Podcasts

S01 E32 - Pulse Market Update: April 2025

In this episode of Inside the Pod, we take a look at the latest pulse market update for April 2025.

S01 E31 - Pulse Market Update: March 2025

In this episode of Inside the Pod, we take a look at the latest Pulse Market Update for March 2025, in which the UK's pulse markets have continued to be quiet since the turn of the year, and overall export demand has been much lower since the last harvest.

S01 E30 - Supply Chain Focus: PheroSyn

In this Supply Chain Focus edition of Inside the Pod, we speak to Mark Herriman, Head of Sales and Corporate Operations at PheroSyn, a start-up company spun out of Rothamsted Research supporting a new method of pest control in crops - pheromone-based monitoring, with the aim of reducing pesticide use in agriculture.

S01 E29 - From Soya to Sustainability 2025

In this extended episode of Inside the Pod, we take a look at the From Soya to Sustainability conference held in January by the NCS Project partners.

Ben Pike speaks to a variety of speakers and attendees from the conference, including Philip Lymbery from Compassion in World Farming, Gemma Hoskins from Mighty Earth, and Pulse Pioneers John Seed and Rob Waterston, plus more, about the importance of home grown pulses in replacing imported soya and creating a more sustainable food system.

S01 E28 - 2025 Descriptive List for Pulses

S01 E27 - The Pea and Bean Conference 2024

S01 E26 - Achieving 8 Tonne per Hectare Bean Yield: One Time Luck or Just the Beginning?

In this episode of Inside the Pod, we speak to Agrii Agronomist Todd Jex who has recently achieved a bean crop yield of over 8-tonnes per hectare on one of his farms, an exciting development that we want to get to the bottom of.

S01 E25 - Pulse Market Update - October 2024

In this episode of Inside the Pod, we take a look at the Pulse Market Update for October 2024, with guest pulse trader Andy Bury from Frontier Agriculture giving his views on the latest market movements.

S01 E24 - Pulse Market Update - September 2024

In this bitesized episode of Inside the Pod, Ben Pike looks at the latest Pulse Market Update for September 2024, looking at the latest market trends and the outlooks for the rest of the year and into next year for pulse crops.

S01 E23 - Looking at Lentils - Researching the Viability of Lentil Growth in the UK

In this episode of Inside the Pod, Matt Webster speaks to PGRO Technical Officer Will Evans who leads PGRO's research on lentils, looking at how viable lentil growth is in the UK and the benefits of growing them.

S01 E22 - Pea Harvest Outlook and Advice with Keith Costello

In this episode of the Inside the Pod, Keith Costello returns to the podcast to give his outlook and advice on the harvesting period for peas, drawing on what he's seen from fields all over the country and over fifty years of knowledge and experience.

S01 E21 - Supply Chain Focus: Morrow

In this Supply Chain Focus edition of Inside the Pod, Matt Webster speaks to Anna-Sophie Deetjen, co-founder of Morrow, a company who's venture into a pulse-based coffee is looking to secure the future of coffee and save the environment.

S01 E20 - Supply Chain Focus: Novo Farina

In this Supply Chain Focus edition of Inside the Pod, Matt Webster speaks to Emily Williams, Managing Director of Novo Farina, about their company - the only UK manufacturer with the capabilities to develop extruded, texturised pea protein using only yellow peas.

S01 E19 - PGRO Vining Pea Open 2024

In this episode of Inside the Pod, Matt Webster visits the PGRO's Vining Pea Open Day and speaks to Dr Chris Judge about the day and the trials that are being conducted at the site.

S01 E18 - The NCS Project - One Year On

S01 E17 - Cheese from Peas - The Latest Product in Dairy Alternatives

In this episode, Emily Scaife speaks to Dr Vincenzo Di Bari, Assistant Professor in Food and Processing at the University of Nottingham, and Cesar Torres, Founder and CEO of The Good Pulse Company, about their alternative protein research exploring using peas to make sustainable plant-based cheese.

S01 E16 - The Pea and Bean YEN - How to Best Improve your Yield

S01 E15 - Keith Costello - How to Get the Best from Your Peas

In this episode, we speak to pea expert Keith Costello, who looks to the season ahead and advises growers on how to get the best our of their pea crops, speaking from 50 years of experience in the industry.

S01 E14 - Vining Pea Tool - PGRO's Innovative New Forecasting System

In this episode, PGRO Data Scientist Leah Howells talks about PGRO's new Vining Pea Tool, a new way to forecast harvest dates and yields of vining pea crops using a combination of historic data, weather data, and powerful machine learning.

S01 E13 - The Pulse Magazine - Spring 2024 Edition Out Now

In this bitesized episode of Inside the Pod, Matt Webster and Emily Scaife look at the latest issue of The Pulse Magazine, which is available to read either online at pgro.org or physically via an insert in the latest CPM Magazine.

S01 E12 - The NCS Project - Introducing the Pulse Pioneers

In this episode, Ben Pike speaks to Tom Allen-Stevens, the founder of BOFIN, about the latest updates of the NCS Project. Ben also speaks to one of the project's Pulse Pioneers, Will Oliver, about his experience being a part of the NCS Project.

S01 E11 - Pulse Market Update - February 2024

In this episode, Ben Pike discusses the latest Pulse Market Update and give the latest updates and advice for planting your crops for 2024.

S01 E10 - Yes Peas in a Pod: Inside the Great British Pea Campaign

In this episode, Ben Pike speaks to Stephen Francis, the Managing Director of Fen Peas, with Emily Boswell and Ruby Mortimer from Hatch PR about the Yes Peas! campaign and its mission to encourage more people across the UK to eat frozen peas.

S01 E09 - CropTec 2023: BOFIN Launch PulsePEP

In this episode, Emily Scaife speaks to the founder of BOFIN, Tom Allen-Stevens, and Tom Wilkinson from ADAS about the launch of the PulsePEP and the Farming Forum, as well as Dr Becky Howard from PGRO who gives us the latest updates on the NCS Project.

S01 E08 - The 2024 Descriptive List

Dr Chris Judge talks us through the 2024 Descriptive List and all the latest pea and bean varieties that have been added to the expanded list.

S01 E07 - Pulse Market Update

Roger Vickers and Stephen Belcher discuss the latest Pulse Market Update and give the latest updates and advice for planting your crops for the new season.

S01 E06 - Ben Adams: A Farmer's Experience with Intercropping

In this episode, Emily Scaife speaks to Oxfordshire-based farmer Ben Adams about his experiences with intercropping and the trials he has been running on his farm.

S01 E05 - Supply Chain Focus: Syngenta

In this episode, Matt Webster speaks to Rebecca White, Portfolio Manager for Fungicides in Vegetable and Speciality Crop Protection for Syngenta, about the company's role in the pulse industry, it's relationship with pulse producers across the UK, and their goals towards sustainability.

S01 E04 - Farm Carbon Toolkit: Taking Action on your Farm's Carbon Emissions

In this episode, Emily Scaife speaks to Liz Bowles, the Chief Executive Officer of Farm Carbon Toolkit, a company who are committed to supporting farmers and organisations to understand and take action on their farm's carbon emissions.

S01 E03 - The NCS Project: The Defining Project of Our Time

In this episode, host Ben Pike speaks to the CEO of PGRO, Roger Vickers, and the founder of BOFIN, Tom Allen-Stevens, about the Nitrogen Climate Smart Project, what it is and why farmers should get involved. How do we increase the pulse area to reduce carbon emissions and displace soya imports?

S01 E02 - Intercrop Innovations: Inside the PGRO's crop trials

In this episode, Matt Webster speaks with PGRO's Principle Technical Officer Stephen Belcher about the PGRO's Intercropping trials, as well as speaking to Dr Becky Howard about Trap Cropping, and Shona Duffy about lentil growth in the UK.

S01 E01 - Heard It on the Pea Vine

In the podcast's first episode, our host Ben Pike spoke to Dr Chris Judge, PGRO's Senior Technical Officer, at the PGRO's Vining Pea Open Day in June, where he talked us through the various trials that were taking place involving vining peas and the PGRO's Descriptive List.