Gurteen College is gearing up for the Energy and Farm Diversification Show that will be held there this week.
Teagasc, which is involved in organising the event, said that the full-day event will showcase insights into “the latest revolutionary products transforming the agri-industry”.
The show will be held this Thursday (July 20).
Three pavilions will be erected at Gurteen College, each devoted to a different area or sector.
These pavilions are as follows:
- Energy pavilion, covering anerobic digestion (AD), energy policy, solar, electricity, biomass, and community energy;
- Farm diversification pavilion, covering food business start-ups and tourism diversification;
- Land use change and sustainability pavilion, covering organics, forestry, bio-economy, and agri-tech.
The Energy and Farm Diversification Show will include exhibition halls of suppliers and experts in energy and diversification, who will be able to provide necessary information for those farmers, landowners or businesses that are considering another business venture.
Teagasc described the event as “unmissable” for those who are looking to expand their businesses; appeal to a wider demographic with their products or marketing; or meet experienced industry experts.
The event will be opened at 9:00a.m with a speech by Jon Parry, the principal of Gurteen College, which will be followed by a speech from Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine Charlie McConalogue.
This will be followed by various panel discussions across the three pavilions throughout the day up to around 5:30p.m. These discussions will be grouped into several ‘tracks’.
These tracks are organised as follows:
- Track 1 – energy in agriculture, including biomethane and AD, solar, biomass, and energy communities;
- Track 2 – farm diversification, including agri-tourism, diversification entrepreneurship, artisan food, and alternative diversification;
- Track 3 – smart climate land use, including organics and regenerative farming, and alternative and climate smart land use.
The event will also feature several demonstrations, covering an on-farm anaerobic digester; solar PV installation and energy management; energy crops and biomass; how to maximise organic fertiliser; and a farm diversification demo.