In this first episode of the SFT’s new podcast series, Patrick Holden meets Sophie Gregory – one of the UK’s most prominent first-generation dairy farmers and winner of the 2021 Dairy Woman of the Year Award.
Along with her husband, Tom, Sophie farms organically on just over 1,200 acres in Dorset, southwest England. Their farm, which is home to 360 cows, provides organic milk for Arla under a European cooperative designed to pay dairy farmers a fairer price.
With a passion for connecting more people with the origins of their food, Sophie talks to Patrick about how she first got into farming, her plans for her Nuffield scholarship on the future of organic, and why she feels education on food and farming is so essential. They also discuss why measuring sustainability is so important in building a more resilient farming sector and enjoy some lively debate on whether organic farms can feed the world.
Want to find out more about Sophie and her farm? Find her on Instagram: @farmer_in_training
To listen to more SFT podcasts, featuring some of the biggest names in regenerative food and farming, head to our main podcast page. And to keep up with our news, you can subscribe to our fortnightly newsletter or follow us on Instagram, X or Facebook.
“As soon as you go organic, there’s definitely a feeling in it. It would be hard for a farmer to go back – it becomes how you farm.”
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