Wallace Currie is an agricultural lecturer with SRUC – Scotland’s rural college – but in his spare time he enjoys and takes a great interest in sharing peoples’ stories.
“This has led to my podcast, R2Kast – People in Food and Farming * running to almost 100 episodes at the time of writing and growing with a new series just started,” he says. “I also create content for people and I’m looking to doing more of this, whether that is short form or longer.”
Wallace – who has joined the Guild as a Friend – started working as a lecturer at SRUC Barony near Dumfries in 2020, having studied and graduated with a degree in Agriculture from SRUC’s Ayr campus before completing an MSc in Food Security at the University of Glasgow.
As most of his first year of teaching ended up being online, he returned home to his parents’ farm on the Isle of Arran and used his social media experience to start filming his farming activities so students would have some practical content.
Wallace promotes the benefits of sourcing local products via his Facebook page Rural2Kitchen and his films about the environment and food, food miles and the challenges facing agriculture have been shown on BBC The Social, a digital platform based in Glasgow that develops creative new talent and commissions content to publish across the BBC reaching millions of people every week.
Wallace concludes: “I love my work as a lecturer, it’s my dream job, and I have a passion for food and farming and how we get food from the farm to the fork that I express through my online projects.”
Wallace’s quick-fire Q&A
How did you get to where you are today?
Just by posting written stories about people that evolved into a podcast over time.
Did you always want to do the job you’re doing (and if not, what)?
Never had an idea, love everything I do and am happy with that! Always looking for fun new things!
Describe your average day
Lecturing 9-5 podcasting 5-7 gym 9-10 walking 10-2
What’s the best thing about what you do?
Love it all! The best is meeting so many amazing folks and creating a massive network
What’s the strangest thing you’ve ever written about or done in the name of work?
Probably speaking to someone about the ivory trade in South Africa!
Where’s the most interesting place you’ve visited as part of your job?
Barely been anywhere so I’m going to have to say Dundee 😂
What gets you through a tough day?
I know it sounds tragic but I genuinely don’t have many tough days – but probably a rom com!
How untidy is your desk?
Notably!
Tell us something not many people know about you?
My family own a volcano on an island!
What station is your car radio tuned to?
Normally Spotify but Radio 1 if not
What’s your favourite biscuit?
Penguin. HANDS DOWN…honourable mention to Viennese whirls
Name a guilty pleasure
Porn star martini but at this point it’s not guilty in anyway. I own it
What colour are your wellies?
Never wear them – I’m a boot guy!
Where did you last go on holiday?
Ardrossan! Big time traveller!
Tea or coffee?
Neither, juice please!
Beer or wine?
Neither, see guilty pleasure!
Hatchback, saloon or SUV?
Never known what a hatchback or saloon are! One seems like a frame of mind and one sounds like an Texan pub! So SUV because they cool!
* link to Spotify; also available on other podcast hosts.
All members can be contacted via the Guild’s Farming Media Centre online directory.
