Last week, I stood in the Temperance Hall in Kinsale and listened to 70 women rehearsing for this year’s Women & Agriculture conference. They were singing their hearts out to Jackie Wilson’s Higher and Higher. It wasn’t just the wonderful music they were making though; it was the atmosphere in the room, the power of women coming together, supporting each other with a shared goal and purpose. It is exactly what the conference is all about and I think these ladies will make sure everyone’s day ends on a high.
Putting together the agenda for the conference sometimes feels like composing a song. We need to hit all the right notes to make a memorable day. It takes a huge amount of work and we’re delighted with the agenda that we have created for this year’s event.
It has been a big year for farming news and farmers have made their voices heard on everything, from Brazilian beef to fuel prices. The Irish Farmers Journal team were on the ground to cover some memorable moments and they’ll share the behind-the-scenes action that made the headlines.
I think a lot of attendees will be interested in the practical advice session on putting money in your pocket – whether that’s paying the right amount of tax when transferring land or managing the everyday farm and home accounts. A story that got a huge reaction from readers this year is the impact of drugs in rural Ireland, specifically its availability. This will form part of the panel discussion on rural crime which will also cover the dangers of domestic violence. In the afternoon, there will also be a panel discussion celebrating the International Year of the Woman Farmer (IYWF). On the panel is Alice Doyle, the first female deputy president of the IFA, Carina Roseingrave, Irish ambassador for the IYWF and Professor Maura Farrell from FLIARA, who has undertaken research on women’s contribution to farming. I chaired a similar panel at the National Ploughing Championships and we could have talked all day; this is one not to miss.
Putting together the agenda for the conference sometimes feels like composing a song. We need to hit all the right notes to make a memorable day. It takes a huge amount of work and we’re delighted with the agenda that we have created for this year’s event.It has been a big year for farming news and farmers have made their voices heard on everything, from Brazilian beef to fuel prices
Which leads us to our keynote speaker, Anna May McHugh, a woman who has made a real impact on Irish agriculture. She is the managing director of the National Ploughing Championships – having held the position for 53 years – and has brought it from a small agricultural show to the biggest outdoor agricultural event in Europe. She will reflect on the journey she travelled – both personally and professionally – to make that happen.
Other speakers include Dermot Whelan, John Creedon, Una Crawford O’Brien and Alan O’Reilly from Carlow Weather.
This year, to celebrate the International Year of the Woman Farmer, we have teamed up with Bord Bia and Ornua to host a special dinner on the evening before the conference, supported by FBD Insurance. The dinner will celebrate the women, farmers and producers behind Irish food. We are delighted to welcome bestselling cookery writer and chef Rachel Allen as our special guest to help us celebrate Irish food, its provenance and the women who produce it. The evening will run from 7pm to 10pm.
Conference attendees can purchase dinner tickets at www.ifj.ie/conference. Places are limited, so early booking is advised.
9:10am Welcome from Ciara Leahy, editor, Irish Country Living.
9:20am Welcome from FBD Insurance.
9:30am Welcome from Adam Woods, editor, Irish Farmers Journal .
9.40am News stories from the Irish Farmers Journal – A Year in Review.
10.10am Money in your Pocket. Practical advice for farming families, supported by ifac.
10.30am Refreshments and networking break.
11.00am Alan O’Reilly, Carlow Weather on the future of our forecasts.
11.30am Rural crime – a discussion on the prevalence of drugs and domestic violence in rural Ireland.
12.10pm John Creedon discussing his new book This Boy’s Voice,his many years on the radio as well as his much-loved shows touring Ireland.
12.45pm Lunch.
2.15pm Una Crawford O’Brien speaking about her husband Bryan Murray being diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease and what life has looked like since then.
2.45pm Celebrating the International Year of the Woman Farmer panel discussion.
3.15pm Dermot Whelan on fusing comedy, mindfulness and meditation.
4.00pm Keynote speaker Anna May McHugh on five decades running the National Ploughing Championships.
4.45pm Entertainment by Sound Waves Choir.
5.00pm Conference close.
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