The South of England Agricultural Society’s 2025 Farming Conference will take place on Wednesday 12th November, at the South of England Showground in Ardingly, West Sussex, as well as online. This year’s conference will explore the theme: ‘Adapting with Purpose: Farming in a Changing World’.
Led once again by the highly respected Charlotte Smith, broadcaster and presenter of BBC Radio 4’s Farming Today, the conference will bring together leading voices in agriculture to tackle one of the most urgent questions of our time: how can farming survive and thrive in an era defined by volatility and change?
The familiar pillars that have underpinned British agriculture for generations are shifting. Subsidies are fading into history. Global markets are in flux. Extreme weather is no longer an occasional disruption but an escalating threat. Farmers today stand at the frontline of these converging pressures, forced to navigate a landscape where certainty is scarce and resilience is paramount.
Yet with challenge comes opportunity. New technologies, fresh thinking, and alternative business models are emerging that could transform not just how we farm, but how we define success itself. In this conference, we will ask: Which farming models are truly fit for purpose in this unpredictable world? What does resilience look like when the old certainties have gone? And can the industry afford to cling to tradition, or is it time to back bolder, more radical alternatives?
Confirmed speakers for 2025 so far include:
- Helen Browning OBE – Chief Executive of the Soil Association and a pioneering organic farmer. Helen brings decades of experience, including from her time running the organic family farm in Wiltshire and with national food and farming policy as a member of the Curry Commission on the Future of Farming. Her work has focused on healthy soils and landscapes and championing high standards of animal welfare, particularly developing innovative organic pig systems.
- John Gregson – UK General Manager at Regenified and passionate advocate for regenerative agriculture. With a career spanning journalism, commodity trading, and senior roles at Waitrose, including communication, agriculture, public affairs, ethics, and sustainability. John’s upbringing on a 100-acre tenant farm in West Lancashire has shaped his lifelong commitment to the vital role smaller and family farms play in the food system and the transition to regenerative agriculture.
Further speakers will be announced soon.
This will not be a comfortable conversation. Expect challenges to convention, critical reflection on received wisdom, and an exploration of ideas that push beyond the familiar. The goal: to inspire and provoke farmers, landowners, advisors, policymakers, and the wider food system to think differently.
Commenting on the upcoming event, Duncan Rawson, a Nuffield Scholar sponsored by the Society and chair of the conference organising committee, said:
“At a time when so many forces are conspiring to make farming harder, it has never been more important to create spaces for honest reflection, constructive debate, and shared learning. This conference will provide an opportunity to step back, ask searching questions, and reimagine what farming could and should be in a world where change is the only constant. We look forward to an energising and essential discussion at this pivotal moment. Together, let us chart a course toward a farming future that is adaptive, innovative, and purposeful.”
The Farming Conference will run from 7pm to 9pm on Wednesday 12th November 2025 (6pm to 10pm if attending in person, including pre- and post-event refreshments and networking opportunities). The conference is FREE to attend, in person or online, but visitors must register at https://www.seas.org.uk/farming-conference/.