Breeding for a Sustainable Future - a dynamic approach
The theme for the January 2010 British Cattle Breeders Conference was "Breeding for a Sustainable Future - a dynamic approach." Did we get the message across? The consensus from this year's record breaking attendance was a resounding "yes"!
The Committee brought together an exceptional set of world class speakers to deliver Conference papers to challenge us all with topics that were topical, relevant and of immediate benefit to anyone within the world cattle breeding sector. Agriculture, and particularly livestock breeding, is at a crossroads and a farming revolution is at hand. Our role, as leaders in the livestock genetics sector, is to deliver.
The Conference focused on the brave new world where we now have many more "breeding tools" at our disposal, particularly the increasing use of genomics, but also a greater awareness of what our customer demands, what the world expects of us in environmental terms and how we can sustain and grow our businesses profitability. Our duty is to constantly search for ways of not just surviving in the cattle industry, but to thrive and to grow and to leave behind us a sustainable system for future generations to build on.
For me, it was the greatest of honours to be elected Chairman of the Club for 2010 and to work with such a wonderfully supportive and creative committee. I feel that, together, we took the Conference and the Club to another, higher, level by building on the base that previous Chairmen and Committees had put in place. I know that in the wonderfully enthusiastic and capable hands of Lucy Andrews and under the strong guidance of Lesley Lewin as our Secretary, the best is yet to come. I have thoroughly enjoyed my year and take this opportunity to thank the Committee and Lesley, in particular, for their incredible input into this Conference. I am sure that you will not only enjoy, but also find superb in-depth information in these papers.
Come and join us at the superb facilities offered at the Telford Golf and Spa Hotel for this vibrant, informative and challenging Conference again next January and, don't forget, spread the word!
Rob Wills
