Farmer and founder of Valley Fest, Luke Hasell, has been named one of Europe’s Top 50 Farmers, a pan-European programme celebrating farmers that are helping to shape the future of regenerative agriculture.
Hasell farms in the Chew Valley in Somerset, where his work connects food, farming and community through Story Farms, Valley Fest, and the emerging Forever Farm Foundation.
The Forever Farm Foundation is an initiative focusing on long-term stewardship of land and regenerative agriculture.
To mark Hasell’s recognition, Valley Fest has announced the launch of Wake The Valley, a new symposium debuting at the 2026 festival on Thursday, July 30.
The gathering will bring together farmers, chefs, growers, land stewards, festival creators and cultural leaders “to explore how food, farming, and culture can work together to regenerate landscapes and communities”, the organisers said.
“The event takes inspiration from the West Country tradition of wassailing: the act of ‘waking the orchard’ each winter to encourage the trees to flourish.”
Wake The Valley aims to spark new conversations and collaborations around the future of land, food, and culture.
Hasell said: “This recognition reflects the wider regenerative movement happening across farming right now.
Farmers across Europe are rediscovering that healthy soil is the foundation of healthy food, healthy communities and healthy landscapes.”
“hrough the Forever Farm Foundation, we’re trying to think about land stewardship on a much longer timescale – even imagining what a farm might look like if we were caring for it over the next 10,000 years.”
According to the organisers, Valley Fest “has become one of the UK’s best-known food and music festivals” celebrating organic food, sustainable farming, and rural culture, attracting thousands of visitors to the Chew Valley each summer.
This new symposium will form a dedicated part of the 2026 programme, which offers talks, discussions, and collaborations focused on regenerative agriculture, food systems, and land stewardship.
