Christopher Callaghan Ph.D.

Director Jersey Hemp

Christopher achieved his Ph.D. in environmental plant biochemistry and molecular biology from Newcastle University. He has since worked closely with start-ups as a consultant and investor in industries ranging from wine, mobile software, blockchain and hospitality.

Christopher joined the Jersey Hemp team as Chief Science Officer in 2018 with the goal of designing and implementing a hemp research programme at Warwick Farm. He also oversees end-product formulation in the lab as well as future cultivation technologies and land management practices in the field.

Christopher will be talking about the challenges and benefits of introducing hemp (Cannabis Sativa L.) into a small island community. With a focus on the goals and future projects of Jersey Hemp including carbon negative buildings, bioplastics, biofuels and nutritional products.

Professor Christopher Reynolds

Professor of Animal and Dairy Science and director of the Centre for Dairy Research (CEDAR) at the University of Reading

Educated at the University of Tennessee, he gained his PhD in Animal Science in 1984.  He then worked as a Research Scientist in the Ruminant Nutrition Laboratory of the US Department of Agriculture’s Research Center at Beltsville Maryland until moving to the University of Reading in 1993 when he married an Englishwoman and decided it was easier to move him to England than to move his wife’s horse to America.  He then spent 4 years as an Associate Professor at the Ohio State University before returning to the University of Reading in 2006. His research has primarily focused on the nutritional physiology of ruminants in relation to energy and protein metabolism.  Recent research themes include the effects of milk and meat composition on consumer health, the nutritional management of ruminants to reduce environmental impacts of milk and meat production, and the use of legumes and multi-species swards to improve the sustainability and resilience of ruminant production systems.  Chris is currently President of the British Grassland Society.

David Swales

Agriculture and Horticulture Development Board

David Swales joined the Agriculture and Horticulture Development Board (AHDB) in 2010 and is currently Head of Strategic Insight. He is responsible for consumer and market intelligence research. His team provides information to levy payers as well as providing evidence to shape the organisation’s strategic direction. Most recently he has authored a number of AHDB’s Horizon reports on issues relating to Brexit. 

A geographer by training, David specialised in agricultural geography and rural change whilst at Coventry University. Before joining AHDB David held a number of economic and skills-related research roles. This included a spell as Research Manager at Lantra, the Sector Skills Council for the land-based sector. He led the development of Lantra’s research and evaluation programmes across the UK, to influence and lobby government on the needs of businesses within the sector.

Greg Morel

Assistant Director Marine Resources, States of Jersey Department of the Environment

Greg was born in Jersey and grew up in the west of the Island overlooking St Ouen’s Bay where his love of all things marine was kindled.

After studying marine biology and oceanography in Plymouth and Southampton and working abroad, he returned to Jersey to take up the fisheries research and development post at the then Agriculture and Fisheries Department. He now heads up the Marine Resources Team in the newly established Growth, Housing and Environment. In addition to the marine portfolio, Greg also leads the agriculture and fisheries BREXIT worksream set up following the UK’s decision to leave the European Union.

India Hamilton

Cofounding Member of the Sustainable Cooperative (Jersey)

India is a chef who started and operated a successful catering business in London. After training at Le Cordon Bleu and gaining experience in commercial kitchens in London, she began to develop and deliver food projects focused on specific impacts to do with waste, surplus and education. She worked as development chef at the food charity HUBBUB. One project explored the specific ages (in a lifetime) when food habits change, primarily for the transition from meat/dairy to alternative proteins. The findings are published at Eat-Better.Org . Locally she ran "Eat your own Island" at Lucas Bros in 2014. 

In 2017,  she began working as a consultant for Sage Sustainable Living, a farm to table business in Hyderabad, India. While working for Sage, she saw the potential of combining good farming practices with an integrated supply chain. The (then) 20-acre farm practised four major principles: water contouring, native seed, diversity and permaculture expanding to 300 acres of production. 

In Jersey she is a co founding member of ‘The Sustainable Cooperative’, which will open its doors in autumn. It's an integrated supply chain devised to promote agricultural diversity and a market for local and imported organic food.

Kit Franklin MEng, AMIAgrE

Agricultural Engineering Lecturer, Harper Adams University

Kit Franklin is an Agricultural Engineering Lecturer from Harper Adams University. His role includes developing undergraduate course structure and content, student recruitment, international business development and innovative agricultural engineering research. Kit’s research focusses on “future farming systems” with the most notable project to date being the award winning Hands Free Hectare. As co-creator and co-Investigator he successfully managed the day-to-day running of the collaborative, Innovate UK backed, project which set out to achieve a world’s first; using automated machines to grow the first arable crop remotely, without operators in the driving seats or agronomists on the ground. From planting to harvesting the barley crop, no person entered the Hands Free Hectare. Kit sits on the Executive Committee of the Institution of Agricultural Engineers IAgrE and was awarded a “Rising Star” of UK agriculture by the Farmers Weekly in 2017.

Mark Kibblewhite MBA PhD CSci CChem FRSC CEnv FIAgrE FISoilSci

Emeritus Professor of Soil Science at Cranfield University

Mark Kibblewhite is Director of MK Soil Science Ltd (based in Beaminster, Dorset, UK); Emeritus Professor of Soil Science at Cranfield University; Emeritus Research Associate of Landcare Research New Zealand and a Past President of Institution of Agricultural Engineers (IAgrE).

His research is on soil systems, soil health and options for the assessment and better management of soil resources. His recent work includes technical support on soil management for the FAO Global Soil Partnership, the European Commission, the European Environment Agency and the UN Economic Commission for Europe. He is member of and a previous chairman of the European Soil Bureau Network of the EC Joint Research Centre.

At Cranfield he was Head of the Natural Resources Department and Director of the National Soil Resources Institute.  Other former roles include Head of Land Quality at the Environment Agency and Managing Director of the Environment Division of Hyder Consulting Ltd (now Arcadis). He is the current Vice Chairman of Dorset Wildlife Trust.

He graduated in chemistry at York, completed a PhD in soil science at Aberdeen and has an MBA from Cranfield University.  He is a Fellow of IAgrE, a Chartered Environmentalist, a Fellow of the Royal Society of Chemistry and a Chartered Chemist.

Max Dafforn MSc

General Manager, Intelligent Precision Farming (IPF)

IPF is a leading precision farming provider covering the UK, Eastern Europe and Southern Africa. Max joined IPF in 2011 after completing a MSc in Sustainable Crop Production at The University of Warwick. In his position he is responsible for delivering a simple to use precision farming service which provides growers with real benefits. Max enjoys working alongside farmers and agronomists to identify how technology can be used to solve some of the problems they face. In 2014 Max came up with the concept for the award winning seeCrop field scouting app which since its launch has been downloaded over 2,200 times. Max supports the IPF ethos; that precision farming should begin by taking a close look at soil type variation, and that this should form the foundation of a service which uses cutting edge technology and digital tools to: support decision making, drive improvements in efficiency, lower costs, increase yields and reduce environmental impact.