Andrew Ward, MBE
HostLincolnshire-based arable farmer, Andrew Ward, has an in-depth knowledge of arable crop production and input costs, developed over the years on his family farm and leading to him being named Farmers Weekly’s Arable Farmer of the Year in 2008. Now Director of Roy Ward (Farms) Ltd, Andrew’s innovative approach to agriculture and passion for food security has lead him to begin a mission to produce the first British baked beans and has even taken him all the way to 10 Downing Street. In April 2013, following the devastation caused by the heaviest snowfall for 30 years across Wales and the North of England, Andrew launched Forage Aid, which would go on to become synonymous with supporting farmers across the UK during the toughest of times. In the same year, Andrew was recognised for his work through Forage Aid when he was named the Farmers Weekly Farming Champion, sponsored by NFU, and in 2014 he was awarded an MBE for services to farming in England and Wales.
Olly Harrison
Headline SpeakerFarmer and YouTube personality, Olly Harrison (Olly Blogs Agricontract), became a hit amongst the agricultural community and beyond in 2020 when, during lockdown, he launched his YouTube account to show the daily life of a working farm. Olly’s channel currently has 155k subscribers and his daily videos are sometimes watched up to 80 million times. Olly farms a predominantly arable operation in Merseyside, just outside of Liverpool. Despite the focus on combinable crops, diversification has always been a part of Olly's business model and today, converted farm buildings, agri-tourism and, of course, his YouTube success all contribute to his farm's bottom line. The Kent County Agricultural Society is delighted to welcome Olly back to the Kent Showground as our headline speaker at the 2027 Kent Farming Conference. Olly's first visit to the Kent Showground was in 2025 when he presented our Trade Stand Awards at Farm Expo.
Doug Inglis
Guest SpeakerDoug Inglis is Chairman of Fram Farmers and brings more than 40 years of experience in farm management, agricultural consultancy and agronomy. A Newcastle University Agriculture graduate, he spent much of his career with Velcourt Ltd, managing farming businesses across the UK and later becoming Farms Director for East Anglia and the Southeast. Doug now runs his own consultancy and agronomy business, advising farming businesses on agronomy, contract negotiations and dispute resolution. He is BASIS and FACTS qualified, chairs the East Suffolk Water Abstraction Group and East Suffolk Produce, and sits on three boards as a non-executive director.
Ben Hughes
Guest SpeakerFresh from being named Farmer's Weekly's Sheep Farmer of the Year 2026, Ben Hughes joins us to share his experience of rearing sheep for profit in the current economic climate. Ben manages a mobile breeding flock of 1,200 North Country Mules put to Texel/Charollais tups for the Robinson Farm Partnership in Hampshire. Lambs are finished off grass and cover crops to secure a premium price. Grazing a mixture of fodder crops, wildflower pasture and herbal ley, Ben is taking full advantage of the opportunities presented by Sustainable Farming Incentives (SFI). As part of the Tesco Sustainable Lamb Group, performance and quality are benchmarked against producers throughout the group to drive continual growth. Alongside this, Ben contract shepherds for multiple flocks, including 450 Romney/Highlander ewes, a further 800 Lleyn ewes and a further 3,500 lambs finished under contract, making up around 50% of the business.
