As part of a series of fringe events at this year’s Oxford Farming Conference, Innovative Farmers will be hosting their ‘great debate’ on Wednesday 3 January.

Following the success of last year’s cheese debate, the first event open to attendees of both the Oxford Farming Conference and Oxford Real Farming Conference, this year’s event will be all about beer.

The debate will be chaired by Farming Today’s Anna Hill with speakers including hop growers, brewers and agronomists. Panellists will include David Wilson from Duchy Home Farm, Emma Gilleland from Marston’s PLC and Rob Saunders from H.L Hutchinsons Ltd. They will be exploring the challenges of growing ingredients for British beer whilst celebrating some of the great varieties currently being produced in the UK. 

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Discussions will ask some big questions around the influence of micro-breweries on hop growers, techniques for managing pests and diseases in hops and barley, and the ways in which varieties affect the beer’s flavour. Attendees can also test their palettes by trying to identify different soil profiles and growing regions in a beer tasting session.

The event takes place on Wednesday 3 January, 17:30-19:30 at St Edmunds’ Hall, Oxford.

Tickets for the debate are free to conference attendees and can be booked online at www.innovativefarmers.org