Growers and livestock producers are being encouraged to throw off the shackles and forge their own destiny.
“Change is not optional,” says Louise Manning, author of the 2026 Oxford Farming Conference Report. “To thrive, not merely survive, UK agriculture must become agile, robust and opportunity driven.”
The report is called UK Agriculture: Grasping the Opportunities. It argues that volatility – rather than stability – is the new normal. Global trade tensions, geopolitical conflict, public debt and extreme weather all make change inevitable, says Dr Manning.
“Traditional approaches to managing risk no longer work,” she told this month’s Oxford Farming Conference. “What has happened in the past does not necessarily reflect what we will need to adapt to in the future.”
Simple questions
Dr Manning canvassed the views of 25 leaders, influencers and disruptors from across the agri-food sector. Her report asks two simple questions. What does a good future for UK agriculture look like? And what needs to change to get there?
A central theme is confidence. The report argues that farmers and farm businesses must be clear about their purpose. They must be mission-led, data-driven and able to show that they are investible enterprises.
Robust businesses are those that know their purpose, invest in people and retain economic value pre-farm gate. “The UK needs a clear, long-term strategy for agriculture – not one that merely reacts to the immediate pressures.”
Changing minds
The report identifies three prevailing mindsets in farming today: a doomloop; a defensive drawbridge; and a growth-focused, opportunity-driven approach. Only the last mindset, it argues, offers resilience.
“We need to move away from defensiveness and despair,” says Dr Manning.
Technology, smarter data use and knowledge sharing are highlighted as practical enablers. So too is education. “Some of the agri-businesses that will transform UK farming by 2040 or 2050 probably don’t exist yet,” she says. The report concludes that the future is already taking shape on farms.
“Agriculture’s future depends on its people,” Dr Manning says. “We must create space for the New Generation and Next Genertion to enter and shape the sector.”
‘Think differently’ to secure a better future
Cash-strapped public finances mean farmers can no longer rely on the government to support the sector, former NFU president Peter Kendall has warned.
Lack of public money leaves little room for government intervention in agriculture, Sir Peter told delegates at last month’s agri-strategy conference hosted by farm business consultancy Ceres Rural at the BelfryHotel in Cambourne, Cambridgeshire.
Strong performance
Cereal margins were tight – but it was important to recognise that many other sectors were doing well. They included potatoes and onions. Pigs were having a good run. So too were eggs and poultry. Beef prices were up 27% year on year.
“There’s a lot of people talking about a catastrophic farm outlook and despondency among farmers,” Sir Peter told conference delegates on Thursday, 4 December. “But the truth is if you do look at the total income, the figures are pretty strong.”
Farmers must take ownership of its future rather than relying on politicians, he added. “Government debt is such that the idea we’re going to solve any problems we have with farming by going to government – I think we’re whistling.”
Instead, Sir Peter urged farmers to embrace innovation, investment and new business models.