The Church of Ireland will again be making its presence felt at the National Ploughing Championships. This national event takes place in Screggan, Tullamore, Co Offaly from Sept 20th to 22nd September.

Tullamore Union of Parishes will be broadcasting a Morning Service on RTE television on Sunday 18 September, at 11am. Ms Anna May McHugh, President of the National Ploughing Association, will be doing one of the readings. The Service will be broadcast from St Catherine’s Church, Tullamore.

Rev Isaac Delamere (Rector) said, “We are delighted to be broadcasting a Service to coincide with the Championships. A tremendous amount of work has been done in preparation by Ms Eva Draper (Organist), the Parish choir and many others. The involvement of other choirs will make it a real community celebration”.

The theme of the Service will be Come and See the Fruits of His Creation. Rev Delamere will lead it. Bishop Storey (Bishop of Meath & Kildare) will be the preacher.

The Church of Ireland will also be hosting a tent at the National Ploughing Championships. As the event takes place within the diocesan boundary of Meath and Kildare the dioceses will organise the Church of Ireland tent.

Bishop Pat Storey said, “Our exhibition tent will offer a friendly welcome, coffee and a prayer space for visitors. The Church of Ireland feels it is important to be part of Europe’s largest Outdoor Exhibition and Agricultural Trade Show. If you are visiting the event be sure to pop in”. The theme for the tent space is ‘Come and See’.

Last year 281,000 people attended the National Ploughing Championships.

Science Foundation Ireland looks at the future of farming ahead of this year’s National Ploughing Championship –

2^ndSeptember – This year marks the 85^th year of the National Ploughing Championship. Following last year’s hugely successful exhibition, the Science Foundation Ireland tent will return – featuring more shows, demonstration and exhibitions.

Ahead of the big event #ScienceRisingis featuring all things agriculturalfor the month of September.

Speaking on agricultural research in Ireland Prof Mark Ferguson, Director General of Science Foundation Ireland and Chief Scientific Adviser to the Government said: “Since 2000 Science Foundation Ireland has invested over €41 million in agricultural research across 161 awards. This month the #ScienceRising campaign is showcasing some of the excellent and impactful research taking place. Experts will be providing exciting insights into the smart farms of the future.”

According to a UN report on population growth, the current estimation of 7 billion global citizens is set to rise to 9.6 billion by 2050. This will require, by current standards, an increase in food production of 70%. With 40% of the worlds land mass already dedicated to agriculture this increase is currently unmanageable. Science Foundation Ireland has spoken to some of the researchers working on precision agriculture or smart farming and asked how changes to farming techniques will help to make current farmland more productive.

Prof Willie Donnelly, President of Waterford Institute of Technology and Principle Investigator at the SFI funded CONNECT Research Centre, explains what Smart Farming is:

“Smart Farming is increasing quality and quantity of agricultural production using sensing technology. The aim is to make farms more ‘intelligent’ and more connected through so-called ‘precision agriculture’,also known as ‘smart farming’. The focus in the future will be on technology which supportsreal time decision makingsystems that can provide the right solution at the right time without the need for human intervention. This willliberate farmers to apply theirexpertise to high value activities.”

Professor Donnelly identifies themain drivers behind the changing nature of farming:

“One is the expected growth in global population, creating a demand for foods that are high in nutrition and can be delivered in peak condition to the consumer. Also targeted food production, if we were to develop more efficient systems to ensure that food waste become a thing of the past then we could feed the additional growth in the world population by using a similar level of land that we have today. Secondly, there is an increasing need for environmental sustainability;farmers are finding that they are now required to measure the environmental impact of their food production environment.”

What does the farm of the future look like?Dr Laurence Shalloo, Senior Research Officer at Teagasc and SFI Investigator Programme awardee shares his thoughts:

“Future farms will have a greater focus on technologies that increase efficiency and sustainability of their business. Farms will use different technologies to manage grassland andanimals, and the interaction between the two. There will be different pieces of farm machinery communicating directly with different stakeholders (e.g. suppliers, customers). All of this data will be integrated across various platforms and data analytics will be used to provide real time solutions to the farmer.”

Prof Willie Donnelly highlights what farmers should do now to “futureproof” their farms:“The first phase of futureproofing is to ensure that precision farming technology is applied to those areas of real value to the farmer. Farmers should focus on the introduction of technology which moves away from producing data and moves towards providing an intelligence or decision support. Partners need to form alliances with processors and suppliers to develop, implement and share information, ensuring that farmers and suppliers/processors are focused on collaborative market development.”

Concluding Professor Ferguson said: “We are delighted to once again be participating in the National Ploughing Championships. Along with the 12 world-leading Science Foundation Ireland Research Centres, we will be hosting many intriguing shows and exhibitions on agriculture and food science. All visitors to this year’s Ploughing are invited and welcome to visit the Science Foundation Irelandtent and participate in some informative science fun.”

Under EU Regulation, steel products manufactured within the EU will not be able to use passivations containing hexavalent-chromium (CrVl or Cr).From September, all V-Mac Silos will be manufactured fromMagiZinc an innovative Chromiumfree alternative to traditional Galvanise Material.

Tullamore D.E.W. – the original tripledistilled, triple blend Irish whiskey – is getting ready for a unique activation at this year’s National Ploughing Championships, which take place in Screggan, Co. Offaly; September 20th – 22nd.

With the Championships taking up residence just down the road from Tullamore D.E.W’s €35 million state of the art distillery which opened in 2014, the leading Irish whiskey will celebrate the unique occasion by hosting a pop up snugat the show, featuring bespoke tasting sessions of the Tullamore D.E.W. range and storytelling, hosted by Tullamore D.E.W. Global Brand Ambassador, John Quinn. Stories of True Character will be shared throughout the three days whilst attendees enjoy tasters of Tullamore D.E.W.’s finest.

The snug will showcase Tullamore D.E.W.’s expertise in, and passion for, whiskey by sampling some of the brand’s finest blends on-site.Of late, the whiskey has been impressively lauded,winning several awards at the 2015 Irish Whiskey Awards.Tullamore D.E.W. 12 Year Old Single Malt Whiskey won the award for best Irish Blended Whiskey (RRP less than €60), with Tullamore D.E.W. Phoenix receiving the top accolade for Irish Cask Strength Whiskey. Tullamore D.E.W. also received a gold medal for its 10 Year Old Single Malt. Furthermore, at the International Spirits Challenge Awards 2016, Tullamore D.E.W. 14 Year Old Single Malt won a gold medal with Tullamore D.E.W.’s owner, William Grant & Sons Ltd. also winning Distiller of the Year.

The Tullamore D.E.W. pop up snug will feature for the duration of the Ploughing Championships, with whiskey tastings taking place on the hour, on a first-come, first-served basis. Attendees must be over 18 and ID will be required.

Host John Quinnis the Global Brand Ambassador for Tullamore D.E.W., responsible for spreading the word and improving product knowledge about Tullamore D.E.W. around the world. John works alongside a team of local Tullamore D.E.W. brand ambassadors in key markets such as America, UK, France, Czech Republic, Bulgaria, Scandinavia and Ireland. Although he is the first Global Brand Ambassador for Tullamore D.E.W., he isn’t new to Irish whiskey, and is currently in his 35th year of service with the brand.

John spends some of his time in the Tullamore D.E.W. Old Bonded Warehouse, where visitors can embark on some of the tours that are available, year-round. Here, Tullamore D.E.W. invites the world to come to Tullamore, and discover how this unique whiskey got its character. Guests can take one of three tours and savour almost two centuries of the distillery’s history, discovering the secret that gives Tullamore D.E.W. its unique complexity. A new range of tours have recently been launched with something for everyone,from those who are curious about whiskey to the true whiskey explorers. The tours offer an authentic insight into what it is that makes Tullamore D.E.W. a whiskey of True Character.

The Curious Tasters Journey

Any whiskey enthusiasts wanting to experience more of the Tullamore D.E.W.world can visit Tullamore D.E.W.’s Old Bonded Warehouse and get up close and personal with the history, and of course the whiskey, on this journey for the curious tasters. Guests will be personally welcomed and guided by one of Tullamore D.E.W.’s whiskey experts from beginning to end. Starting with the birth of a blend and finishing with a triple tasting.

The Whiskey Wise Masterclass

This masterclass lets guests explore the depth of character in six of Tullamore D.E.W.’s finest whiskeys as visitors enjoy a tutored tasting. The tour also delves into the character of Daniel E. Williams and the whiskey making process he perfected, as visitors are guided by whiskey experts. The tour concludes with exclusive access to the Williams’ Whiskey Gallery, where guests can take a well-earned rest and put their new-found knowledge to good use.

The Ultimate Distillery Experience

This five-hour tour allows visitors become the ultimate guests at the Tullamore Distillery and take in the splendour of Distillery House. The Tullamore D.E.W. Distillery Ambassador will lead the tour through the production process from Still House to Warehouse. Guests then enter the Blending Room for the once-in-a-lifetime chance to create their own unique blend of whiskey. Visitors will soon feel part of the Tullamore D.E.W. family as they exchange stories by the fire with a rare glass of an exclusive blend.