Burgage Hall in Ledbury was packed this Monday 27th January when over 90 people came to see our Ledbury showing of Six Inches of Soil.
We were treated to a feast of local food, featuring vegetables and produce from Little Marcle Organic Produce, Growing Local, The Handmade Scotch Egg Company and The Fold Veg Shed. Followed by a brilliant Q&A with James Marsden (Gregg's Pit Cider and Chair of Herefordshire Climate and Nature Partnership Board), Joshua Davenport (Little Marcle Organic Produce), Harvey Clay (Showle Dairy) and Ed Godsall (Mixed arable farm and agritourism) and chaired by Patrick Wrixon - North West Herefordshire Farmer and chair of the NFU Members Association in the county and founder and chairman of The Cart Shed charity.
We heard from Joshua Davenport who has recently returned to the family farm - Little Marcle Organic Produce in Ledbury after having a career as a musician in London for 15 years. Joshua highlighted the struggles faced by horticulturalists trying to compete with supermarkets and the need for vegetable and fruit growers in the UK to diversify their enterprises in order to make ends meet. 
Harvey spoke about the hidden costs of cheap food and how transitioning a farm to organic has been hard work and a long term commitment to building health on their farm.
James Marsden spoke about the need to reduce livestock numbers in the county, as well as fertiliser use in order to reduce the load on our rivers as well as needing to look at yield in a number of ways, not just volume of food produced but also the environmental and social yield associated with farming and land use.
Ed spoke about the need for long term tenancies in order for those who farm land but who don't own it, to make long term decisions about building soil.
Across the board, each person spoke about how being paid more for the food they produce would mean a better chance to continue or start to farm in environmentally sensitive ways and not push for unsustainable yield.
When asked by the audience whether farmers could comminicate better with the public, it was noted that not all farming voices are heard and that the NFU can perhaps have too much say and not neccesarily speak for all those involved with farming. Education from an early age was mentioned as a way to make sure that farming and food is part of our culture and to start that communication with farmers and producers at an early age. It was also mentioned that a lot of the bad relationship which might be there is down to fear on both sides (farmers and wider public) about the instability of our food system and the need to have answers - we need to stand together, not against.
All in all a brilliant evening with much to reflect on.
Quote of the night has to go to Ed - "Regen farming is what Grandad did but now it has a hashtag!"
