‘Agri-Food for thought’ at annual YFCU Conference in Ballymena

Agriculture Minister Edwin Poots MLA officially opened and addressed the event which once again offered YFCU members and rural youth across Mid & East Antrim and the wider Northern Ireland the opportunity to come together to share and learn from industry experts and pioneers, discussing key topics such as carbon auditing, genomic testing, food marketing and soil health.

Opening the 2022 Conference, Minister Edwin Poots recognised “the commitment and contribution that the YFCU makes to our rural community and to the personal development and employability of thousands of young people”.

He said: “I am proud that my Department has been supporting the YFCU since 1934.

“Young farmers are the new generation and what you learn and adopt sets the foundation for future careers within the agri-food industry and the performance of the industry as a whole.

“Agriculture is the heartbeat of our rural community and over the coming decades, the agri-food industry is facing many significant developments - from the impacts of changes to our climate, changing international markets and trading relationships, consumer demand and technological advances. This will bring a number of challenges but it also presents significant opportunities for Northern Ireland.

“I would encourage you all to embrace these opportunities and help shape future years of Agricultural policy by responding to the Consultation on Future Agricultural Policy Proposals for Northern Ireland which can be accessed on the DAERA website,” Minister Poots said.

Those who attended heard that carbon benchmarking is a relatively new technology on Northern Ireland farms and it is a complex process, but it is something we will all need to embrace.

The Minister said: “An important baseline element to this will be the new Soil Nutrient Health Scheme which is an important first step to behavioural change in relation to nutrient practices and to helping reduce greenhouse gas emissions and sequester carbon.

“Alongside this, a LiDAR survey of Northern Ireland will also be undertaken, and this will provide field level run-off maps and quantify the amount of carbon stored in soils and in above ground biomass hedgerows and trees.”

Peter Alexander YFCU President, from Glarryford YFC, said: “It was good to be back in person after holding this event virtually last year due to the pandemic. We had a fantastic programme of farm visits, panel discussions and workshops which appealed to all those in the agri-food industry and addressed the theme of our conference “Adapt and Evolve”.

“As an industry facing change and challenges it is vital that we create the opportunities to adapt and evolve our enterprises to secure the future success of the Agri-Food industry. I want to thank all the conference sponsors without whom this event would not be possible.”

The theme Adapt & Evolve for last year’s Agri-Food Conference will continue to follow through into this years conference.

Adapt & Evolve theme was relevant during times of COVID-19 restrictions and is just as important in post restriction times. Adapt & Evolve showcases the best practices and advancements in the Agri-Food sector across Northern Ireland.

The Agri-Food Conference was held over two days and opened by hosting a network dinner at the Galgorm Resort and Spa.

Four farm visits were hosted on the Saturday morning of the conference, showcasing the best in farming and agriculture sectors across Northern Ireland. Four innovative workshops were held in the afternoon from a variety of Agricultural industries.

Guest speakers from various Agriculture backgrounds gave talks over the two day conferencel speaking on a range of varied topics from educational and professional views.

YFCU have extended thanks to their conference sponsors Danske Bank, Power NI Dunbia Group, Ulster Farmers’ Union and Chestnut Horse Feeds.