“Our greatest risk isn’t markets or policy – it’s whether our children and grandchildren can farm as a choice or a burden.” said Owen Piper from Kentish family farm, M. A. Piper & Sons, when speaking at the fifth annual Kent Farming Conference, organised by the Kent County Agricultural Society, on Wednesday 21st January 2026.

Joined by farmers and businesses from across the agricultural sector, the event was an opportunity for industry professionals to gain further insight into the sectors hot topics and how implementing changes on-farm could impact their business and the environment.

Agricultural Youtuber and Forage Aid founder, Andrew Ward MBE, returned to the Kent Farming Conference to host the evenings talks, making his third appearance at the event. This year, he was joined by Managing Director of LJM Associates Ltd, Louise Manning, fresh from delivering the Oxford Farming Conference Report for 2026, alongside Jeremy Finnis, owner of C. H. Cole & Sons and Owen Piper from local family farm M. A. Piper & Son Farms, who all took to the stage as guest speakers.

Following the evening’s keynote speeches, host Andrew Ward lead the guest speakers in a Q&A session which saw a series of thought-provoking questions from the evening’s visitors. With record numbers of attendees on the night, a lively and buzzing atmosphere filled the networking area as the talks concluded.

Speaking after the evening concluded, Matthew Cullen, from the Kent County Agricultural Society’s Board of Directors, said:

“The success of the fifth annual Kent Farming Conference shows the importance of our ongoing commitment to addressing current issues in agriculture. The increased attendance, positive feedback, engagement with expert speakers and networking opportunities, highlight the need to create a platform for the local farming community to get together and share ideas. Thank you to all who contributed to the success of this year’s conference, we look forward to the continued growth and impact of these types of events in the years to come.”

The team at the Kent County Agricultural Society would like to thank all of this year’s Kent Farming Conference Sponsors; Brachers, South East Farmer, Fram Farmers, the Kent branches of NFU Mutual, the Crawfords Group, Wilson Wraight and Bednar.

The Kent County Agricultural Society look forwarding to hosting their sixth annual Kent Farming Conference in January 2027, date TBC.