[LEXINGTON, Ky.] — ONE: The Alltech Ideas Conference (ONE17), held May 21–24 in Lexington, Kentucky, is certain to inspire and motivate producers and agribusiness leaders, but more importantly, it will prepare them for the future. The three-day conference will bring together industry experts from across the globe to share insights and solutions to today’s most pressing issues within agriculture.

To provide an opportunity for every corner of production agriculture to engage in disruption, ONE17 will include various tracks, including a focus session specifically dedicated to beef production. From case studies on increasing carcass weight to profitable feeding strategies, ONE17 will give beef producers real-life solutions.

“We believe it’s important for everyone involved in agriculture to be inspired to harness disruption,” said Dr. Pearse Lyons, founder and president of Alltech. “We also understand the importance of balancing innovation against the bottom line. Our beef production focus session will challenge producers and ranchers to think differently about their operations, from the cow-calf pen to the feedlot.”

ONE17 beef focus session

• Argentine Beef: In the Land of the Gaucho: Argentina’s meat consumption rates are among the highest in the world, and their grass-fed animals have become world-renowned. Learn from their practices as well as their signature restaurant, The Gaucho.

• BioBarrel®: Providing Nutrition Without Pollution or Residues: The BioBarrel’s “ice cream cone” design saves water and maximizes efficiency.

• The SuKarne Model: The Reinvention of Subtropical Beef Production: A fully integrated operation, SuKarne has maintained compound annual growth of 20 percent for two decades. What makes Mexico’s largest beef producer and exporter so successful?

• Breaking the Mold: Better Meat, Better Profit: See how a two-year experiment with the world’s largest privately owned feedlot company, Cactus Feeders, disproves the notion that cattle have reached maximum efficiency and can’t increase carcass weight.

• A Head-in-the-Sand Approach: “Major polluters, massive water consumers, antibiotic-laden” — or are they? Learn how one company has pioneered bringing a unique, traceable and healthy beef product to the global marketplace.

• Regenerative Grazing: The Next Disruptor: Can manure from grazing cattle be a natural fertilizer for crop land? Is this a revolution or a little-told story?

• Disruption in Washington: What can we expect from the new leadership landscape? How could the food chain and global trade be disrupted?

• The Biologist’s Toolbox: Precise gene editing technologies are the newest tool in the biologist’s toolbox, but are we pushing ethical limits?

For more information on the ONE17 beef focus session, visit: one.alltech.com/beef.

Register before April 1 to save $300 on your passport to innovative ideas at ONE17.

Join the conversation on Twitter with #ONE17.

[LEXINGTON, Ky.] — ONE: The Alltech Ideas Conference (ONE17), held May 21–24 in Lexington, Kentucky, is certain to inspire and motivate producers and agribusiness leaders, but more importantly, it will prepare them for the future. The three-day conference will bring together industry experts from across the globe to share insights and solutions to today’s most pressing issues within agriculture.

To provide an opportunity for every corner of production agriculture to engage in disruption, ONE17 will include various tracks, including a focus session specifically dedicated to dairy farmers. From working through government regulations to discussing the dairy operation of the future, ONE17 will give farmers real-life solutions.

“We believe it’s important for everyone involved in agriculture to be inspired to harness disruption,” said Dr. Pearse Lyons, founder and president of Alltech. “The dairy production focus session will drive dairy farmers to discover practical and profitable approaches that ensure the future of their farm.”

ONE17 dairy focus session

• The Kerrygold Story: Disrupting a commodity, making it taste different and involving the farmer: How has its status as an industry disruptor enabled Kerrygold to become a leader in butter commodities?

• The Internet of Things and the Nespresso Model: Building a Unique Service for the Dairy Farm: Could your operation benefit from communicating real-time data information to a team of nutritionists? What about meeting the daily nutrition needs of your herd via a special pod for your mixer?

• A Door-to-Door Story: What can the dairy industry learn from the success of the Pennsylvania Amish?

• The Dairy Disruptor: A case study featuring how new needs prompted ingenuity in Saudi Arabia.

• The Dairy Farm of the Future: Are robotics the disruptors of the dairy industry?

• Disruption in Washington: What can we expect from the new leadership landscape? How could the food chain and global trade be disrupted?

For more information on the ONE17 dairy focus session, visit: one.alltech.com/dairy.

Register before April 1 to save $300 on your passport to innovative ideas at ONE17.

Join the conversation on Twitter with #ONE17.

[WASHINGTON D.C.] – An Taoiseach Enda Kenny TD, has today presented Science Foundation Ireland’s (SFI) prestigious ‘St. Patrick’s Day Science Medal’ to Dr. Pearse Lyons, founder and president of Alltech, and Prof. Adrian E. Raftery, professor of statistics and sociology at the University of Washington, for their significant contribution to academia and industry.

Now in its fourth year, the SFI St. Patrick’s Day Science Medal recognises the outstanding contributions of Dr. Pearse Lyons and Prof. Adrian Raftery in their respective fields, as well as their role in developing the research ecosystem in Ireland. The Medal is awarded annually to a distinguished Irish scientist, engineer or technology leader living and working in the USA.

Congratulating the recipients at an award event held in the United States Institute of Peace in Washington D.C., An Taoiseach Enda Kenny TD, said: “I am delighted to present the SFI St. Patrick’s Day Science Medal on behalf of Science Foundation Ireland, to these two exceptional leaders. Dr. Lyons and Prof. Raftery have both had a huge impact in their own areas of expertise and played pivotal roles in the development of researchers in Ireland.”

“They have demonstrated how academic and industry-based scientific research can create jobs, tackle global problems and impact positively on people and society. These distinguished Medal recipients are driving globally significant innovation in the areas of agriculture, food production, health, and population and weather forecasting, to name just a few.”

Dundalk-born biochemist and entrepreneur, Dr. Pearse Lyons, is the first Irish scientist to have created a global business based on scientific research. With the aim of creating the next ‘green revolution’ to improve the health and performance of people, animals and plants, Dr. Lyons founded Alltech, in 1980 with just $10,000 in capital.

He has subsequently led the company to now trade in over 120 countries worldwide with more than 5,000 team members. Dr. Lyons and his team at Alltech remain committed to innovation and development, with three Alltech biosciences centres dedicated to research and education - two located in the U.S. and one in Dunboyne, Co. Meath, Ireland.

Dublin-born Prof. Adrian E. Raftery has been described by his peers as one of the most eminent statisticians in the world. His work has resulted in the development of new statistical methods, focusing particularly on the social, environmental and health sciences. Prof. Raftery’s work to quantify statistical uncertainty in demographic projections has fundamentally changed approaches to population forecasting. This was demonstrated by the United Nations recently publishing a recalculation of world population projections, which directly incorporated Prof. Raftery’s work.

Prof. Raftery has been a leader in developing new Bayesian statistical methods for model selection and model averaging, as well as model-based clustering. He has also worked on studies that have fundamentally changed the understanding of whaling populations, the prevalence of HIV/Aids and weather forecasting.

At the event in Washington, D.C., Dr. Lyons said:

“I am so proud to accept the SFI St. Patrick’s Day Medal from Science Foundation Ireland. While my business is global, my passion for biochemistry and entrepreneurship started at home in Ireland. As a company, we still have very close links to Ireland with one of our three biosciences research centres based in Dunboyne, Co. Meath. Science and technology play a very important part in my company’s success and all of the Alltech team work to innovate every day. We strive to put scientific research at the core of our business and to use that research to drive our success at home and abroad.”

“Almost 100 students have graduated with their Masters and Ph.D.s from our Alltech facilities in Ireland, in cooperation with virtually every Irish university, providing a platform that was once described by the European Commissioner of Food and Safety as a ‘Primacy in Science’.”

On accepting his SFI St. Patrick’s Day Science Medal, Professor Raftery said:

“I developed my passion for statistics during my time at St. Conleth’s College in Dublin and at Trinity College Dublin. Statistics is vital to science, including the social sciences, and it is progressing rapidly with the current growth in big data and data science. I'm proud to have contributed to the development of statistics at University College Dublin in recent years. Statistics in Ireland has been developing fast and this will provide a competitive advantage for Irish science and industry. I'm grateful to SFI for supporting my visit to Ireland in 2013-14 as a SFI Walton Fellow, which galvanised several successful collaborations with UCD, TCD and the Central Bank of Ireland. The continued support for this and other research programmes, even during the economic crisis, shows that there is a broad consensus in Ireland for supporting scientific research, which bodes well for the future of the country. I am very honoured to receive the SFI St. Patrick’s Day Science Medal.”

Congratulating the recipients, Prof. Mark Ferguson, Director General of Science Foundation Ireland and Chief Scientific Adviser to the Government of Ireland, said:

“The Irish scientific and technology diaspora are outstanding representatives for Irish science abroad and play a huge role in promoting Ireland internationally. The research undertaken by these two Irish leaders has had a profound and diverse impact across the globe. As a nation, we should be immensely proud of the influence that Dr. Lyons and Prof. Raftery have had in their respective fields and indeed, across the globe. In presenting them both with the SFI St. Patrick’s Day Science Medal, Science Foundation Ireland recognises the significant value and impact of their work.”

About Science Foundation Ireland:

Science Foundation Ireland funds oriented basic and applied research in the areas of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) which promotes and assists the development and competitiveness of industry, enterprise and employment in Ireland. The Foundation also promotes and supports the study of, and engagement with STEM and promotes an awareness and understanding of the value of STEM to society and in particular to the growth of the economy.  See www.ScienceFoundationIreland.ie.

Science Foundation Ireland has launched the #BelieveInScience campaign to promote the potential that science and discovery offer Ireland, today and in tomorrow’s world. The #BelieveInScience campaign will see Science Foundation Ireland work in partnership with the Irish research community to share a mutual passion for science with the public; to promote an understanding of the ability of science, technology, engineering and maths (STEM) to create positive change in the world and to drive a sustainable economy in Ireland.

[LEXINGTON, Ky.] — George Blankenship, former executive at Tesla Motors, Apple Computer and GAP Inc., uses uniquely innovative processes to transform status quo organizations into forward-thinking and dynamic players of the future. And now, Blankenship will use his experience to provide the audience at ONE: The Alltech Ideas Conference with unmatched insight into building and creating brand loyalty and awareness, competitive positioning in the market and what it takes to deliver superior customer care.

Jack Bobo, senior vice president and chief communications officer for Intrexon, is constantly assessing the relationship between science and agriculture. Bobo, who was named one of the 100 most influential people in biotechnology by Scientific American, will offer his unique perspective on global trends in agriculture, consumer perceptions and science communication.

International pioneer in innovation and New York Times best-selling author Dr. Peter Diamandis will share his insight and strategies for making big impacts on the future. Diamandis, founder and executive chairman of the XPRIZE Foundation and co-founder and vice-chairman of Human Longevity Inc., was named one of “The World’s 50 Greatest Leaders” by Fortune magazine.

“This year’s audience should prepare for truly disruptive ideas when they hear from these influential leaders,” said Dr. Pearse Lyons, Alltech’s founder and president. “From changing the car-buying experience to serving as the architect of Apple’s brand-building retail methodology, George Blankenship has disrupted the status quo in several industries. Peter Diamandis taught us how to go big, create wealth and impact the world through his book ‘Abundance.’ And Jack Bobo is a name synonymous with biotechnology and consumer perceptions.”

Dr. Lyons will deliver an inspiring message on “Realizing Your Dreams Through Disruption.” Through personal stories of perseverance and ambition, he will encourage business leaders to explore goals and define a roadmap to success.

Nothing will feed your hunger for making a difference more than pursuing your dreams,” said Dr. Lyons.

Other headliners for ONE17 include Lisa Bodell, founder and CEO of futurethink, and Damien McLoughlin, Anthony C. Cunningham professor of marketing and associate dean at the University College Dublin Michael Smurfit Graduate Business School in Ireland. In her “Why Simple Wins” discussion, Bodell — whose time-management skills border on an art form — will help agribusiness leaders escape complexity traps and focus on the work that matters. McLoughlin will share what can be expected from the new leadership landscape in Washington, D.C., and how the food chain and global trade could be disrupted in the future, as he discusses “Disruption in Washington.”

Attendees will also have the opportunity to hear from Aidan Connolly, Alltech’s chief innovation officer, and Dr. Mark Lyons, global vice president and head of Greater China for Alltech. Connolly will focus on how organizations and individuals can maintain lasting disruption, and Dr. Mark Lyons will discuss the changing consumer landscape and meeting the demands of the “rising billion.”

Contributing to the uniqueness and “real-life solutions” approach of ONE17, this year’s conference will include various track sessions. Breakouts on crop science, beef, dairy, swine, poultry and aquaculture — as well as topical sessions on finance, food issues and emerging markets — provide an opportunity for every corner of production agriculture to engage disruption at the ONE17 conference.

For the full list of sessions and topics to be featured at ONE17, visit one.alltech.com. Register before April 1 to save $300.

Join the conversation on Twitter with #ONE17.

[LEXINGTON, Ky.] – Nine agricultural journalists will soon dive into hands-on training featuring professional development, leadership and global networking as winners of the 2017 IFAJ-Alltech Young Leaders in Agricultural Journalism Award.

The winners chosen for this year’s 12th annual award are:

• Tom Bicknell, Australia
• Kizito Cudjoe, Ghana
• Melanie Jenkins, United Kingdom
• Philip Keitany, Kenya
• Rachel Martin, Northern Ireland
• Matthias Schulze Steinmann, Germany
• Jessie Scott, United States of America
• Maria Törner, Sweden
• Eva Zitz, Austria

The award supports the winners’ participation in the International Federation of Agricultural Journalists (IFAJ) Congress and an intensive boot camp-style workshop. This year’s boot camp will take place from March 31 to April 1, prior to the IFAJ Congress in Gauteng, South Africa.

“Each year, we continue to see the best and brightest minds in agricultural journalism from around the world receive this award,” said Dr. Pearse Lyons, president and founder of Alltech. “Congratulations to these nine outstanding candidates. They exemplify the leadership, skills and dedication needed to communicate and connect the agricultural industry to a wider audience.”

The IFAJ-Alltech Young Leaders in Agricultural Journalism Award selection process involved a written submission, a critique of the candidate’s leadership potential, a demonstration of leadership abilities and a narrative explaining his/her desire in being involved in the program.

Bicknell has worked in a variety of communication and extension roles in agriculture since 2008. His media career has had a particular focus on horticulture and has included roles as the inaugural editor of horticulture business magazine Produce Plus, writer for Asiafruit Magazine, organizer and judge for the first PMA-Produce Plus Marketer of the Year Award and editorial consultant with agricultural publisher Coretext, which included writing for and managing a number of titles and communications campaigns.

Cudjoe has more than six years of experience reporting for one of the most reputable newspapers in Ghana, the Business & Financial Times. Cudjoe was honored as the 2016 Tourism Correspondent of the Year by the Ghana Tourism Authority for his contribution toward the development of the local tourism industry.

Jenkins, an agricultural journalist and public relations consultant at Agri-Hub since 2015, writes for numerous publications in the U.K., including Farmers Weekly, Farmers Guardian and Crop Production Magazine. She was awarded the British Guild of Agricultural Journalists John Deere Training Award in 2015.

Keitany is a business journalist with Kenya’s leading media house, Kenya Television Network. In January 2016, Keitany got the green light to produce and report on a weekly agribusiness feature segment named “The Next Frontier,” which has shared the stories of over 100 stakeholders in the agriculture sector across Kenya and East Africa.

Martin writes for the Belfast Telegraph, Northern Ireland’s largest daily newspaper. She has reported on the agriculture industry from Italy, Switzerland and Scotland. Her articles and photographs have been published in the Belfast Telegraph, Irish Independent, FarmWeek and Farming Life, among others.

Schulze Steinmann is deputy-editor-in-chief for Wochenblatt für Landwirtschaft & Landleben, an agriculture paper with a focus on the economy, markets and politics. In 2013, he was recognized as a specialist journalist of the year with the Karl Theodor Vogel Prize.

Scott is a digital content manager for Meredith Agrimedia. During the past four years, Scott has covered equipment trends for Successful Farming Magazine as well as its website and television show. In addition to creating content, she also works with the editorial team to coordinate news coverage on Agriculture.com and manages the distribution of content through newsletters and social media.

Törner writes for an agricultural magazine called Land Lantbruk, which is part of LRF Media, one of Sweden’s largest publishing houses. In 2014, she was awarded the Gunnar Ernest scholarship for ambitious students within the food and agriculture sector.

Zitz writes for Oesterreichische BauernZeitung, an Austrian newspaper. In 2014, she was awarded the Young Journalist Prize from the Directorate-General for Agriculture and Rural Development of the European Commission and the European Network of Agricultural Journalists. In 2015, Zitz also received the Josef Steiniger Award from the Austrian Guild of Agricultural Journalists.

“IFAJ appreciates Alltech’s commitment to global agricultural journalism and, in particular, to helping talented young journalists become leaders in their national agricultural journalism guilds,” said Owen Roberts, IFAJ president. “There are many examples of how recipients of the Alltech-sponsored Young Leaders award, who go on to participate in the boot camp program, are strengthening IFAJ and agricultural journalism. Alltech is helping develop and encourage a great pool of talent around the world.”

More than 100 young journalists have received the award and strengthened their communication skills and leadership in the agricultural journalism sector since the program first began in 2005.

[LEXINGTON, Ky.] – Out of 250 applicants, 21 undergraduate and graduate students stepped into the spotlight at the 12th annual Alltech Vocal Scholarship Competition to sing for a chance to win scholarships and prizes that will jumpstart their operatic careers.

“Competitions can bring out the best in us, as well as our visions, and all of these young people here have a vision,” said Dr. Pearse Lyons, founder and president of Alltech. “When we combine these things, we can change lives.”

Overall winners of the 2017 Alltech Vocal Scholarship Competition are:

First Place Alltech Graduate Winner: Jessica Bayne, University of Kentucky, Christiansburg, Virginia (currently resides in Lexington, Kentucky)

Second Place Alltech Graduate Winner: HyeonJeong Kim, Wilmore, Kentucky

First Place Alltech Undergraduate Winner: Parker Van Houten, Youth Performing Arts School, Louisville, Kentucky

Second Place Alltech Undergraduate Winner: Catarine Hancock, Lafayette High School, Lexington, Kentucky

Addington & Mills Incoming Undergraduate Award: Bailey Tillery, Lafayette High School, Lexington, Kentucky

Enterprise Fleet Services Third Place Undergraduate Award: Ashley Cissell, Youth Performing Arts School, Louisville, Kentucky

The 21 finalists were scored on voice, technical skill, interpretation, accuracy and appearance by six judges:

Marcus Küchle, the director of artistic operations at the Cincinnati Opera;

Ian Derrer, who recently joined Kentucky Opera as the newly appointed general director;

Dr. Thomas King, who has sung in five world premier operas in the last 20 years;

Corey Crider, alumnus of Lyric Opera of Chicago’s Ryan Opera Center;

Susanne Marsee, one of the New York City Opera’s leading mezzos for over 20 years; and

Amanda Balltrip, director of music education for McNeil Music Center.

“I’m speechless,” said Bayne. “This means that I can continue my education and career — I wouldn’t be able to go to graduate school without Alltech. I’m so grateful for Alltech’s support of this program.”

The competition, held March 5 at the University of Kentucky Singletary Center for the Arts, featured a pool of $500,000 in prizes. Launched in 2006, the annual competition at the University of Kentucky marks a continued partnership between Alltech and the University of Kentucky Opera Theatre department. This partnership has created the largest vocal competition in Kentucky and positioned UK Opera Theatre as a Richard Tucker Music Foundation top recommended opera program. Alltech’s support of this competition also led to Alltech being named one of the top 10 “Best Companies Supporting the Arts in America” by the Americans for the Arts in 2012.

Alltech Vocal Scholars have contributed to Alltech’s philanthropic efforts in Haiti by teaching music to Haitian primary school children. They have also performed at numerous Alltech events, including the Alltech FEI World Equestrian GamesTM in 2010 and 2014, the company’s annual international conference, Ambassador dinners around the world, the annual Celebration of Song and The Gathering Ireland 2013.

Parker Van Houten from the Youth Performing Arts School in Louisville, Kentucky, was the First Place Alltech Undergraduate Winner at the 2017 Alltech Vocal Scholarship Competition, where 21 young vocalists competed for more than $500,000 in scholarships and prizes.

[PARIS] – At the SIMA trade show in France’s capital, KEENAN proudly showcased the latest in a string of innovations since its acquisition by Alltech in April 2016. The introduction of the KEENAN MechFiber345SP, the first self-propelled machine in the KEENAN range, marks a new path for the company and one that has been long-awaited.

KEENAN customers have been requesting a self-propelled MechFiber machine, and KEENAN has spent time perfecting its design, committed to delivering the very best machine possible. Long synonymous with excellence in nutrition and driving animal performance through optimising rumen health, KEENAN focused on researching the loading and chopping mechanisms available on the market to ensure the best fit. Of highest importance was identifying a solution consistent with the core KEENAN ethos of retaining forage structure. In Italian firm Storti, they identified a partner that can deliver this much sought-after, self-loading technology.

“When we announced our collaboration with Storti, some thought it was all about introducing a KEENAN vertical auger to our range — that couldn’t be further from the reality,” said KEENAN CEO Robbie Walker. “KEENAN and Storti had been in talks for quite some time about this exciting development: a self-propelled machine with a loading mechanism that does not destruct fibre and delivers the quality MechFiber mix that is so important to KEENAN.”

With class-leading cutter head technology, the KEENAN MechFiberSP range has been engineered to deliver rapid loading of a vast array of products, leaving a clean, uniform face for optimum pit face management. The tungsten-coated blades feature a unique crossed arrangement, performing clean cuts without damaging the structure of the fibre, even with very compact silages. Engineered with a focus on speed, precision and versatility, the special placement of the blades and configuration of the loading channel allows the cutter to load in both directions and easily run in reverse if needed, while a high-speed loading belt drastically reduces mix preparation time.

Producing the noted KEENAN MechFiber mix in 16 and 20 cubic meter outputs for the 2017 and 2018 seasons, the KEENAN MechFiberSP range offers left or right front discharge via an adjustable conveyor for homogeneous distribution of total mixed rations.

Available in both 25 kilometres per hour or high-speed “Plus” 40 kilometres per hour models, the operating system of the KEENAN MechFiberSP range has been cleverly designed for ease of maintenance and features a mechanical drive to the six-paddle reel. This exclusive engineering system, by means of a specially designed gearbox and PTO shaft, transfers all the power from the engine to the mixing system, thus reducing fuel consumption by up to 25 percent as well as reducing maintenance costs.

Fitted with the KEENAN InTouch controller as standard, the KEENAN MechFiberSP range is connected to the KEENAN InTouch service, which provides real-time feed advice and ration formulation through a dedicated team of skilled nutritionists. KEENAN InTouch is proven to deliver consistency in both feed and mixing to ensure improved milk yields and milk solids and better herd health in conjunction with monitoring and control of feed costs.

“KEENAN now offers the complete range of feeding solutions: Farmers can choose from the MechFiber-producing horizontal paddle machine in both trailed and self-propelled options as well as twin and triple auger vertical trailed units,” said Walker. “Testament to the level of excitement about this launch of the KEENAN self-propelled range is that a number of self-propelled machines have been pre-sold in continental Europe despite only being unveiled at SIMA. That demonstrates the trust our customers have in our attention to detail and commitment to delivering the very best quality machine and mix.”

For further information, visit www.keenansystem.com.

[DUBLIN, Ireland] – Out of the 370 craft beers competing in The Dublin Craft Beer Cup, it was Saison Witbier from Horizont of Hungary that took home the top prize at the Alltech Craft Brews & Food Fair. The saison wheat beer, with its refreshing citrus aroma, was an overwhelming favourite with the 28 independent judges. The Classic Pear Cider from McCashin’s Brewery of New Zealand also struck a chord with judges, particularly its perfect balance of sweetness and acidity and its impressive pear top notes, to win The Dublin Craft Cider Cup. The Alltech Craft Brews & Food Fair, Ireland’s largest craft brews fair, opened its doors for the three-day festival at The Convention Centre Dublin this evening.

“In the past, stout beers have reigned supreme in The Dublin Craft Beer Cup; we are now seeing the highest quality challenges from other beer types,” said Dr. Gearóid Cahill, head judge of The Dublin Craft Beer Cup and director of brewing science at Alltech. “It was nice to see a new, refreshing wheat beer take top prize this year.”

There was an impressive range of ciders as well, spanning sweet, dry and even barrel-aged varieties.

“We also had some complex ciders with a range of fruit ingredients,” said Cahill. “The Irish cider producers impressed the independent judges with their overall quality; however, New Zealand swept the board with the only two gold medals, both awarded to McCashin’s Brewery.”

Gold medals were awarded to outstanding brews from Ireland, Germany, Japan, Switzerland, Spain and Hungary. A full list of gold, silver and bronze medal winners for The Dublin Craft Beer Cup and The Dublin Craft Cider Cup can be found here.

“Our three-day festival is about celebrating the craft brews industry, and it gives us an opportunity to showcase what Ireland has to offer,” said Dr. Pearse Lyons, founder and president of Alltech. “It is more than just a craft beer festival; with craft cider, craft spirits and craft wine, there’s something here to tempt all taste buds.”

This year’s live entertainment is set to delight, with Hermitage Green headlining Friday and The Camembert Quartet closing out the festival on Saturday night.

Tickets are available to purchase from EventBrite. For more information, visit www.alltechbrews.ie, follow @alltechbrews and join the conversation by using #alltechbrews.

[LEXINGTON, Ky.] – Farmers have a rich history of adapting to changing landscapes and innovating to nourish the world. While dealing with whatever challenges the day (and the weather) might bring, they also look ahead to build a future for their farm by implementing new management practices, technologies and crop management as well as training the next generation.

Alltech Crop Science is calling all farmers, producers and growers to share their stories about how they are ensuring the future of their farm. By creating a one- to two-minute video describing what they are doing for their farm’s future and sharing their farm’s story, farmers have the opportunity to win a trip for two to ONE: The Alltech Ideas Conference, held in Lexington, Kentucky, May 21–24, 2017.

Videos must be submitted online by April 3, 2017, at 9:00 a.m. EST. To enter a “My Farm. My Future.” video as well as read the full contest details, including rules and regulations, please visit http://go.alltech.com/myfarm-crop. The crop “My Farm. My Future.” contest is only open to U.S. residents.

Alltech Crop Science will select the finalists and post their videos on Alltech’s Facebook page (Facebook.com/AlltechNaturally). Voting will open to the public starting April 3, 2017, at 3:00 p.m. EST and will close April 10, 2017, at 12:00 p.m. EST. The highest number of Facebook likes will determine the winner.

Registration is open now for ONE: The Alltech Ideas Conference, held in Lexington, Kentucky, USA, from May 21–24. The annual international conference draws more than 3,000 attendees from more than 70 countries to network and discuss world-changing ideas. For more information or to register, visit one.alltech.com. Join the conversation online with #ONE17.

[DUBLIN, Ireland] – A total of 183 startups from 38 countries applied to be a part of The Pearse Lyons Accelerator, a late-stage, agri-tech accelerator run by Alltech and Dogpatch Labs. The accelerator will commence with 10 startups that have been chosen to take part in a mentorship program for agri-business innovators with a proven technology that is ready for market. The 10 successful applicants will work with Alltech and Dogpatch Labs to accelerate their business development through Alltech and its global network. The startups hail from Australia, Canada, China, Ireland and the U.S. and have already collectively raised more than $30 million in funding. Participants include MagGrow from Ireland, AgriWebb from Australia and Tevatronic. Full details on the selected startups are below.

The accelerator is a 15-week, mentorship-driven program aimed at collaborative learning and seeking new business and/or partnership opportunities. The program will culminate with the startups presenting on the main stage at ONE: The Alltech Ideas Conference in Lexington, Kentucky, USA, May 21–24, 2017, where more than 3,000 attendees from nearly 80 countries around the world will converge. This high-profile showcase will afford the startups the opportunity to present to future customers as well as investors and potential collaborators.

Startup participants will receive access to Dr. Pearse Lyons, president and founder of Alltech, and the senior management of Alltech, a global animal health and nutrition company with a presence in more than 120 countries. In addition, participants will receive free space for three months in Ireland’s leading startup hub, Dogpatch Labs, located in the heart of the Dublin Docklands, a €15,000 cash fund and mentoring covering a range of areas, from product development to strategy and international expansion. At the end of the program, the startups will pitch to the accelerator for business partners and investors. Additional benefits include software perks worth more than €300,000 from companies such as Google, Facebook, Softlayer and Amazon.

“We had a great selection week in Dublin, and I’m really impressed with the startups’ ideas, their engagement and the talent,” said Aidan Connolly, chief innovation officer at Alltech. “We were especially looking for emerging technologies in agri-tech, such as drones, sensors, the internet of things and artificial intelligence, and I’m excited to see those are all represented within the 10 companies that were chosen.”

The majority of the startup applicants are late-stage startups that have raised initial investment (known as the “seed round”) and would now benefit from advice and support from Alltech to expand internationally. Startups were especially attracted to this accelerator due to the fact that Alltech is one of the few truly global agricultural companies positioned to assist in opening doors and advising on routes to market and global market access in the more than 120 countries where it is present.

“We’re excited about working with these world-class accelerator applicants from across the world and assisting them on their internationalisation strategy,” said Patrick Walsh, managing director of Dogpatch Labs. “This program will provide a unique environment for the accelerator applicants to drive sales and secure investment, and it underlines Dogpatch Lab’s ability to provide mentoring and resources for founders due to our unique connection to the startup ecosystem.”

The agriculture industry is beginning to be disrupted by new technologies. Agri-tech investment is growing at an exponential rate, with $9.65 billion invested in agri-tech startups since 2013 and $2 billion invested in the first half of 2016 alone. A clear route to market remains a challenge in the industry, and this program seeks to accelerate startups’ access to this global market, with a comprehensive package of supports that helps them navigate the challenge of scaling their operations to service large corporate customers.

The accelerator applicants will arrive for their first core phase in Dublin on Feb. 20, 2017, and will fly in for various core phases throughout the program. They will wrap up the program with a European demo day at Dogpatch Labs in Dublin and later will fly out to Kentucky to pitch their ideas at ONE: The Alltech Ideas Conference.

For more information on The Pearse Lyons Accelerator, please visit Alltech.com/Accelerator or dogpatchlabs.com/alltech-accelerator, and stay connected through Twitter and Facebook.

Please find a full list of the successful 2017 applicants below:

MagGrow (Ireland)

Using a magnetic spraying system reduces drift by more than 80 percent and delivers superior coverage by enabling a spray of finer droplets, a key challenge for conventional spraying systems.

Moocall (Ireland)

A wearable technology that accurately predicts when a cow will give birth and communicates to the farmer via text message.

eFishery (Indonesia)

A fish feeder that automatically senses the appetite of fish and adjusts the amount of feed accordingly.

SkySquirrel (Canada)

A crop-analytics company that develops drone-based technology for monitoring crop health, with a primary focus on improving crop yields and reducing costs at commercial vineyards.

Agriwebb (Australia)

A mobile herd and farm management application developed for cattle, sheep and wool producers, with an online trading platform.

Greengage (UK)

Greengage provides market leading LED lamps to serve the farming industry with a simple and highly effective solution you can rely on.

Hargol FoodTech

An optimized method and technology that enables producers to grow large quantities of grasshoppers quickly in captivity.

Tevatronic

A technological solution enabling crops to be grown autonomously from an irrigation and a fertilisation aspect. The system is capable of deciding when and how much to irrigate, and it executes the irrigation decisions autonomously.

Agrilyst (USA)

Helping greenhouse operators run their operations more efficiently by pulling in data from sensors in the greenhouse and information about crop yields and other metrics.

Alesca Life (China)

A concept called farming-as-a-service was developed that allows scalable, localised food production for commercial and retail customers.