The Big Debate at the Royal Norfolk Show brought industry leaders together to discuss how food producers must make the most of their resources to survive market shocks, geopolitical instability and climate change.

Hosted by the Royal Norfolk Agricultural Association and sponsored by the UEA, the theme for this year's discussion was: "Norfolk farming in turbulent times: Do high-input systems still make sense?"

The panel comprised Sheener Ooi, chief financial officer at Lincolnshire-based Dyson Farming, Harry Barnett, director of Holkham Emerald, a potato business based on the Holkham Estate in north Norfolk, and John Barrett, chief agricultural officer at Norfolk-based buying co-operative AF Group.

They discussed strategies to optimise production, reduce input costs and build resilience in an unpredictable world of political volatility, rising prices, extreme weather and the withdrawal of government subsidy support.

Sheener Ooi, chief financial officer at Dyson Farming (Image: Dyson Farming)

Ms Ooi said research and data analysis were crucial factors in the decisions made at one of the nation's largest agricultural businesses.

"Making choices so all your fields are performing is a shift in the mindset," she said. "But I think you can only do that with the right data - putting the new farm management system in to really have that granularity down to labour, depreciation charges, fuel consumption, input costs.

"We are trying to profile across the portfolio, not just thinking about this year, looking two or three years out and saying: What does that rotation look like, do we need to reduce forage crops or........

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