Spring Series 2012 In association with Springfort Hall, Mallow, Cork - Tuesday, 3rd April Galway Bay Hotel, Galway - Wednesday, 11th April Mount Wolseley, Carlow - Thursday, 26th April In association with: Brought to you by: Farming at your The Irish Farmers Journal - PC, iPad, iPhone, .ie, .tv fingertips. the information you want, the facts you need, whenever you want, wherever you are. Farming www.farmersjournal.ie at your The Irish Farmers Journal The Irish Farmers Journal -PC, iPad,- PC, iPhone,. iPad, iPhone, ie, .ie,.tv .tv fingertips. the information you want, the information you want, the factsthe facts you you need, need, whenever you want, whereverwhenever you are. you want, wherever you are. www.farmersjournal.ie Farming www.farmersjournal.ie at your The Irish Farmers Journal - PC, iPad, iPhone, .ie, .tv fingertips. the information you want, the facts you need, whenever you want, wherever you are. www.farmersjournal.ie Farming Timetable Spring at your Series 2012 The Irish Farmers Journal 7.00pm- PC, iPad,Registration iPhone, .ie, .tv 8.50pm FBD Customers fingertips. the information you want, 7.30pm Official welcome From a devastating fire af- the factsby Mairead you Lavery, need, Editor, fecting a great food business wheneverIrish Country you Living want, to the importance of safety wherever you are. on the farm, FBD presents 7.40pm Paula Mee, two inspiring customers Independent Nutritionist who have faced disaster and www.farmersjournal.ie came back fighting, with Looking for a healthier the help of their insurance Farming and happier ‘you’ this company behind them. spring? Paula will have great advice on eating better and 9.10pm Break losing weight. And she’ll also dispel some of those 9.40pm Neven Maguire, at your nutritional myths that simply Celebrity chef and aren’t true. Irish Country Living’s Culinary Contributor The Irish Farmers Journal 8.20pm Peter Young, - PC, iPad, iPhone, .ie, .tv Irish Country Living’s Get the ovens fired up as The Irish Farmers Journal -PC, iPad, iPhone,. ie, .tv Money Mentor one of the nation’s favourite fingertips. the information you want, chefs, Neven Maguire is the information you want, the factsthe facts you you need, need, You work hard, pay all your In association with set to entertain. On the whenever you want, whereverwhenever you are. you want, bills but still feel that there is menu for tonight’s cookery wherever you are. not enough money to make demonstration is succulent ends meet. Help is at hand. Irish spring lamb as well as www.farmersjournal.iewww.farmersjournal.ie Our Money Mentor has top Brought to you by: the most delicious chocolate advice on sorting out your and fruit desert. accounts and maximising Farming your disposable income! 10.30pm Finish at your WOMEN & AGRICULTURE April 2012 3 The Irish Farmers Journal - PC, iPad, iPhone, .ie, .tv fingertips. the information you want, the facts you need, whenever you want, wherever you are. www.farmersjournal.ie Welcome FBD – Our policy is you ast year marked the inau- policy and technological twists and gural FBD Women in Ag- turns facing them. However, behind riculture Awards. Our goal every surviving and thriving farm in supporting these awards has been a solid yet flexible woman Lwas to recognise the very often, with the ability to support the farm unseen work done by so many farm and household while continuing to women who are setting the standard ensure every opportunity for growth as excellent role models for our next is seized. generation. Certain to inspire and educate, It is now our great pleasure to we believe these conferences will sponsor the inaugural Spring Series serve as a valuable learning experi- of Women and Agriculture events Andrew ence for all involved. To comple- across the country. Our commit- Langford, ment this series, we have invited ment to Irish agricultural enterprise Chief Executive inspiring individuals to share their goes back 40 years and we remain of FBD experiences so you can learn from loyal in our efforts to strengthen and their bravery, innovation, resilience support the farming community in and initiative. all its endeavours. On behalf of FBD, I wish all those After all, farming is what our who are participating in any way country has always done best and in this programme of events, every there’s never been a better time to success. build from this strong base. In our long history of working with farmers to ensure they have the appropriate covers in place, we have grown to understand the significant contribution women make to farm- ing. Not only are they the backbone of the Irish agricultural sector, they show immense innovation and resilience in the development of farming, agri-business, and high quality food production. Indeed, it Winners of the FBD Women and Ag- is this technical excellence, on-farm riculture Awards 2011, Ann Moore of diversification and can-do attitude Glencash Farm, Ballyspillane, Co. Cork that our country needs to develop and Valerie Kingston of Glenilen Farm further. pictured here with Matt Dempsey, Challenges are nothing new for Editor and Chief Executive Irish Farm- farm families and over the genera- ers Journal, Andrew Langford, Chief tions farmers have had to adapt to Executive, FBD and John Bryan, IFA the economic, environmental, President. 4 April 2012 WOMEN & AGRICULTURE Welcome a way of helping those and other families in the same situation. A Spring Over 380 farm families are now involved in Peter’s Operation Cash- flow which amongst other things series provides essential advice on manag- ing household budgets. And he will share that advice with everyone at this Spring Series of events. for all Independent dietician Paula Mee Mairead Lavery, is another person who talks plenty he evenings are getting Editor, Irish of common sense. She spoke at our longer, the flowers are Country Living main conference last year and the blooming and there is a audience really appreciated what real sense of spring in the she had to say. Whether it’s working Tair. So we are delighted to welcome towards a healthy diet or keeping off you to our Spring Series of Women & the pounds you’ve lost since Janu- Agriculture events. Since 2008, Irish ary, Paula is worth listening to. Country Living has staged a Women We’re also really delighted to & Agriculture conference every have top chef Neven Maguire on October. They’ve taken place in board with us. The past two months Kilkenny and Athlone and this year have been a rollercoaster ride for we’re heading to Mullingar. himself and his wife Amelda. They Unfortunately, these venues had the birth of their twins Lucia don’t suit everyone and each year and Connor in early February and we get calls from all parts of the that joyous event was followed by country asking us to bring the con- Amelda being very unwell over a ference to other counties. So that period of several weeks. Thankfully, gave us the idea of running these that is all behind them now. evening events in Carlow, Cork and Neven is wonderfully engaging Galway. and his cookery demonstrations We’ve a packed evening in store are great fun and you’ll learn loads for you with lots of useful informa- – spring lamb as well as a delicious tion, advice and entertainment. In chocolate and fruit dessert are just a Irish Country Living, we always try taster of what’s on the menu. to be solution driven. Irish Farm- It’s thanks to the sponsorship of ers Journal writer Peter Young and With FBD, FBD we are able to bring you this his Operation Cashflow project is a we are able great night out. perfect example of this. to bring you And that brings us to Farm Safe- Peter is a fully qualified personal this great ty, something we are all concerned financial adviser and you’d have night out about. We will be joined by dry stock seen him as one of the two mentors farmer Peter Gohery and Siobhan on RTE’s Higher Ground. So when Lawless of the Foods of Athenry who we started to receive letters from will tell their stories of coping with farm families saying there never traumatic events. seemed to be enough money to Thank you for coming and we make ends meet, he came up with really hope you enjoy the evening. WOMEN & AGRICULTURE April 2012 5 Chairs Meet your Chairs stint was in 2009 on Channel South A country girl at where she presented an evening heart, Martina lifestyle and chat show, South To- grew up on a night, from various locations across farm in Bantry, Munster, transmitted on Chorus/ NTL. This busy woman is also a so- cial columnist for the Evening Echo newspaper and she is passing on her MARTINA O’DONOGHUE, knowledge to the next generation as Cork a part-time lecturer in Griffith Col- lege Cork’s journalism courses. Since 2007 Martina O’Donoghue A country girl at heart, Martina has been the Drivetime presenter grew up on a farm in Bantry, where on Cork’s radio station C103, with a she fostered a life-long love of ani- listenership in the region of 20,000 mals and an appreciation for fresh people. Traditionally seen as the air and open spaces! county station, alongside its city- Don’t miss Martina based sister station 96FM, it has a O’Donoghue’s Drivetime Show on studio in both Bandon and Mallow Cork’s 103 every weekday evening and broadcasts across the city and from 4pm to 7pm. county. Drivetime sees an almost equal spread of male and female listener- ship although Martina has noticed KEITH that women to tend to be more FINNEGAN, interactive, with an eagerness to Galway be involved in competitions and dis- cussions.