This is the first episode of a new audio podcast series on thinkingcountry called ‘Meet the Farmers’. The series aims to highlight the realities of running a farm in the UK. The episodes will each profile a different farm, looking at the enterprises and interviewing the people who work on them.It’s about highlighting the realities of farming life, the good times and the bad, as well as farmers’ hopes and fears for the future.

Please have a listen.

Phil Bryant manages Stowford Manor Farm near Trowbridge in Wiltshire. He has recently been joined by his daughter Anna, who worked as a biology teacher for six years before returning to the farm this year. The business is mixed – arable, a small amount of beef and a wide range of diversification schemes, in which Phil’s wife Catherine plays a key role. They also run a small flock of Wiltshire Horn sheep.