Director of NHS Well Bradford, an initiative to tackle health inequalities.
Sponsored by Sofina and led by the Yorkshire Food, Farming and Rural Network (YFFRN), it is one of a series of talks looking at key agricultural issues at the inaugural Yorkshire Farming Conference.
Organised by the Yorkshire Agricultural Society, the Conference will run alongside a bustling trade show. Farmers will be able to scope out new machinery and technology, speak to rural advisory and professional service providers about a range of issues, and find out more about support available to farming families.
Nigel Murray said: “As a resident of North Yorkshire and an advocate for a better farming-led food system, I’m delighted to see this inaugural event take place and hope to see it become an annual event.”
The Yorkshire Farming Conference is the first landmark event brought together by the Yorkshire Agricultural Society’s farming networks – Future Farmers of Yorkshire, Farmer Scientist Network, Yorkshire Rural Support Network, Women In Farming Network and YFFRN. Each network is guided by farmers and funded and coordinated by the Society to support those working in the industry.
Tango Fawcett, Chair of the Yorkshire Food, Farming and Rural Network said: “Having been involved with all the Yorkshire Agricultural Society’s farming networks, I am thrilled that we are all coming together for the Yorkshire Farming Conference on Wednesday 28 January. A whole day of workshops and a large variety of trade stands will make for an inspiring, networking event, just at the time of the year when it is needed most. Connecting farming with food is integral to our well-being and health, as well as the well-being and health of our land and farmers.”
The trade show is a chance to talk to more than 50 agricultural businesses and organisations, as well as charities offering expert support to farming families: Addington Fund, Field Nurse, Gamekeepers Welfare Trust, Papyrus, RABI, Samaritans and The Farming Community Network. Organisations such as the Rural Payments Agency, National Farmers Union and Rural Business Network will be available to speak to, and businesses offering everything from agricultural technology and farm management software, to fencing and farm buildings.
Cumbrian farmer and best-selling author James Rebanks is the keynote speaker, offering an address to farmers on his outlook on agriculture. James is one of a growing line up of farmers and industry speakers who will be discussing big topics, from policy changes to whether UK agriculture is more in control since Brexit and what it takes to make fresh farm business ideas work on the ground.
The Yorkshire Farming Conference is for everyone working in agriculture and takes place on 28 January 2026 at the Great Yorkshire Events Centre from 9am to 5pm. Farmers can claim BASIS and NroSo (CPD) points at the event.
Tickets, priced £25 + VAT, are available to purchase in advance only, online at yorkshirefarmingconference.co.uk. A discount is available for group bookings of 10 or more. Tickets can also be purchased in-person, subject to availability, from Russells farm machinery outlets in Boroughbridge, Eggborough, Malton and Northallerton.
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