Sheena Horner has been announced as Chair of the 2027 Oxford Farming Conference (OFC27). A farmer’s daughter from near Wigtown, Sheena grew up on a beef and game-rearing farm in Dumfries and Galloway. Her career has included spells working for the Scottish Department of Agriculture, Defra and as wildlife adviser with Natural England.
Sheena has chosen “harmony” as the theme for OFC27, taking place from 6th to 8th January 2027, and is calling on the food and farming sector to break down silos, share knowledge and work better together.
The theme reflects her long-held belief that closer collaboration across different farming systems, sectors and viewpoints can create a stronger, more resilient food system. “I have always been vocally frustrated by the number of silos in food and farming,” says Sheena. “There are so many people doing really great things, but it would benefit everybody if we could collaborate and work better together.
“We have organic and regenerative farming, arable, dairy, livestock and horticulture, alongside processors, retailers, researchers, policymakers and environmental organisations. We may approach things differently, but ultimately, we are all part of the same food system.”
With farming feeling the impact of global market pressures, conflict, political change, climate challenges and increasingly polarised public debate, OFC27 will explore how greater cohesion across the industry can help build stability, resilience and sustainability for businesses, people and the environment.
The programme will draw together the many threads that shape the sector, including people and relationships, land use and the environment, global trade and policy, technology, science and the future of food production.
Sheena says the aim is for delegates to leave Oxford uplifted, but also challenged to think differently about how they work with others. “I hope delegates will leave re-energised, as they normally do from Oxford,” she says. “But I would also like them to leave thinking about how they could work more harmoniously.”
