Em Gen @ ORFC 2026!!
- Tommy O'Donnell
- 3 days ago
- 6 min read
We kicked off the new year in style with an amazing Emergent Generation presence at the Oxford Real Farming Conference 2026. From pub meet-ups to a busy networking evening and packed-out Em Gen speaker’s corner session, we were incredibly grateful to continue building spaces for young people to connect to each other and those already established in the sector. All whilst sharing knowledge and opportunities right across the food system.
We want to take this moment to highlight some of our network’s experiences and learnings from this year’s conference!
It was great to see so many Em Genr’s at our usual pre-conference meet up at the King’s Arms. This is now a traditional casual pub social for anyone to meet like-minded people and make connections before the conferences begin. We were delighted to see such a large attendance (at least 40 people at one point!), and it was powerful to see first-hand how our network grows year on year as we continue to put on these meet-ups in Oxford.
We were happy to hear that Emergent Generation was still providing that helpful anchor for people to help combat some of that imposter syndrome many of us experience.
Whilst most of us were enjoying some pints and interrogating the coming days’ schedule, a group of Em Gen Directors, Steering Group reps, and members were invited to the Food, Farming & Countryside Commission’s welcome dinner connecting the Oxford Farming Conference and the Oxford Real Farming Conference ahead of their start. The night offered an opportunity for diverse conversations about the future of UK farming and for building bridges over the ideological gap within the farming sector.
The conference officially kicked off on Thursday morning, with an opening plenary anchored in connection and music. Charlotte Church set the tone by leading the room in an improvised song that invited the audience to reflect on why they were there and what the land means to them. This created an atmosphere of shared purpose and presence (and a unique experience to sing alongside such a renowned voice!).
As part of the plenary, farmers, food producers, and advocates were invited to celebrate their deep connection to the land through stories, symbols, and lived experience. Among the voices featured was our very own founding member, Jake Waller of Botton Farm, who reminded us of the reality that food systems are at the mercy of nature and of the importance of working with it rather than trying to control it.
Amongst a lot of laughter (and some tears) from the audience, Jake’s speech shared a sentiment of gratitude and hard-earned satisfaction that resonated deeply with many in the room.
The Town Hall was filled with very proud Em Gen’rs. Big props to Jake for having the courage to take that on!
Another Em Gen’r Jed Soleiman offered a fascinating deep dive into new ways of understanding soil health through the lens of energy flows. Exploring soil energetics as a potential framework for measuring ecosystem function, diversity, and long-term change, Jed shared early findings from field trials at FarmED on regenerative arable rotations. For many Em Genr’s, the session bridged cutting-edge research with practical on-farm application, opening up exciting conversations about how science, farming, and ecology can work more closely together. Due to popular demand, Jed had to also give a webinar last week for those who missed it - thank you!
After its great success last year, we again partnered up with Sustain, Soil Association, and Roots to Work to co-host the Food and Farming Futures networking hour at the end of Day 1. Creating an informal space at the end of an overwhelming day, we brought together new entrants and young people passionate about the politics and practice of food and farming with more established voices across the sector.
With the help of some snacks and refreshments, we strove to create a welcoming space for intergenerational knowledge sharing and new connections. We were grateful for the wine, kombucha, and snacks provided by Hodmedods and hearing an inspiring opening speech from our steering group member, Gloria Loriya. With roots in West Pokot, Kenya, Gloria drew on her unique lived insight into food security, nutrition, gender equity, and climate action. She also announced the new UK Farming & Food Youth Forum where Em Genr's Gloria, Fanny, Megan and Anna have been playing an active role empowering young voices. This work aims to shape the future of UK food and farming through leadership, policy and action.
The room quickly filled with energy. It was brilliant to see people from agriculture, rural life, food, education, and policy coming together to build relationships that we are sure will continue well beyond ORFC. We then retreated to the safety of the King’s Arms for another well-attended evening where members shared some exciting conversations about what they had learned from the first day’s events.
On Friday, our Emergent Generation Speakers’ Corner session created space for young voices to build vital urban–rural connections across farming and food systems. Bringing together members working in urban, peri-urban, and rural contexts, the session explored how place and lived experience shape different approaches to landwork. Building on our online Speaker’s Corner series - which supports members to share knowledge, develop speaking confidence, and connect–this in-person session carried the same spirit of openness, curiosity, and collaboration hosted by Mitchel Green. The vulnerability and honest reflections of the speakers made this session special, reminding us of the power and agency young people to shape more connected, resilient food systems. We’re incredibly grateful to Mitch, Sinéad Fenton, Stevie Back, Karl Franklin, Chloè Lucas, and Tristan Leslie for offering their perspectives and facilitating such a thoughtful discussion.
Alongside the buzz of sessions and meet-ups, we also used our in-person presence at ORFC to hold Emergent Generation’s first formal strategy meeting. Having our Directors and Steering Group in the same room allowed us to reflect on the past year and begin shaping the direction of the network for the months ahead. It was a valuable moment to slow down, listen to one another, and deep dive into tricky questions, and we’re excited for our plans to continue building this community together!
ORFC 2026 left many of us feeling inspired. Here are some reflections from Emergent Generation members, sharing what stayed with them most from the conference:
Wiktoria Szkolnicka: 'I wanted to share how moved I was at the Wild Service session, especially when we were all singing together at the end as we walked out of the room; it was really hard to leave. It was such a warm and wonderful session, and everyone on the panel is so talented with words. The poems and stories really stuck with me because they made me feel so moved and called to action at the same time, to “hold nature in reverence”. In particular, the poem which repeated “Learn the names of things” by Daniel Grimston, and the Rope Swing story by Jon Moses. I really recommend everyone to have a read of the “Wild Service” book, as I had to buy it after and I’ve been really enjoying reading it properly.'
Chloè Lucas: I was one of the speakers at ORFC and wanted to say a huge thank you for such an inspiring conference.
'I shared my journey into farming alongside some truly incredible speakers, and what stood out most to me was the genuine passion from everyone who attended. The level of support, openness, and respect for different views was remarkable. There were so many people with brilliant ideas, experiences, and processes to share – and, importantly, everyone really listened and learnt from one another.
It was my first time attending ORFC, and seeing Oxford buzzing with life and conversation around food and farming was amazing. I had the best time and would absolutely love to attend again in the future, hopefully with even more knowledge and understanding, and the chance to get involved in more workshops.
Thank you again for creating such a special space for the farming community to connect.'
A huge thanks to everyone involved in making this year’s ORFC a huge success and providing us with continued inspiration for the year ahead. Thanks also to all our Em Genr’s and partners who were present and supported our events across the conference. A final thanks to all the wonderful conference crew and volunteers who make this event possible. It was a pleasure to be part of the ORFC again this year, and we’re already looking forward to the next!
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