Episode 3: Robo Farms

From food and beer, to textiles and fragrances, a vast range of industries rely on agriculture to create our favourite everyday products. Notably, farmers also use crop rotation and provide other crops to various industries. In this episode we learn how others are adopting regenerative agriculture practices and the challenges they face. Can other industries follow the potato's footsteps in farming for the future? Joining the discussion is Imogen Stanley and Samata Pattinson. Samata Pattinson, CEO of BLACK PEARL, is a prominent advocate for cultural sustainability and sustainable fashion. She has fostered collaborations with major brands and cultivated a network of sustainable fashion ambassadors for initiatives with the Oscars, whilst working with leading talent like Billie Eilish. Imogen Stanley runs Rectory Farm in Oxfordshire with her parents, and the Stanley family have been at the farm since 1954. The farm has a popular café, farm shop, Pick Your Own, and grows many crops including potatoes that are supplied to McCain Foods.    LINKS… -Learn more about Samata’s work HERE. -UK listeners, book your visit to Imogen’s family farm HERE. (try not to eat more than you pick!) -Fashion brands and organisations using Regen Ag practices: Vivobarefoot, Allbirds, Pangaia, Wool and the Gang, Farm to Closet, Textile Exchange, Detox My Fashion, -Check out Louise’s book ‘Avocado Anxiety’ HERE.  This podcast is brought to you by McCain Foods. Thanks for listening! Presenter: Louise Gray Produced by Atomized Studios for McCain Foods Executive Producer: Faye Stewart Producers: Rebecca Rappaport and Chris Attaway Production Manager: Kaitlin Paramor Production Coordinator: Bella Salini Music: Barrie Gledden, Tim Reilly, Jason Pedder, and Alex Arcole Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In a changing climate, farms are already experiencing shifts in harvest seasons, crop yields, weather events, and more. Ensuring crops and farms are climate resilient is more important than ever. Can technology help us catch up with climate change to ‘future-proof’ our farms?  Joining the discussion is Emily Ford and Martin Harris.  Emily is a Nuffield Canada Scholar and Senior Agronomist at Quattro Ventures. In her daily work she works on crop production through real-time field monitoring and providing solutions for top crop performance.  Martin is a passionate soil classification specialist and agronomist. He focuses on practices that mitigate crop production risk. With 16 years of experience in precision agriculture, Martin focuses on merging science and field practices for the benefit of the producer.  LINKS… -To learn more about Quattro Ventures and the work they do, click HERE. -For more info on Agropedo, visit their website HERE. -Check out Louise’s book ‘Avocado Anxiety’ HERE.  This podcast is brought to you by McCain Foods Thanks for listening! Presenter: Louise Gray Produced by Atomized Studios for McCain Foods Executive Producer: Faye Stewart Producers: Rebecca Rappaport and Chris Attaway Production Manager: Kaitlin Paramor Production Coordinator: Bella Salini Music: Barrie Gledden, Tim Reilly, Jason Pedder, and Alex Arcole Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The UN has predicted that 2050 will see the global population surpass nine billion. Global food production needs to increase significantly in order to feed us all.To keep everyone fed in this changing climate, and to make sure food production can be part of slowing and even reversing temperature rise, we have to produce food in a different way.Of course farmers and food businesses are key to this, so it was a real privilege to talk to a panel that represented both!The Panel…Charlie Angelakos, Vice President of Global External Affairs and Sustainability at McCain FoodsGrant F Reid, Chair of the Sustainable Markets Initiative Agribusiness Taskforce; Private Equity Partner; Board Member of Marriott International and Vanguard; and former CEO, Mars IncorporatedSusan Ainsworth, Agrologist and General Manager of the Keystone Potato Producers AssociationLINKS… -Keep up to date with McCain on Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook-Check out Louise’s book Avocado Anxiety and follow her on Instagram and Twitter-If you would like to read more around McCain's sustainability initiatives, you can do so HERE. And for more information about Farms of the Future, click HERE. -The Sustainable Markets Initiative (SMI) was set up by King Charles III to ensure that business operates in favour of people and planet. The SMI's Agribusiness Task Force, chaired by Grant Reid, is designed to accelerate Regenerative Agriculture into becoming the predominant agricultural system in the world. You can read more about the taskforce HERE.This podcast is brought to you by McCain Foods Thanks for listening! Presenter: Louise Gray Produced by Atomized Studios for McCain Foods Executive Producer: Faye Stewart Producers: Rebecca Rappaport and Chris Attaway Production Manager: Kaitlin Paramor Production Coordinator: Bella Salini Music: Barrie Gledden, Tim Reilly, Jason Pedder, and Alex Arcole Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Welcome to the first episode of the Hot Potato Podcast: a series that grabs the burning issue of climate change with both hands and asks how regenerative agriculture can help solve the problem. Our food supply is heavily reliant on industrial agriculture, but current intensive farming methods cannot be sustained in the long term. Techniques used to maximize food production are having a negative effect on climate, biodiversity and soil health. We need our food supply to be sustainable in the face of an ever-changing world. So, today, we are getting to the root of it all and asking: How can we farm without harm?  Joining the discussion is Nicole Masters and Yves Leclerc.   Nicole is an independent agroecologist, systems thinker, storyteller and educator. With over twenty years of practical and theoretical experience in regenerative agriculture, she knows a thing or two about soil health!  Yves is a biologist and agronomist with a PhD in Plant Physiology and Biotechnology. In his role at McCain, he is accountable for managing the company's Smart and Sustainable Farming program and is responsible for establishing their network of 'Farms of the Future' - commercial farms that aim to demonstrate the environmental and economic benefits of Regenerative Agriculture.   LINKS…  -If you would like to read more around McCain's sustainability initiatives, you can do so HERE. You can learn about how they’re shaping the future of sustainable farming HERE. And for more information about Farms of the Future, click HERE. -To learn more about Integrity soils, visit the website HERE and check out Nicole’s book ‘For the Love of Soil’ HERE. You can also see her TED Talk ‘Down and Dirty’ HERE. -Check out Louise’s book ‘Avocado Anxiety’ HERE.  This podcast is brought to you by McCain Foods Thanks for listening!  Presenter: Louise Gray Produced by Atomized Studios for McCain Foods Executive Producer: Faye Stewart Producers: Rebecca Rappaport and Chris AttawayProduction Manager: Kaitlin Paramor Production Coordinator: Bella Salini Music: Barrie Gledden, Tim Reilly, Jason Pedder, and Alex Arcoleo  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Welcome to the Hot Potato Podcast: a series that grabs the burning issue of climate change with both hands and asks how regenerative agriculture can help solve the problem.We all know farming systems need to change to help feed the 8 billion people (and growing!) people on this planet. But how? Here on the Hot Potato Podcast, we’re starting with- who’d have thought it- the humble spud! As the third most consumed crop globally, potatoes play a vital role in how land is farmed and how people are fed.So keep your ears peeled as, together, we chip away at the hottest challenge facing food producers todayThis podcast is brought to you by McCain Foods and hosted by Louise Gray, an environmental journalist, former Environmental Correspondent for The Daily Telegraph, and author of The Ethical Carnivore and Avocado Anxiety Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.