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Strategies for the future and career opportunities in European agriculture are high on the agenda at this year’s Agritechnica at the third European Young Farmers and Student event organised by the European Council of Young Farmers German Rural Youth Association (CEJA), the German Rural Youth Association (BDL) together with the Young DLG.

Invited to the event are young people involved in agriculture and their representative organisations from a range of European countries including those in central and eastern Europe. And there’s great interest from further afield with students from universities in both the US and Canada wishing to attend…not surprising when one considers that the last Agritechnica Young Farmers Event in 2005 attracted some 10,000 young people from all over Europe!

This high level of interest reflects the need nowadays for budding rural business men and women to look well beyond their own national borders for help in formulating future strategies. After all, the challenges facing them are often global ones and early realisation of the situation worldwide helps in forming the best policies for future farming. The Agritechnica event aims to encourage the increasing international movement of young people in agriculture as they seek experience and pursue careers abroad.

“The event is particularly beneficial for those already establishing businesses,” comments Johannes Ritz, organiser and project manager of DLG’s European Young Farmers and Student Event “Markets are increasingly international and exchanging experiences and information and forging links with young farmers right across Europe, and further afield, is vital.

“Young farmers are seeking new models and new working relationships, new approaches to the market and new ways to access technology. We want Agritechnica to be the forum for this development among Europe’s young rural entrepreneurs,” adds Ritz.

The two-day event starts on November 15 at 1 p.m. with presentations on international study opportunities throughout Europe. “Farming for the future – how should young farmers plan ahead for business success?” is the title of the conference and debate coming next. Speaking on this question are farmers from Denmark, Germany, France, the Netherlands, Poland and the UK. Later – from 8 pm – there’s time to relax and meet fellow delegates and visitors at a party for pre-registered delegates.

Friday morning kicks off at 10 a.m. with podium discussions entitled “Agriculture as a high-tech industry – promising career opportunities for the future” with speakers from major machinery companies such as AGCO, Claas, John Deere. This part of the event is organised by the German Engineering Federation (VDMA), the Association of German Engineers (VDI) and the publishing house “Eilbote”.

The conference ends with young entrepreneurs making presentations on their own experience in successful arable farming and bioenergy enterprises followed by discussion on the future effect of globalisation on European agriculture. These presentations start at 1 p.m. The event takes place in the Convention Centre (CC) in the Exhibition Grounds and working language is English.