All roads lead to Cork next week for our 17th annual Women & Agriculture conference, supported by FBD Insurance. We have a small number of tickets left so if you’re thinking about attending, don’t delay. Bring a friend, a sister or work colleague, or come on your own – every year, we have plenty of women who come and meet new friends at the event.
Given it’s the International Year of the Woman Farmer (IYWF), the theme of this year’s conference wrote itself. And who better to be our keynote speaker than Anna May McHugh. At 92, she has been involved in the National Ploughing Association since she was 17 years old. Heading off on her bicycle to give a hand for a few weeks, she got a grá for the work and the rest as they say its history. She gives a really unique perspective on growing an agricultural organisation at a time when a woman’s place was mostly in the home.
Our panel celebrating the IYWF is sure to be an interesting slot. Professor Maura Farrell from FLIARA, the author of a new report on female-led innovation in rural areas will share her findings, and she will be joined by Alice Doyle, the first woman to be appointed deputy president of the IFA and Carina Roseingrave, the Irish ambassador for the IYWF.
It has been a memorable year for farming news. Between Mercosur, farmer and fuel protests and reports of the prevalence of drug intimidation in rural Ireland, the Irish Farmers Journal team have been kept very busy. Our team will take you behind the scenes and share the memorable moments behind the breaking news.
New lease of life
Every year, we want the women in the audience to go home with a new lease of life and tools to face whatever challenges the year might throw at them. Dermot Whelan is sure to do that as he fuses comedy, mindfulness and meditation in a talk that will relax, educate and entertain.
Given we’re in Cork for the first time, there is no man that embodies the county quite like John Creedon. As well as reading extracts from his new book, This Boy’s Voice, he will be in conversation with Adam Woods about his years as a broadcaster on both radio and television.
And the voices of women will have us heading home on a high as Sound Waves Choir close out the day.
This is a day not to be missed.
9:10am Welcome from Ciara Leahy, editor, Irish Country Living.
9:20am Welcome from Nicola McAndrew, sales support manager for FBD Life and Pensions, 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 chaired by Ciara Leahy, joined by Adam Woods, Amy Forde and Philip Doyle.
10.10am Money in your Pocket. Practical advice for farming families, chaired by Ciara Leahy joined by Eimear Ryan and Emer Smyth. 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. Chaired by Jaqueline Hogge, joined by Tara Farrell, Liam Butterly and Detective Inspector Patricia Gill.
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 Úna Crawford O’Brien speaking about her partner Bryan’s diagnosis of Alzheimer’s and what life has been like for both of them since then.
2.45pm Celebrating the International Year of the Woman Farmer panel discussion. Chaired by Amy Forde, joined by Alice Doyle, Carina Roseingrave and Professor Maura Farrell.
3.15pm Dermot Whelan on fusing comedy, mindfulness and meditation in a busy world.
4.00pm Keynote speaker Anna May McHugh on five decades running the National Ploughing Championships in conversation with Ciara Leahy.
4.45pm Entertainment by Sound Waves Choir.
5.00pm Conference close.
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