Getting Real

From e-sheep to microdairies, there was plenty of inspiration at the Oxford Real Farming Conference. 

- Sally Morgan

January sees the largest gathering of farming folk of the year when two very different farming conferences take place in Oxford: the Oxford Farming Conference, which has been going for 80 years and is sponsored by the farming giants, and the Oxford Real Farming Conference, now in its ninth year. The ORFC is a gathering of the sustainable food and farming movement. Its guided by three principles of agroecology, food sovereignty and economic democracy and has a distinctly practical slant, providing something for everybody, with topics on farm labour, access to land, trees and livestock, micro dairying, animal welfare, permaculture and more. So here are just a few of my personal highlights from the two days.

With so much happening to affect farming, the ORFC organisers invited the Secretary of State for the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, the Rt Hon Michael Gove, to speak. During his one-hour conversation with Zac Goldsmith, a wide range of topics were covered. His green stance and genuine concern for farming and the environment won over many. It’s worth listening to the session here http://www.campaignforrealfarming. org/2018/01/michael-gove-at-the-oxford real-farming-conference-2018/ So now the hope is that he stays in post long enough to implement these ideas.

An inspirational market garden

As many will know, I’m fascinated by what can be achieved productivity-wise on small plots of land, so I was delighted to read that the inspirational Perrine Hervé-Gruyer was speaking. Perrine and her husband Charles own La Ferme du Bec Hellouin in Normandy, France (https:// www.fermedubec.com/). Having read their book Miraculous Abundance: One quarter acre,