John shares his journey into regenerative farming, explaining how the need to better manage risk led him to rethink conventional practices. Despite reducing inputs and eliminating fungicides, he is successfully growing wheat without compromising yield. He discusses the additional management required, particularly around controlling rust, and explains how building healthy soils through companion cropping and encouraging soil biology has become the foundation of his farming system.

The conversation explores the challenges currently facing UK arable farming, from increasingly unpredictable weather to political pressures, and why many farmers need to adapt their businesses to remain profitable. They also discuss alternative income streams, including the role solar panels can play on arable land.

Tim introduces his revolutionary new leaf analysis machine, capable of providing instant, laboratory-quality results for key nutrients including nitrogen (N), phosphorus (P) and potassium (K). With rapid, accurate analysis from just 15 leaves, growers can make informed nutritional decisions based on what's happening in the field that day, rather than relying on delayed laboratory reports. The discussion highlights the widespread potassium deficiencies being seen this season and how real-time data can improve crop management.

Other topics include asparagus production and soil erosion, changes to crop rotations with oilseed rape being removed from some systems, the use of foliar nutrition, and John's experiences of timing applications alongside lunar cycles.

The episode concludes with practical advice for growers navigating an increasingly uncertain future: focus on understanding your own farm, question conventional thinking, seek opportunities to reduce risk, and make informed decisions that work for your own business rather than following the crowd.

The conversation focuses on the importance of correcting potassium levels to strengthen crops and improve resilience, as well as the impact of the warm weather, which saw wheat flowering by the final week of May. This is expected to bring forward the 2026 harvest, making now the ideal time to target grain protein with carefully planned nutritional foliar applications.

Tim and Nick also review the outlook for barley, oats and oilseed rape, discussing the next management steps and why foliar nutrition is proving particularly valuable in such dry conditions. With limited rainfall, foliar products can deliver nutrients directly into the plant rather than relying on moisture in the soil for uptake.

Despite the season presenting significant challenges, they explain how growers can still maximise returns by focusing investment where it will have the greatest impact, particularly on wheat and oilseed rape. The episode concludes with a discussion on the benefits of working closely with Tim to trial alternative approaches, test new ideas, and develop lower-input strategies that deliver healthier crops and consistently strong yields.

• Current UK conditions in the Cotswolds, Worcestershire, Herefordshire, Kent and the East – “biscuit dry” soils, wind, and high transpiration.  
• Nitrogen management gone wrong – including a frank critique of heavy liquid N use, leaf scorch, and why nitrogen without a full nutrient program is “wasting money.”  
• Intelligent farming vs salesman farming – how to stop letting product reps run your business and start making your own informed decisions.  
• Balanced nutrition and disease control – using blends, amino acids (Citadel), calcium, silicon, phosphorus, magnesium, molybdenum, manganese, zinc and potassium to build resilience and keep yellow rust at bay.  
• Crop-by-crop strategy – practical foliar plans for winter wheat, spring barley, oats, beans and a very promising oilseed rape crop in a dry season.  
• Economics and fuel costs – whether it ever makes sense to cut back passes, and why big cultivations and harvest fuel use will really bite this year.  
• Bigger picture – grain prices stuck around £175/t, input inflation, solar on arable land, politics, Clarkson, Cereals, and whether a global farmer organisation could ever work.

If you’re farming in a dry spring, questioning your nitrogen strategy, or fed up with prescription agriculture driven by sales targets, this episode is packed with grounded, field-tested insight – and a fair bit of straight talking.

They explore practical responses, including foliar nutrition strategies, improving soil structure, and making smarter, more efficient decisions to support crop performance. The conversation also digs into bigger-picture challenges facing the industry - from nitrogen pricing to the need for farmers to think and act more like business owners.

Grounded in real on-farm observations, this episode is a honest, no-nonsense look at how to adapt, stay resilient, and keep moving forward in a difficult season

They explore practical decisions around foliar nutrition, nitrogen use, and crop management, while questioning “one-size-fits-all” advice and the influence of sales-driven systems.

Honest, experienced, and sometimes blunt, this episode also touches on the pressures farmers are facing today - and the importance of looking out for each other.

Real farming. Real challenges. Real conversations.

The conversation broadens to regenerative principles: farming to context, avoiding blanket recommendations, and recognising differences between UK and overseas systems. Concerns are raised about farm profitability, policy uncertainty, and declining food security, alongside frustration with schemes that risk taking land out of production. The episode closes by reinforcing balance, observation and preparation as the season approaches, rather than rushing inputs onto waterlogged soils.

With wheat showing unexpected growth, cover crops still active, and pressure from slugs and pigeons appearing at unusual times, Tim and Nick unpack what they were seeing in the field - and how they approached decision-making when the usual playbook didn’t apply.

The conversation explores practical, observation-led farming: using small trials, understanding soil biology, supporting cover crops properly, and accepting that rigid calendars don’t work in a changing climate.

A grounded, experience-led reflection on why adaptability and informed judgement matter more than ever.

Join me and Nick as they dive deep into the challenges of farming in 2025. With brutal honesty and a touch of humour, we unpack a year of extreme weather, economic pressures, and the resilient spirit that keeps farmers going. From bone-dry soil to uncertain crop yields, this episode is a raw, real look at modern farming life. 

They stress the financial pressure this puts on farmers. Maintaining crop health is expensive, with foliar nutrients like nitrogen, magnesium, and potassium essential but costly - especially when returns aren't guaranteed. SAP tests are proving ineffective in dry conditions, adding to the challenge. Both agree that rain is urgently needed and call for more government support, as they balance crop care with tough business decisions.

E

It’s been encouraging to see how well the rape and canola crops have bounced back over the last couple of weeks, despite the earlier wet conditions. This really highlights the resilience of healthy soil and the value of patience and good timing when working the land. That said, we are dealing with a few slug issues in the rape fields, but with colder weather on the horizon, I’m hopeful that nature will help keep them under control, reducing the need for any pesticides.

Nick and I spend some time comparing conventional farming practices to regenerative approaches, sharing how early incorporation of compost through shallow ploughing or discing can make a real difference. We talk about anaerobic composting too, and how important it is to keep a good balance between aerobic and anaerobic bacteria in the soil microbiome.

• The importance of detailed observation and timely decisions in farming.
• The critical role of microbes in soil health and how conventional farming practices harm beneficial microbes. 
• The negative impact of nitrogen on soil and the need for balanced, intelligent farming. 
• Despite recent wet conditions, we remain optimistic. 

- The podcast hosts, Tim and Nick, discuss the challenges they faced on the Brewood farm this past year due to the extremely wet weather conditions.

- The wet winter and spring caused significant delays in planting and applying necessary crop treatments, leading to reduced yields across their wheat, rape, and spring barley crops.

- However, their use of cover crops and regenerative farming practices helped mitigate some of the damage, allowing them to still achieve decent yields despite the difficult conditions.

- Looking ahead, they plan to continue their cover cropping program and have already started preparing the fields for the next wheat planting. They are hopeful that with Tim back on the farm, they can better manage the upcoming season.

- The discussion also covers topics like the effectiveness of wood vinegar as a natural fungicide, dealing with slug issues, and the importance of proper soil nutrition and management.

Overall, the podcast highlights the resilience of the regenerative farming approach used on Brewood farm, even in the face of extreme weather challenges.