Tickets are selling quickly for the first Yorkshire Farming Conference, which will take place at the Great Yorkshire Showground on Wednesday 28th January 2026.
Skipton-based farmer Tom Carlisle has been confirmed as one of the speakers. Tom, a sheep and beef farmer in the Yorkshire Dales near Skipton, shares insights into farming life with more than 50,000 followers on social media. He owns a traditional 420-acre upland farm that breeds commercial Texel-cross lambs and Limousin-cross cattle. Tom shares aspects of his farming life and the day-to-day work of running the farm with a large social media following under the name dalesfarmer, where his content features lambing and comedy content. He has been involved with the Young Farmers’ movement since a young age and has served as a judge for awards recognising community and charitable efforts within farming clubs. He will be speaking as part of a panel session focused on farm diversification, drawing on his experience developing glamping pods at Coxons Farm. The workshop, titled 'From Soil to Start-Up', will explore the practical realities of turning new ideas into working rural businesses. It will be chaired by Heather Copley of Farmers Copleys and sponsored by Pasture for Life. Speaking ahead of the event, Tom said: “It is a pleasure to be asked to be involved in the Yorkshire Farming Conference and I very much look forward to sharing my knowledge as well as learning from others.” The Yorkshire Farming Conference is being organised by the Yorkshire Agricultural Society and is the first event of its kind. Alongside more than 30 industry speakers, the conference will offer opportunities for farmers to connect with the Society’s networks, meet others working in agriculture and learn about further support available throughout the year. Networking sessions will take place during the day, hosted by different networks, and all conference delegates are welcome to attend. Allister Nixon, chief executive of the Yorkshire Agricultural Society, said: “At the heart of this event is a drive to connect farming people, offer inspiration and ideas, and an opportunity to find out more about what the Society offers to nurture professional development, business direction and health and wellbeing. "We want the first-ever Yorkshire Farming Conference to leave a lasting impression for the benefit of farmers.”

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