2019 POSITIVE FARMERS DAIRY CONFERENCE
2019 Conference Speakers
As usual we bring you top worldwide speakers, they will cover the key
technical, financial, people management and research needs for
successful dairy farming and profitable expansion.
Radisson Blu Hotel, Cork.
Jan 16th & 17th 2018
Con Hurley is a writer and life coach.
In 2009 he published his first book on Life
Planning and followed with two biographies.
The first book of his autobiography is with the
editor and his current project is titled ‘What’s
My Legacy?’
Over the past 18 years, he has lectured and
facilitated on two MBA courses and other
courses on the topics of life planning,
flourishing, happiness, effective decision
making and journaling.
Con was Dairy editor of the Farmers Journal
for many years and a founder member of The
Positive Farmers
Adrian van Bysterveldt, NZ
Adrian unfortunately will not be able
to speak to this years Conference.
“ I very much regret that due to my
current illness that I will not be able to
meet my many Irish friends at the
Positive Farmers Conference this year.
Currently I am receiving chemotherapy
treatment for cancer, the prognoses
however is hopeful so I very much hope
that I will be able to catch up with all my
Irish friends in 2020.”
We wish Adrian, his wife, Annie and
family our full support at this difficult
time. Given Adrian’s positive attitude we
would be very hopeful of seeing Adrian
many times in Ireland in the future.
Jack Kennedy is the Dairy Editor with the
Farmers Journal which he joined in October
2002.
His main areas of responsibility relate to
outlining the best existing and emerging
technology inside the farm gate to dairy
farmers. He previously worked as a researcher
at Moorepark Grassland and Dairy Research
Centre.
He hails from a farming background in Cahir,
Co Tipperary. He has a degree from the
University College Dublin in Agriculture and a
doctorate from Moorepark and UCD. His
interests outside of farming are cycling and
following all sports.
Sian Bushell, (Wales)
Dr Nollaig Heffernan,
Nollaig Heffernan is an independent
Management Consultant based in Ireland who
specialises in Leadership and Organisational
Psychology. She works across sectors with
businesses from sole traders to multi-nationals
to improve their performance by increasing
the efficiency of their most valuable asset;
their people. Nollaig regularly delivers
workshops to Dairy Discussion Groups across
the UK and Ireland and has spoken at
seminars and conferences on topics relating to
labour efficiency, self-management and
change management in the Dairy Sector.
Nollaig graduated with an honours degree in
Applied Psychology followed by a Higher
Diploma in Business and Financial Information
Descended from a long line of West Wales
farmers, Siân Bushell was trained as a
succession facilitator in Australia in 2006 by
Lyn Sykes, a Family Farm Business Facilitator.
Armed with these skills she set up Siân Bushell
Associates to provide succession planning for
farming families and other family businesses.
This followed a Masters Degree in Business
Administration from Glamorgan University
gained in 2005.
Before that, she was partner and then director
of a successful dairy farm for 25 years and has
been a director and chairperson of two dairy
farm related businesses. Good communication
skills and an understanding of how to manage
people were evident in her farm business
where she gained an Investors In People
Award.
Donal is a research officer with Teagasc based
in Ballyhaise, Co. Cavan. Together with his
brother Joe, Donal manages the dairy farm on
their home farm near Carrickmacross, Co
Monaghan. Donal is passionate about grass
based systems and profitable dairy farming.
Lead Dairy Researcher at Ballyhaise
Dr Brendan Horan,
Brendan is a project leader with responsibility
for the development and implementation of
grassland science multi-year farm systems
research projects at Curtins Farm, Teagasc
Moorepark, Fermoy, Co. Cork and Ballyhaise
Agricultural College, Ballyhaise, Co. Cavan.
Research Interests
•
Dairy farm labour productivity and
efficiency
•
Labour efficient technologies, e.g.
infra-structure, facilities and practices
and work organization
•
Human resource management within
dairy farm businesses
Current Projects
•
An evaluation of work organisation
and human resource management
within Irish dairy farm businesses.
•
Maximising labour productivity and
minimising labour demand on Irish
dairy farms
Catherine and Liam Millerick are from Fethard
in Co Tipperary.
The husband and wife team is milking 123 cows
on a 65ha milking platform, with a further 20ha
temporary grazing arrangement.
In 2013, they switched to once-a-day milking.
Today, the majority of the herd is crossbred and
the Millericks continue to milk once a day, citing
quality of life as being the biggest factor in the
decision. Their herd is one of the highest EBI
herds in the country at 168 and 2018 calves
have an EBI of 188
Deisie Discussion Group
Tadgh has worked in various agri advisory
roles in AIB since the early 2000s. Most
recently, he headed up the bank’s agri
advisory team in Co. Cork and the south-west.
The qualified financial advisor runs a dairy
farm and holds a Bachelor’s Degree in
Agricultural Science from University College
Dublin (UCD). As well as this, the Cork native
picked up a Master of Business
Administration (MBA) from the University of
Limerick in 2015.
The accomplished academic was also
awarded a Nuffield Scholarship in 2009. For
his topic, he chose to examine the role of
dairy future markets and other price risk
management mechanisms in the EU dairy
industry
Systems from University College, Cork, Ireland. A Masters in Work and
Organisational Psychology from the University of Hull, UK, combined both
disciplines of psychology and business and inspired further research in the form
of a PhD, specialising in the area of leadership and its measurement under the
supervision of Dr. Peter Clough. This dual-discipline background in business and
psychology has been invaluable in helping companies and organisations to
improve their performance through both their processes and their people.
Sian also completed a Primary Certificate Course in Performance Coaching in
2012 Farm business study tours have taken Siân across New Zealand, Ireland and
across the UK, where her services as an inspirational speaker have been much in
demand.
Dr. John Roche, NZ
Managing Director, Down to Earth Advice Ltd
John has a very distinguished record as a
scientist and researcher in the dairy industry
and academia.
He most recently worked as a principle
scientist at DairyNZ.
John did his bachelor degree in Moorepark and
has worked for over 25 years in Australia/New
Zealand.
He holds a honours degree in Agricultural
Science, A masters in Farm Systems and
Pasture Management, and a PhD in Animal
Nutrition.
Scientific work experience includes:
- Researcher for Dairy Production, Moorepark
Ireland
- 5 years as a Senior Scientist, Department of
Primary Industries, Victoria, Australia
- 6 years with the Dairying Research
Corporation and Dexcel in New Zealand
- 1.5 years as an Associate Professor in
University of Tasmania, Australia
Current Projects
•
Investigation of alternative autumn and
spring grassland management practices
within intensive pasture-based spring
milk production systems.
•
An evaluation of the biological and
financial implications of extended grazing
within a wetland soil in the Border
Midlands Western Region.
Tadgh Buckley,
Head of Agri Sector AIB Bank
Jack Kennedy (Irish Farmers Journal)
Con Hurley, Cork
Donal Patton,
Lead Dairy Researcher at Ballyhaise, Cavan
Marion Beecher, Research officer, Teagasc
Education
PhD in Animal Science, University College Dublin, Bachelor of Agriculture
Science, University College Dublin
Catherine & Liam Millerick
Michael Bateman
Michael is a Dairy Farmer from West Cork
milking 300 cows. He operates a spring
calving, grass based system and rears all his
replacement heifers.
Bill O’Keeffe
Bill is a dairy farmer from Conna, Co. Cork.
He has expanded the home farm at Conna
to milk 400 cows and he is also a partner in
two dairy farm businesses in Wicklow.
Bill is a former Nuffield scholar and ran the
Nuffield Ireland organisation for a number
of years.
Pat Hickey
More info to follow
Padraig and Pat Walsh
Padraig and Pat are farming at Durrow, in
Co. Laois. One of the first adapters of
grassland measurement in Europe.
Padraig has a wealth of knowledge built up
from over 25 years of measurement.
Padraig’s son Pat graduated from University
College Dublin in 2013 and is now
managing the grass on the home farm.
The father and son team grew over 2ot/ha
of grass in 2017.
The Hickey family, originally from
Freshford, Co Kilkenny but who now have
farms in Laoise, Westmeath and Co
Kilkenny. Pat made the first move in 2006
by buying a 255 acre farm in Westmeath.
A second farm in Roscommon was
purchased in 2013 and extra farms have
been purchased and leased by the family
over the years.
Research Officer - Grassland Science, Teagasc