Dung Beetles, Diesel and Doing the Right Thing

Tonight I catch up with Paul at Bramblebee Farm for a down‑to‑earth look at life on a busy mixed farm: surprise EHO inspections, scrubbing parlours, tagging calves, a Facebook‑live calving, and the little wins that tell you spring is here—hello dung beetles. We shout out the Whittlesey indoor market (Blackboard Events) and Waterbeach Barracks market, talk stall-by-stall demand, and why some “poorer” areas often out‑buy “richer” ones. Graham was due to join us to discuss his frontline work supporting farmers in mental distress; tech gremlins kept him off‑air, but we highlighted the brutal reality some families face and why a 24/7, farmer‑led support model matters. From the workshop to the wider world, we chew over soaring fuel and input costs, the price shock of steel versus timber, and the knock-on for food inflation. We challenge food labelling and assurance—Union Jacks, Red Tractor, and how clarity still lags standards—plus the creep of ultra‑processed substitutes and why transparent ingredients matter. We swap notes on direct sales, school meals reform, and building resilient, local supply chains. Looking ahead, we trail next week’s guests: Lily, launching a raw‑goat‑milk ice‑cream micro‑dairy, and Michael Scott, a conventional potato grower—two very different windows on British farming today.'Bramblebee Farms (direct farm shop)': https://www.bramblebeefarms.co.uk/'Blackboard Events (Whittlesey and other local markets)': https://www.blackboardevents.co.uk/'Waterbeach Community Market (Barracks site info)': https://www.waterbeachlocal.info/communitymarket'Food Finders Hub (UK local food directory)': https://foodfindershub.org/'Red Tractor Assurance (official)': https://redtractor.org.uk/'UK food labelling rules (GOV.UK)': https://www.gov.uk/food-labelling-and-packaging/food-labelling-what-you-must-show'Jamie Oliver school food campaigns (official hub)': https://www.jamieoliver.com/campaigns/'River Cottage (official site)': https://rivercottage.net/'Polyface Farm (Joel Salatin) – farm contact': https://polyfacefarm.com/contact-us'Skool (community platform mentioned for the new classroom)': https://www.skool.com/about'Tesla Powerwall (UK page)': https://www.tesla.com/en_gb/energy'Drax Power Station (official site)': https://www.drax.com/uk/what-we-do/drax-power-station/'Fyffes (official site)': https://www.fyffes.com/'Gareth Wyn Jones (profile – GWCT Wales)': https://www.gwct.wales/case-studies/gareth-wyn-jones/'Rambling Henry (link hub)': https://linktr.ee/ramblinghenry