Succession planning has long been part of farming life, but recent changes to agricultural property relief have brought it firmly into focus. Podcast host Peter Green is joined on Farming Focus™ by Porter Dodson solicitor Tom Mottram and Devon farmer Jilly Greed to explore how families can prepare and why acting sooner rather than later can make all the difference. 

The potentially industry-shaping Farm Profitability Review report, authored by Baroness Minette Batters, was published by Defra in December. To help farmers unwrap this milestone report and reflect on its significance, Peter Green is joined on our Farming Focus™ podcast by agribusiness consultant Jack Pierce and Cornish beef farmer Wendy Nicholas. 

The problem above all in a business is decision making. A family charter brings everybody together, adds transparency, builds communication and creates trust.

Practical, timely and rooted in real experience, we recorded a special LIVE episode of our popular podcast Farming Focus™ at the 2025 Devon County Show. Host Peter Green was joined by four guests to discuss building and maintaining farm resilience, covering everything from profitability to family values.

With 97% of businesses run by families, and an alarming number of farmers going out of business, understanding as much about your family as your business is vital for success.

As farmers prepare for the new agricultural inheritance tax rules, PKF Francis Clark’s head of agriculture Brian Harvey and Devon farmer Andrew Branton brought a mixture of professional advice and many years of lived experience to Farming Focus™ to reveal what the changes mean for family farms.

With a passion for showing young people behind the farm gate, Farmer Time creator Tom Martin is pioneering a new form of farm education, while FWAG South West Education Officer Louise Wallace is inspiring and educating to help children understand and protect. They encourage other farmers to do the same.

Enthusiasm, experience and equity are all needed to access land as a new entrant, Tenant Farmers Association (TFA) CEO George Dunn told host Peter Green on Farming Focus™. Attributes the award-winning Nicholls brothers showed when securing a 20-year tenancy to support their growing dairy business. They share their story.

Avril Trehane has slowly but surely successfully taken command of her family’s 100-acre farm. We find out how.

Harry Knott and his partner started their own farm through Dorset Council’s County Farms Estate system. Getting there, however, was not easy.

Russ Haworth suggests a practical approach to help navigate the more emotional elements of the succession planning process.

When the succession process hits some hurdles, mediation can be the answer. Mediation specialist Jo Speed, from Kite Consulting, describes how she helps families through those tricky situations.

Heather Wildman has spent 26 years working with UK farmers. Now based in Scotland, she specialises in managing change in rural businesses, and facilitates The Prince’s Farm Resilience Programme workshop on ‘succession’. Here she discusses when and how to start the conversation.

With numerous changes ahead, now is the time to make plans, says Gemma Sparks of Blackdown Consulting, based on the Somerset/Devon border. Here, she shares her advice on how farm businesses can prepare for change.

Now experiencing some of the wettest winters on record, and with summer droughts becoming more frequent, having a more resilient farm is an increasingly important requirement. Dorset dairy farmer Ian Baggs joined Peter Green on Farming Focus™ to discuss the changing climate, with Sustainable Food Trust (SFT) Executive Director Adele Jones describing an on-farm tool developed in response to an identified need among farmers.

The second series of Farming Focus™ looked at the future of farming, asking what farmers can do to put themselves and their farms in the best possible place to face what lies ahead. In the first episode, podcast host Peter Green was joined by Soil Association CEO Helen Browning and Overbury Enterprises farm manager Jake Freestone.

The emotional barriers to succession planning are often overlooked but can underpin the whole process, says family business consultant Russ Haworth.