We are just a few weeks away from our Women & Agriculture conference and excitement is building. Ticket sales have been very strong and we expect this year to be a fully sold-out event once again.

This week’s paper gives a flavour of the speakers who will take to the stage. From the minute I picked up the phone and asked Brenda Donohue to speak at the conference, I felt I had made an instant friend – but I suspect many people feel that way in her presence.

She has a rare authenticity that connects her to listeners and interviewers on RTÉ Radio, as well as a fantastic sense of humour. It’s not everyone that can adapt their style to slot into different shows across the station, but she has covered everything from Liveline to The Ray D’Arcy Show.

However, it is on CountryWide that she has found a regular slot. In her interview with Deirdre Verney, she shares that her urban childhood was heavily influenced by time with her granny in rural Kildare and this has given her a country spirit that has really connected her with listeners.

She also plans to speak about being in the ‘sandwich generation’.

Her older children have started to fly the nest, an adaptation in itself. But she is still in that hands-on parenting stage with her 15-year-old son, while also helping out with the care of her parents, who are 85. It’s an important life stage that many of our attendees are either experiencing, or can learn from.

You would never be stuck for conversation in his [Brendan McArdle] company, but he has said, it has taken him and Colin a long time to be able to talk openly about this important surgery

Health is an area that we always touch upon at the conference and we have covered many topics over the years. One area, however, that we have not yet discussed is organ donation, but I knew we would come to it sooner or later.

You see, 12 years ago, our good friend and colleague Brendan McArdle donated his kidney to his brother Colin (click here). Brendan is the advertising and marketing manager in The Irish Field, but he is probably more familiar to readers as an RTÉ horse sports commentator.

Brendan is a lively, charismatic character and you would never be stuck for conversation in his company, but he has said, it has taken him and Colin a long time to be able to talk openly about this important surgery. One year after it, they were asked to speak at an event, but it was too soon, too raw.

Ultimately, the surgery was a success and Colin, an Aberdeen Angus breeder on the home farm in Co Monaghan, is in good health now, but it hasn’t been without its challenges. Also sitting on the panel will be Laura Austin, transplant co-ordinator in Beaumont Hospital and Jennifer Hally from Organ Donation Transplant Ireland.

Women’s health will also be a key focus for our attendees. Teresa Roche talks about becoming the IFA Farm Family Committee chair. Returning to the family home and diversifying to develop Kylemore Farmhouse Cheese has certainly prepared her for the role. However, her work as a qualified nurse has also come in handy in recent weeks as the IFA has rolled out the Farmer Health Checks Programme.

The initiative provides farmers with a free health check worth €200. In partnership with Croí Heart & Stroke Charity, these health check clinics have been taking place at marts nationwide. Those attending our conference will also be able to avail of them and more information can be found here.

We look forward to seeing our readers in the Lyrath Estate on Thursday, 24 October.