South Region Vice President, Gary Cooper, invites fellow NAFB Members to participate in a unique livestock reporting opportunity in south-central France, October 4-6, 2017 to attend and cover the European Union’s largest annual Livestock Summit, Sommet de L‘Elevage. The 26th annual event is October 4-6 at its permanent facilities in Clermont-Ferrand, France, located in the heart of Europe’s cattle and livestock production region. Gary had the opportunity to attend Sommet de L`Elevage last year.
This is an exclusive opportunity to join a small group of U. S. farm reporters and cattle producers, as part of the FIRST group EVER from the U. S. to attend this major European livestock exposition, competition and trade show event. Gary attended as a result of a private invitation last year and can vouch for it as a unique career opportunity for any U.S. farm reporter who covers the livestock industry, or any U. S. livestock producer or professional too who enjoys foreign travel. We hope to have a few producers join us as well.
This opportunity developed due to a personal friendship with a well-known French reporter who writes farm news for a major French newspaper. The connection sprouted from a vegetable seed tour attended by Gary and the international reporter in Florida three years ago. Gary is hoping to assemble a small group for an exclusive experience in attending this major European livestock event. The day before the Sommet opens officially, on Tuesday, October 3, there will be extra ranch tours and meeting opportunities. The group should also have exclusive opportunities to meet with and interview some of France’s top cattle industry leaders, whom Gary has gotten to know.
For those not familiar with this South-Central region of France, the show site is about a four-hour drive south of Paris. The beautiful countryside is dotted with family farms; the people are gracious and very welcoming to U. S. visitors. It’s not a big tourist area. It’s the heart of French agriculture and there are many similarities between French farmers trying to stay profitable in their family operations, and U. S. farmers wanting and working to do the same thing.
If you don’t speak French, no worries, we will be traveling with an interpreter, and the Sommet has an entire International Visitors Pavilion with plenty of interpreters for the various tours and anything else foreign visitors need. Attendees and exhibitors from more than 28 European countries attend and take part in this event, so finding help with English translation is not a big issue. Even the competition events have translator earphones available for international visitor groups, and English is one of the more widely spoken common languages among the different nationalities in attendance.
Firm cost estimates for the trip have not yet been determined. Total costs will depend on the group once assembled; what those in it decide and agree to do in addition to the Sommet if anything; where we fly into and out of; and other factors dependent on the wishes of the group. This is a volunteer effort on Gary’s part to help repay the great hospitality he was shown on during previous visits to this area of France, and to assemble a good, albeit small group of colleagues and a few producers who will enjoy and appreciate the experience.
Ideal group size is between 8 – 10 maximum including our traveling interpreter. There will be other tour groups assembling from other areas of the U. S. too, through the agency hired by the Sommet directly, and Gary has their information for those who want or need it. For more information about the Sommet de l ‘Elevage in general, visit their English language website at www.sommet-elevage.fr/en/. To hear much more detail from the Sommet’s International Events Director directly, listen to Gary’s 20-minute interview with Benoit Delaloy in this online archived report from his experience there last year - http://southeastagnet.com/2016/10/21/sommet-de-lelevage-europes-largest-....
To learn more about the trip, please reach out to Gary Cooper. He can be reached at Gary@AgNetMedia.com or leave him a phone message at 352-671-1909.
Bon Jour!
