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That's a wrap Thank you 19 & 20 August 2026
UK Biochar x Hemp Festival 2026  /  19 to 20 August  /  Caebardd Farm, Mid Wales
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That's a wrap

Three days on and I'm still buzzing. Thank you to everyone who came.

The reason behind the Biochar x Hemp Festival was simple: get people talking. Bring some of the industry's leaders together, put them in a room, alright, a cow shed, with other people in the industry and people completely new to it, and see what happens.

What happened was we all learnt a lot, questioned a lot, and got a good deal closer as a UK biochar and hemp industry.

The rain

Finally getting rain for the first time in 62 days, right as we set off on the farm walk. You couldn't have scripted it.

Wednesday afternoon

People from certification, carbon credits, testing, manufacturing, production and feedstock supply, all stood about with a drink in the late afternoon sun. That's the bit you can't put on an agenda.

Thank you

Everyone who spoke

Richard Bowe, Fe Bush, Luke Breedon, Hemi Taylor, Dan Wrench, Alex Brodie, Catherine Daley, Adam Samuel, Gavin Armstrong, Elizabeth Lee, Claudio Mario Mander, Simon Burgess, Tony H., Tom Previte, Jamie Bartley, Nick Joyce, Larry McGarry, Dr Deborah Brown and Graeme Boyd-Moss.

Everyone who brought a stand

Dad's Farm Biochar, a great range and unbeatable knowledge of biochar products. Sustainable Woodchip Ltd, showing that feedstock supply for biochar is not a problem. Carbon Cell, showing that biochar goes far beyond agriculture. Re-Generation Earth, with Richard Bowe drawing the short straw of explaining 2,000 years of biochar in six minutes, in the very first panel. Rob Collins, for bringing BIBA to the day. Alfred H Knight, genuinely exciting for the UK biochar industry. Carbon Hill. SoilFixer Ltd. And Tannaz Pak for supplying the MicroView biochar.

Live demos

Stuart Jones on the Woodtek Engineering C1000, Luke Breedon of Slate Hill Charcoal, and Graeme Boyd-Moss of Carbon Farmers. GW Wilson on the swather demo, got through the difficulties and found the best method.

And

The Food Fairy, who fed everyone brilliantly for two days straight. Danny, Andy and the Caebardd crew, who made the event run like clockwork. Emyr Jones, thank you for being there. And every single person who turned up and joined in, you were the event.

And a special mention to Dad, the late Mick Jones. We took his method up the hill and showed it to everyone.

Long week, and straight back into the day job on Friday and Saturday. Tomorrow we're out trying various methods of chopping the swathed hemp, seeing if we can close the gap between biochar and hemp.

Same again next year? Or shall we move it to a new place?

Tell us what you think › See what we covered
The blunt truth

This is not regenerative farming. This is biochar farming.

Two days of live demonstrations, field visits, and open discussion on a real working farm. Hosted by the team behind Woodtek Engineering and Carbon Hill Biochar. We are talking to farmers, not politicians, so we do not soften the message.

250 kg
Nitrogen recirculated per hectare, every two weeks
Learn how
2 days
Festival of live demos and field visits
Enjoy
24/7
See the technology working: carbon negative baseload power
Experience
Ten reasons to come

Why Biochar x Hemp

Ten honest arguments from people who live and breathe this work every single day.

On the farm

Festival logistics

A working farm in Mid Wales. Come for the demos, stay for the social, sleep under the stars.

01

Free Camping

Camping is included with every ticket. Pitch up on the farm and make a weekend of it.

02

Evening Social

An informal evening social on day one. Food, fire, and proper conversation with the people doing the work.

03

Live Demos

Batch systems, continuous machines, hemp harvesting, and water filtration running live across both days.

04

Networking

Meet UK and international experts, farmers, builders, and buyers. The best contacts in the industry, in one field.

The venue

Caebardd Farm, Mid Wales

A real working farm and the home of this method. Two days across the fields, the yard, and the woods. You arrive from the bottom of the site and park up, then it all opens out in front of you.

Postcode SY21 9DJ what3words ///camp.smile.enjoys
Aerial view of Caebardd Farm
You arrive here ↓

Drive route: most of the site can be reached by car, for attendees with high disability levels.Walking route.

Swipe the map to explore the whole site.

The agenda

Two days, two halves

Two days split down the middle: day one is biochar, day two is hemp. Same rhythm both days: doors at 09:00, talks from 10:00, then a live swathing demo after lunch and the full farm walk to see how biochar has transformed Caebardd Farm.

Full speaker, talk and tour line up to be confirmed.

Day One Wednesday 19 August Biochar
  • 09:00

    Doors open

    Arrive, park up and network as the site opens for the day.

  • 10:00

    Welcome

    Darren Jones opens the festival and remembers Mick Jones, the Biochar Farmer.

  • 10:10

    Panel 1: What is biochar, and who should you trust?

    Richard Bowe (Re-generation Earth), Felicity Bush (Rainbow), Luke Breedon (Slate Hill Charcoal, BIBA), Dan Wrench (Biodynamic Carbon, Shropshire Council) and Hemi Taylor (Dad's Farm). Hosted by Darren Jones. What biochar is and how it is made, how a carbon credit works, the middlemen, water filtration, and biochar on a working farm.

  • 11:10

    Networking break

    Twenty minutes.

  • 11:30

    Panel 2: Biochar, feedstock, permitting and its uses

    Chaired by Alex Brodie (Brodie Biomass) with Catherine Daley (Carbon350), Adam Samuel (CapChar), Gavin Armstrong (Alfred H Knight) and Liz Lee (Carbon Cell). Feedstock, testing and standards, batch systems, thermal storage, and biochar as an engineered material.

  • 12:30

    Lunch and live demos Live

    Batch and continuous systems running live. Luke Breedon (Slate Hill Charcoal), Scott Bricis (Preta Carbon Flame Cap Kiln) and Graeme Boyd-Moss (Tawi Stove) out front, and the Woodtek C1000 plant room open with Stuart Jones. Talk to the people who built and run these machines.

  • 14:00

    Full farm walk

    Out onto the land with Darren until 16:00: soil, biochar field and woods, hemp trials, the biochar filtered pools, and Mick's biochar farming method. Includes the live hemp swathing demo from GW Wilson. Most of the walk can be reached by car.

  • 16:00

    Panel 3: Energy and quality control

    Hosted by Darren Jones with Simon Burgess (Severn Wye Biochar), Claudio Mander (International Biochar Initiative, Spain) and Tony H. (Enviroconsult). Making energy the revenue stream that pays for better biochar, not cheaper biochar: heat, power, permitting, and how it compares abroad. Ends with Darren's closing summary at 17:10.

  • Evening

    Informal social

    Straight after the close: relaxed drink with proper conversation with the people doing the work. Camping included, so make a night of it.

Day Two Thursday 20 August Hemp
  • 09:00

    Doors open

    Arrive and network as the site opens for the second day.

  • 10:00

    Welcome: biochar and hemp

    Darren Jones on how the two fit together, and Mick's method at Caebardd Farm.

  • 10:15

    Panel 1: Hemp for Wales, the UK picture and the market

    Jamie Bartley (Unyte Group), Larry McGarry (Carbon Balance Network) and Emyr Jones (Woodtek). Hosted by Darren Jones. The UK hemp picture and where the bottleneck really is, the commercial opportunities, and hemp and biochar for Welsh agriculture, energy and food security.

  • 11:00

    Networking break

    Twenty minutes.

  • 11:15

    Panel 2: Co-locating hemp and biochar to scale both

    Nick Joyce (GRWN Group and Vertex) and Dan Wrench (Biodynamic Carbon, Shropshire Council) with Darren Jones. Why hemp as a feedstock, a pyrolysis unit next to a brick kiln, putting the biochar plant where the hemp is, and what it does for the land along the way.

  • 12:00

    Lunch and live demos Live

    Batch systems running live with Luke Breedon (Slate Hill Charcoal), Scott Bricis (Preta Carbon Flame Cap Kiln) and Graeme Boyd-Moss (Tawi Stove). Talk to the people who built them.

  • 13:00

    Full farm walk and live hemp swathing demo Live

    Out onto the land with Darren until 15:00: the hemp trials, what the crop tells you about the soil, the biochar field and woods, the pools, and the live swathing demo from GW Wilson. Most of the walk can be reached by car.

  • 15:00

    Hempsters Q&A

    Dr Deborah Brown (Carbon Balance Network), Nick Joyce and Jamie Bartley with Darren Jones. An open, audience led session on what makes hemp and biochar investable and what the industry needs next. Under the oak tree, or in the main building, weather permitting. Followed by Darren's closing summary of the two days, which ends the festival.

The line up

The people who actually do this

Practitioners who live and breathe biochar and hemp, from the farm here to experts across the UK and beyond.

In loving memory Mick Jones
MJ

Mick Jones

The Biochar Farmer 1960 to 2026

It's so nice to farm without stress.

Read his tribute ›
Spain Claudio Mario Mander
CM

Claudio Mario Mander

Biomass Cluster of Catalonia Avebiom International Biochar Initiative (I.B.I)

Leading the way with solutions for using the energy from producing biochar.

Market Harborough, UK Jamie Bartley
JB

Jamie Bartley

CEO and Founder, Unyte Group Decarbonising construction, circular economy

Jamie brought hemp to Caebardd Farm.

Brockham, England Alex Brodie
AB

Alex Brodie

Brodie Biomass Biochar and compost producer

Producing biochar and compost from local, sustainably sourced materials, as a leading UK carbon removal operator.

Cornwall, UK Tom Previte
TP

Tom Previte

Founder, Restord UK biochar

Made the podcast that showed the real commitment behind biochar.

Shropshire, UK Graeme Boyd-Moss
GB

Graeme Boyd-Moss

Carbon Farmers Biochar kit and stoves

Putting practical biochar kit into the hands of farmers and growers.

Mid Wales, UK Stuart Jones
SJ

Stuart Jones

CEO, Woodtek Engineering Ltd

Biochar technology perfectionist.

London, England Nick Joyce
NJ

Nick Joyce

Founder and MD, GRWN Group and Vertex Decarbonising the built environment

The future is grown.

Mid Wales, UK Darren Jones
DJ

Darren Jones

COO, Woodtek Engineering Ltd

Youngest of the family, gets the jobs everyone hates.

Northern Ireland Larry McGarry
LM

Larry McGarry

Carbon Balance Network Industrial hemp and biochar R and D

Larry was the first person to bring hemp as a feedstock to our technology.

Northern Ireland Dr Deborah Brown
DB

Dr Deborah Brown

Carbon Balance Network Hemp for the built environment, energy and agriculture

Growing industrial hemp for rapid carbon sequestration.

West Wales Hemi Taylor
HT

Hemi Taylor

Owner, Dad's Farm Biochar Beef and sheep farmer, West Wales

Carbon rich biochar from our West Wales family farm.

France Yannick Ferriere
YF

Yannick Ferriere

President, SG Energies Greater Bordeaux, gasification

Engineering energy from biomass through gasification.

Shrewsbury, UK Ben Mattey
BM

Ben Mattey

Business Development Manager, Biodynamic Carbon Ltd Industrial decarbonisation and soil health

Biochar solutions for a circular, sustainable future.

Telford, England Tony H.
TH

Tony H.

Director, Enviroconsult Limited Environmental permitting and EIA, 30 years experience

Tony's experience and knowledge is essential to scaling biochar in the UK.

London, UK Fe Bush
FB

Fe Bush

Carbon Partnerships Manager, Rainbow Engineered carbon reduction and removals

Certifying high integrity carbon removal projects.

Hampshire, UK Catherine Daley
CD

Catherine Daley

CEO and Founder, Carbon350 Solutions Ltd Distributed batch based biochar

Building a batch based biochar project in Hampshire, with a regenerative approach to business.

Sheffield, UK Gavin Armstrong
GA

Gavin Armstrong

Business Technical Manager, Alfred H Knight Sampling and analysis

Representing the UK in biochar standardisation.

Marlow, England Adam Samuel
AS

Adam Samuel

Director, CapChar Pyrolysis, carbon removal and carbon negative heat

Pyrolysis technology combining carbon negative heat with digital MRV, to scale high integrity biochar carbon removal.

Baydon, England Luke Breedon
LB

Luke Breedon

Director, BIBA Slate Hill Charcoal, Nuffield Farming Scholar 2023

Nuffield Scholar, farmer and small technology fabricator focussed on biochar use.

London, England Elizabeth Lee
EL

Elizabeth Lee

Carbon Cell Sustainable materials and design engineering

A plastic free foam made with carbon negative biochar, replacing polymer foams in packaging, interiors and insulation.

Powys, Mid Wales Emyr Jones
EJ

Emyr Jones

Non executive director, Woodtek Engineering Ltd

Answers to nobody, putting his foot where it needs to be to drive policy and government to biochar.

Kent, UK Richard Bowe
RB

Richard Bowe

Director, Re-generation Earth Biochar and regenerative agriculture

Might not be able to come, weather controls the harvest.

Warrington, UK Simon Burgess
SB

Simon Burgess

Project Lead, Severn Wye Biochar Pyrolysis, carbon removal and negative heat and power

Driving forward energy from biochar plants.

Shropshire, UK Dan Wrench
DW

Dan Wrench

Co founder, Biodynamic Carbon Ltd Carbon Removal Lead, Shropshire Council

Building markets and research in biochar and pyrolysis.

More speakers
announced soonUK and international
The debate floor

Disagree? Good.

If you do not like what you are reading, come and say it to our faces.

We are not here to be agreed with. If you read all of this and think we have got it wrong, then let us have an open public debate. You could be wrong. We could be wrong. We could both be wrong. Either way the audience walks away knowing more than when they sat down, and that is the whole point.

01

You could be wrong. Come and find out where your thinking breaks.

02

We could be wrong. We will change our minds in front of everyone if you prove it.

03

You both win. A real debate teaches the whole room more than any talk.

Bring your argument › Read what we believe

First rule of the debate floor: turn up and speak your mind.

Calling all char makers

The Char Yard

Live batch and mobile biochar demos

From a kiln that fits in your back garden to a trailer mounted system for a working farm, we are putting on a real show of biochar in action. Every size of system running live, with the people who build and run them on hand to talk it through, so you can decide what is right for you.

Back Garden

Small batch kilns you can run at home. The perfect place to learn the fundamentals.

Farm Scale

Trailer and yard sized batch systems built to handle a working farm's feedstock.

Start small, learn big

Dreaming of a big machine? Start here.

We always tell people the same thing: start small and learn the key lessons first. One week running a batch system teaches you more about good biochar than a year on a large continuous machine. This festival is the perfect place to do exactly that.

Bring your kit

Got a system? Put it on the field.

We are calling out to anyone, from back garden batch kilns up to trailer mounted plants, to come and demonstrate. The more kit on the field, the better the show, and the more people we help to choose right.

Register your demo ›
Tickets live on Eventbrite

Come and see why the results are exceptional.

19 to 20 August 2026  /  Caebardd Farm, Mid Wales  /  Free camping included
Book Tickets Now ›