The 2012 ITLUS Winter Conference and Annual General Meeting will be held on Wednesday 5th December 2012 at the Clanard Court Hotel, Athy, Co Kildare. The theme for our conference is “Business Models in Times of Change”.
We start the day with a pictorial review of our Study Tour to Denmark earlier this year combined with some of the most revealing observations.
The 2012 harvest was one of the most challenging in many years, with many farmers saying they had never experienced a more disappointing harvest. The great potential visible in crops at the end of June was literally washed away by the summer rains and the losses were exacerbated further by high levels of forward selling. Lessons need to be learnt right across the cereal supply chain and to that end a panel of experienced speakers (James Brett, Andrew Booth & Gerard Mc Cutcheon) will give their thoughts on grain production, trading and quality issues.
Finances on the tillage enterprise are always an important subject, both at the national and farm level. Colm Mc Carthy will give his thoughts on national economic issues which affect agriculture, while Patrick O Gorman will outline the pros and cons of setting up your farm as a company.
Finally, we have assembled a panel of successful agricultural entrepreneurs who have taken their produce into the marketplace and who have been successful in a very competitive environment. Listen to their experiences and the opportunities they envisage over the next few years.
The conference promises to be a very informative day and provides an opportunity to catch up on the latest developments. Pre-booking is essential to guarantee lunch and to enable optimum layout of the conference room. The programme is attached and I look forward to seeing you on the day.
We have been given 6 IASIS credits for this meeting— so be sure to sign the attendance sheet as you check in.