...in which, guest presenting for Mark and Dave, Radio 4's Caz Graham dons her boots for a day on the farm with organic dairy farmer, Chair of the Nature Friendly Farming Network and one of Cumbria's farming heroes, James Robinson. In a wide-ranging conversation with fifth-generation farmer 'James from Strickley' – in the shadow of The Helm – Caz and James delve deep into the world of regenerative farming, talk new life in a rewiggled Saint Sunday's Beck and discuss the beauty, utlity and nature benefits – 98 bird species! – of James' beloved laid hedges, as articulated by visting poet and beatboxer Testament. Looking back at old farm diaries, Caz is wowed by historic entries that juxtapose the whitewashing of cattle shippons with a collapsing world order. Surveying a farmed landscape with views to Morecambe Bay, James reflects on the John Marsden adage that you should 'Live as though you’ll die tomorrow, but farm as though you’ll live forever', and – following an invite to discuss farming at Number 10 – calls for ministers to engage in joined-up thinking that aligns farming and food production with health, access to the countryside, education and social care.
James can be found at: x.com/JRfromStrickley and on Instagram @JRfromStrickley
Strickley's website is at visitmyfarm.com
‘The Lig’ by Testament comes courtesy of We Feed The UK – a national arts project pairing award-winning photographers and poets with the UK’s most inspiring regenerative farmers and food producers. See wefeedtheuk.org for more information
Caz can be found at x.com/CazGraham1
Super podcast from James and Caz - full of information about Strickley and its history and management - loved the detail and dialect about the fields - and the stunning poem from Testament. Have been lucky enough to visit the farm with our farmers group - and taste the cheese! The place is just beautiful and James and his family are an inspiration.