A comprehensive line-up of speakers has been confirmed for the Norfolk Farming Conference on 25^th February 2009.

Organised by agricultural purchasing group Anglia Farmers and county economic development partnership Shaping Norfolk’s Future, the full day event – based on the theme ‘Vision for the Future – A New Era?’ - takes place at the John Innes Centre, Colney, Norwich.

Essex farmer and award-winning journalist Guy Smith is chairing the conference for the second consecutive year and first on the platform will be NFU president Peter Kendall delivering ‘The new agenda for farming’.

Jon Duffy, trading director at Frontier Agriculture, will talk about the volatility of cereal prices. Jonathan Shobham, senior agricultural economist at Syngenta will discuss what GM crops could do for UK agriculture, while environmental issues will be covered by Mark Felton, director of strategy at Natural England.

Nuffield scholar Sarah Long will present her research on beef marketing and product differentiation opportunities and Michael Mack, director of Norfolk Rural Business Advice Service, will cover the important issues of skills for the future.

Leading into the afternoon ‘Question Time’ session will be Anglia Farmers chief executive Clarke Willis who, in addition to examining the market forces in the agricultural food chain, will announce the Anglia Farmers Agricultural Inflation Index figures for the last twelve months as well as projecting inflation figures for the coming year. His presentation will tie in with the thinking behind food prices from Siôn Roberts, chief executive of English Farming and Food Partnership (EFFP).

‘Question time’ panellists include Matthew Naylor and David Richardson who are both farmers and columnists as well as Charles Whitaker, a partner at Brown & Co who, with Grant Thornton, Birketts LLP and NatWest, are sponsoring the conference.

Priority for bookings is being given to farmers and spaces are already filling up. Questions, which are already coming in for the panel, can be entered on the booking form or via helen.bibby@angliafarmers.co.uk

For booking forms and further information log on to www.norfolkfarmingconference.org