Beef conference puts work-life balance in focus
Teagasc will bring farmers and specialists together in Athlone to explore how profitable production can fit around family life and other commitments. The 30 November event will also examine animal performance, modernisation supports and safety.
Part-time farmers and the challenge of balancing beef production with work and family life will be centre stage at the Teagasc National Beef Conference in Athlone on Monday, 30 November.
The event takes place at the Hodson Bay Hotel, Co. Roscommon, from 5pm, under the theme ‘Profitable Beef Farming, Balanced Lifestyle’.
The opening session will examine performance and profit from birth to slaughter. Teagasc cattle specialist Martina Harrington will discuss suckler profitability, while researcher Dr Paul Smith will address animal performance from weanling to finish. Both will join a panel discussion on maximising output.
A second session, chaired by television personality Helen Carroll, will turn to farming and family life. Schoolteacher and farmer Aonghusa Fahy will explain the practices and technology he uses to manage a profitable beef system alongside family commitments.
He will then join Roscommon suckler and sheep farmer Oliva Hynes and Galway dairy beef farmer Colin Callanan to discuss how they make time for farming. Teagasc specialist Seamus Nolan will outline supports under the Targeted Agricultural Modernisation Scheme, while Health and Safety Authority senior inspector Ger Hartnett will address safety on beef farms.
Further conference details are available on the Teagasc website.