Programme
This will be an Online Virtual symposium with a number of special focus sessions addressing contemporary issues and technical methods.
Click here to download a copy of the 2020 program:

2020_symposium_programme.pdf | |
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Our 2020 Keynote Speakers
Tom Bradshaw, National Farmers Union Vice-President (UK)
Opening Keynote Presentation: The farmers perspective of Agri-Tech and its contribution to meeting the challenges of contemporary agriculture
Tom Bradshaw farms in partnership with his wife, Emily, and his parents in North Essex. Alongside a small owned farm they run a larger contract farming business growing a range of combinable crops across 1200 hectares in North East Essex. The home farm is based around arable production but has also diversified into equestrian and renewables.
Tom has represented the NFU from Local Branch Chairman through to the National Combinable Crops Board which he chaired for 2 years and sat on the Board for a total of 6 years.
Tom Bradshaw, National Farmers Union Vice-President (UK)
Opening Keynote Presentation: The farmers perspective of Agri-Tech and its contribution to meeting the challenges of contemporary agriculture
Tom Bradshaw farms in partnership with his wife, Emily, and his parents in North Essex. Alongside a small owned farm they run a larger contract farming business growing a range of combinable crops across 1200 hectares in North East Essex. The home farm is based around arable production but has also diversified into equestrian and renewables.
Tom has represented the NFU from Local Branch Chairman through to the National Combinable Crops Board which he chaired for 2 years and sat on the Board for a total of 6 years.

Phil Bicknell, Director of Market Intelligence, Agriculture & Horticulture Development Board (UK)
Opening Keynote Presentation: Traversing the nexus of science and technology into farm practice: the role of Agri-Tech Economics
Phil Bicknell has headed up AHDB's 60 strong team of market and data specialists since January 2017. The market intelligence team aims to give farmers, growers and food businesses the independent intelligence and insight to inform decisions.
Phil joined from the National Farmers Union, where he was Head of Food and Farming, and formerly the NFU Chief Economist. Growing up on the family livestock farm, Phil is an agricultural economics graduate from the University of Reading and has worked in agri-economic/food roles for the British Potato Council, the USDA and Bidwells.
Opening Keynote Presentation: Traversing the nexus of science and technology into farm practice: the role of Agri-Tech Economics
Phil Bicknell has headed up AHDB's 60 strong team of market and data specialists since January 2017. The market intelligence team aims to give farmers, growers and food businesses the independent intelligence and insight to inform decisions.
Phil joined from the National Farmers Union, where he was Head of Food and Farming, and formerly the NFU Chief Economist. Growing up on the family livestock farm, Phil is an agricultural economics graduate from the University of Reading and has worked in agri-economic/food roles for the British Potato Council, the USDA and Bidwells.

Robert Finger, Professor of Agricultural Economics and Policy, ETH Zurich (Department of Management, Technology, and Economics)
Keynote Presentation: How digital innovations can lead to more sustainable agricultural systems
Robert Finger is Professor of Agricultural Economics and Policy at the ETH Zurich (Switzerland). The research of Robert Finger and his team is at the interface of agricultural sciences and economics. Research foci are the evaluation and design of agricultural and environmental policies, the adoption and diffusion of new technologies as well as risk and risk management in agriculture. Before returning to ETH Zürich, where he received his doctorate in agricultural economics, he held positions at Wageningen University (The Netherlands) and the Rheinische Friedrich-Wilhelms-Universität of Bonn (Germany). For more information click here.
Keynote Presentation: How digital innovations can lead to more sustainable agricultural systems
Robert Finger is Professor of Agricultural Economics and Policy at the ETH Zurich (Switzerland). The research of Robert Finger and his team is at the interface of agricultural sciences and economics. Research foci are the evaluation and design of agricultural and environmental policies, the adoption and diffusion of new technologies as well as risk and risk management in agriculture. Before returning to ETH Zürich, where he received his doctorate in agricultural economics, he held positions at Wageningen University (The Netherlands) and the Rheinische Friedrich-Wilhelms-Universität of Bonn (Germany). For more information click here.

Dayton M. Lambert, Professor and Willard Sparks Chair in Agricultural Sciences & Natural Resources, Oklahoma State University (Department of Agricultural Economics )
Keynote Presentation: Leveraging Yield Response Information from Dense Field Data: A Comparison of Local Regression Methods
Dayton Lambert is a professor and Willard Sparks Chair in Agribusiness at Oklahoma State University Department of Agricultural Economics. Dr. Lambert’s research interests are production economics, regional economics, decision theory, and econometrics. He holds a joint research and teaching appointment. He received a Ph.D. in Agricultural Economics from Purdue University. His research focused on precision agriculture and the development of statistical models to estimate site-specific crop response to inputs. His current research program focuses on the role of information for strategic and tactical decision-making for rainfed cropping systems, the effects of conservation policy on land use decisions, and structural changes in the US dairy sector.
Keynote Presentation: Leveraging Yield Response Information from Dense Field Data: A Comparison of Local Regression Methods
Dayton Lambert is a professor and Willard Sparks Chair in Agribusiness at Oklahoma State University Department of Agricultural Economics. Dr. Lambert’s research interests are production economics, regional economics, decision theory, and econometrics. He holds a joint research and teaching appointment. He received a Ph.D. in Agricultural Economics from Purdue University. His research focused on precision agriculture and the development of statistical models to estimate site-specific crop response to inputs. His current research program focuses on the role of information for strategic and tactical decision-making for rainfed cropping systems, the effects of conservation policy on land use decisions, and structural changes in the US dairy sector.

George Halkos, Professor in Economics of Natural Resources and Director of the Laboratory of Operations Research, University of Thessaly (Department of Economics)
Keynote Presentation: Modelling biodiversity: Determinants of threatened species
George Halkos is a Professor in Economics of Natural Resources. He holds a Master of Sciences (M.Sc) in Project Analysis, Finance and Investment and a Doctorate of Philosophy (D.Phil) in Cost-Benefit Analysis with the use of Mathematical Models and Game Theory and with application to Environmental Economics from the Economics Department of the University of York (England). He has worked as team leader and research fellow in various research and academic institutions as the University of Piraeus, the Athens University of Economics (former ASOEE), the University of the Aegean, the Stockholm Environment Institute, the Panteion University, the ATEI, etc. for research projects financed by the European Union (PHARE programs), the Hellenic Republic Ministry of Development, the National Statistical Service of Greece, the EUROSTAT, the Ministry of Employment. He is the Director of the Operations Research Laboratory. He was Associate Editor in the journal Environment and Development Economics (Cambridge University Press) for the last six years. His research interests are in the fields of Applied Statistics and Econometrics, Simulations of Economic Modelling, Natural Resource and Environmental Economics, Applied Micro-economic with emphasis in Welfare Economics, Air Pollution, Game Theory, Mathematical Models (Non-Linear Programming). For more information click here.
Keynote Presentation: Modelling biodiversity: Determinants of threatened species
George Halkos is a Professor in Economics of Natural Resources. He holds a Master of Sciences (M.Sc) in Project Analysis, Finance and Investment and a Doctorate of Philosophy (D.Phil) in Cost-Benefit Analysis with the use of Mathematical Models and Game Theory and with application to Environmental Economics from the Economics Department of the University of York (England). He has worked as team leader and research fellow in various research and academic institutions as the University of Piraeus, the Athens University of Economics (former ASOEE), the University of the Aegean, the Stockholm Environment Institute, the Panteion University, the ATEI, etc. for research projects financed by the European Union (PHARE programs), the Hellenic Republic Ministry of Development, the National Statistical Service of Greece, the EUROSTAT, the Ministry of Employment. He is the Director of the Operations Research Laboratory. He was Associate Editor in the journal Environment and Development Economics (Cambridge University Press) for the last six years. His research interests are in the fields of Applied Statistics and Econometrics, Simulations of Economic Modelling, Natural Resource and Environmental Economics, Applied Micro-economic with emphasis in Welfare Economics, Air Pollution, Game Theory, Mathematical Models (Non-Linear Programming). For more information click here.