South of England Farming Conference
Bringing together landowners, agriculturalists and industry representatives from across the South East, the South of England Farming Conference is part of our charitable remit to fund and support agricultural education and countryside learning and is free to attend.
It’s a chance to find out more about some of the most pressing matters facing the industry today, listen to expert views and get involved in the discussion and put your questions to our experts.
Our next Farming Conference is on Wednesday 11th November 2026.
Who's Responsible for the Next Generation?
On Wednesday the 11th November we will be hosting our Farming Conference on the question ‘Who’s Responsible for the Next Generation?’ at the South of England Showground, Ardingly, West Sussex, RH17 6TL.
The Conference will run from 7.00pm to 9.00pm online. If attending in person, pre- and post-event refreshments and networking opportunities will be available from 6.00pm to 10.00pm.
From farm families and business owners to supply chains, policymakers, and consumers, who truly shapes the future of British farming? Bringing together leading voices from across the sector, this dynamic discussion will explore how responsibility for the next generation of farming businesses is shared and contested in a time of economic, environmental, and social change. And can the industry afford to cling to tradition, or is it time to back bold alternatives? Expect challenge, debate, and ideas that push the boundaries of what farming could, and should, be.
More information on this year’s conference to come.
About our Speakers
Charlotte Smith (Chair) - Presenter of BBC Radio 4's Farming Today
Charlotte Smith is one of two main presenters of BBC Radio 4’s Farming Today. She grew up in Quorn, Leicestershire, where she volunteered on BBC Radio Leicester. Charlotte was then put on the BBC’s Local Radio Reporters Scheme before touring the local radio stations of Sussex, Cumbria and Devon. She then returned to Radio Leicester as a news reporter working alongside Julian Worricker.Â
She also worked on BBC national radio, The World Tonight. More locally to Leicestershire, she became a reporter and sports presenter on East Midlands Today. Returning to national radio on BBC 5 Live, she was a producer, reporter and presenter. Prior to Farming Today Charlotte worked as a reporter for You and Yours, the lunch-time consumer programme on Radio 4. She has also since been a television reporter on BBC1’s Countryfile, until 2009, and returned as an occasional relief reporter from 2014. Charlotte is also a mother of two children.
Matt Naylor, Co-Managing Director, Socius
Matt Naylor is a Lincolnshire farmer. Since incorporating Naylor Flowers, he has grown it into one of the UK’s largest flower businesses supplying supermarkets in the UK and the EU. He is also co-managing director of Socius, a labour agency, which employs up to 300 people.
He chairs the trustee board for the Institute of Agriculture and Horticulture
He is a past trustee of LEAF and a LEAF Marque farmer. Naylor Flowers supports Open Farm Sunday and hosts school visits at the farm’s on school classroom.
He undertook a Nuffield Scholarship on the perception of the British brand in international markets and is a past chair of the Oxford Farming Conference
He was the co-originator of the Agrespect initiative in 2018 which aimed promote inclusivity in the countryside.
John Gregson, General Manager, Regenified
John Gregson grew up on a 100 acre tenant farm in West Lancashire, an experience that shaped his lifelong commitment to the vital role smaller and family farms play in the food system and the transition to regenerative agriculture. Today, he serves as the UK General Manager for Regenified, where he works to accelerate the adoption of regenerative practices across the farming and supply chains. Before joining Regenified, John spent 25 years at Waitrose in various senior communication, agriculture, public affairs and ethics and sustainability roles, helping to develop and implement the retailer’s farming and sustainability strategy.
Earlier in his career, he worked as a journalist and commodity trader, gaining a broad perspective on the challenges and opportunities facing the sector. He is a graduate of the Royal Agricultural College. John remains passionate about championing regenerative approaches that can secure a resilient, thriving future for farmers and the land.
Richard Means, Managing Partner, Ceres Rural
Richard is a Managing Partner at Ceres Rural, a leading, rapidly growing, independent rural consultancy. Richard specialises in farm management and strategic farm advice to improve productivity, sustainability and resilience. He also carries out the agronomy and manages his own 650 hectare farm business in West Norfolk, where he has pioneered farm trials of various concepts and technologies. He is always willing to learn and does so through participation in several projects including ADAS YEN, the Kelloggs Origins Group and the Framework for Improving Nitrogen Efficiency trials.
He has undertaken several due diligence projects on large scale purchases and refinancing deals, in particular those relating to anaerobic digestion.
Richard is BASIS, FACTS, BETA and FAAV qualified and a Fellow of the Institute of Agricultural Management. As well as being a Trustee for a few farming clients, he sits on committees for the local branches of organisations such as the CAAV, IAgrM and GWCT and took on the Chairman role at Fengrain to oversee its financial restructure and ultimate sale in 2024.
Tom Heap, Journalist, Author & BBC Countryfile Presenter
Tom Heap is a regular presenter on BBC1’s Countryfile, specialising in the more investigative films, and has made many BBC Panorama documentaries on food, energy and the environment. Tom is also the presenter of Radio 4’s new Rare Earth series and was the anchor of The Climate Show on Sky News. He was the creator and presenter of BBC Radio’s flagship climate change podcast ’39 Ways to Save the Planet’. His latest book is ‘Land Smart: How to Give People and Nature the Space to Thrive’.
