Farming is an incredibly technical industry, demanding excellent business skills alongside extensive practical knowledge and scientific understanding. As professional demands increase, both new entrants and established farmers need to keep up to date – and they can do exactly that at this year’s Cereals Event.
Whether accruing points for a spraying certificate, learning about full-time university courses or seeking out prospective employers, there is something for everyone at the event – with the biggest names in the industry on hand and 29 organisations offering BASIS and NRoSO points.
“There are a lot of invaluable opportunities to meet and speak to the right people at Cereals,” says Katie Hardy from Newcastle University. “We always have other companies coming to our stand looking for graduates to fill job roles and so we definitely recommend that students bring their CV to the event – you never know who you may get talking to.”
Agriculture is enjoying a resurgence in interest among the younger generation, drawn by the variety of careers on offer, from cutting-edge computer science and mechanical engineering to agronomy and farm business management. “Agriculture employs over 475,000 people and contributes around £24 billion of revenues to the UK economy,” says Jon Day, Cereals’ event director. “It is an increasingly professional industry and it’s only right that we reflect that.”
With education being such an integral part of the event, Cereals is delighted to announce that Harper Adams University is the official education partner. With both organisations being dedicated to the future of agriculture, the partnership is a natural fit, says the University’s Simon Pride. “Cereals is a key event in the agricultural calendar,” he explains. “It’s a great platform to share Harper’s research in agri-tech through exciting projects such as the ‘Hands-Free Hectare’ and the latest in drone technology.”
For those already well-established in the industry, there are plenty of Continuing Professional Development (CPD) points up for grabs. Qualified agronomists will be able to earn six BASIS points per day at the event, and Stephen Jacob, CEO at BASIS, expects plenty of demand given that last year was the busiest yet. “We had almost 1,800 agronomists signing up for general attendance CPD points – a 12% increase on 2015,” he says.
Since the introduction of certificates of competence for pesticide application – alongside the abolition of Grandfather Rights in 2015 – all spray operators must now be accredited under the National Register of Sprayer Operators (NRoSO). Visitors to the event will be able to earn a maximum of six NRoSO points: Two for registering at the Sprays and Sprayers arena and four from exhibitors on the CPD trail.
“Once again, the NRoSO team are delighted to support members to capture evidence of their ongoing CPD and commitment to responsible pesticide use,” says Dr Robin Jackson, land based manager at City & Guilds.
Cereals will again be offering the opportunity to gather further points after the show through a series of online modules. After last year’s success, with over 500 members taking part in the online modules, Syngenta are confirmed to be among the exhibitors involved this year’s offering, with users able to earn two BASIS or NRoSO points per module.
To find out which exhibitors are offering BASIS and NRoSO points at Cereals event visit the website www.cerealsevent.co.uk/CPD.
Tickets are now on sale via the website www.cerealsevent.co.uk/tickets and visitors can use the promocode CEREALS17TOS to save over 15% on tickets.
