Paris, 23 February 2004


EFITA newsletter / 147 / European Federation for Information Technology in Agriculture, Food and the Environment


2nd International Conference on Information Systems & Innovative Technologies in Agriculture, Food and Environment
18-20 March 2004, Thessaloniki, Greece
The conference’s program will be appeared the first week of March at the conference’s site.
See: http://www.epegenorth.gr/
Contact: Basil MANOS
mailto:manosb@agro.auth.gr


International Rural Tourism Workshop
June 2-3, 2004 - Riga, Latvia
See: http://www.conferences.traveller.lv/showConfer.do?name=info
mailto:org@celotajs.lv


GIL's event
September 8-10 2004 - Bonn/Germany
See: http://www.inter-it.com/events.asp?id=300
mailto:carlo@erin.lu


ICT in Austrian agriculture
160.000 full-time farmers
ca. 41.600 equipped with PC
ca. 6 240 farmers connected to the Internet
Contact: Karin STROBL
mailto:karin.strobl@progis.com


The Agricultural Document Library (ADLib): The Ultimate Information Resource For UK Agriculture
In Spring 2004, the UK's agricultural industry will gain access to a valuable new resource that will allow industry groups to provide their members / subscribers with the ultimate in custom designed information access.
It will be made available to all sections of the industry, and is likely to set the standard for information provision for some time to come.

>>>What Is ADLib?
- ADLib (Agricultural Document Library) is a new service being developed jointly by AERU at the University of Hertfordshire and TLR Ltd, and is designed to provide growers and advisors with quick and easy access to the information they need in these days of increasing demands and reduced time.
- It already contains over 200 documents, including Government codes of practice, industry guidelines, information and topic sheets, legislation summaries, glossaries and an extensive contacts directory.
Examples include: Defra Codes of Good Agricultural Practice for Water, Soil, and Air; Green Code for Pesticides; PEPFAA Scottish Code; RB209 Fertiliser Recommendations; CPA Pesticide Guides; FMA Fertiliser Codes; Animal Welfare Codes; HGCA Topic Sheets; RSPB Topic Sheets; HSE Information; Assurance Scheme Information; All the documents are cross-linked, and there are extensive searching and book-marking facilities; The information is constantly reviewed and updated so that users can rely on its accuracy.
- The contents of ADLib will appeal across the industry, and will enable people to have access to the information they need to push forward the sustainability of the industry, in line with both public desires and legal demands.

>>> Library Access On ADLib
- ADLib's document summaries will be available free to all. However, most people will wish to gain full access to one or more of the ADLib libraries.
- These allow subscribers to fully access the documents within the libraries for which they are registered; including full, cross-referenced copies of the documents that interest them, together with searching and book-marking facilities.
- For individual members a number of options will be available, including:
++ Subscription to the full Library (based on the library included in the award wining EMA software), or
++Subscription to specific subsections of that Library (e.g. Pesticides, Fertilisers/Manures, etc.).
- However, the ADLib team also provides access to custom libraries for groups, organisations or companies that wish to have an information resource tailored or branded to their specific needs (either on-line or CD based); and these can be used to support any number of applications (see below).
- Access to these custom libraries will normally be provided to member farmers, by that libraries sponsor.

>>> Library Creation On ADLib
- The ADLib team develops custom libraries for groups, organisations or companies that wish to have an information resource tailored or branded to their specific needs (either on-line or CD based); and these can be used to support any number of applications.
- Specifically, they can be used to add value and user-friendliness to best practice audits (already completed for the Environment Agency’s EMSF pilot audit), spreadsheets and other software, by allowing them to be linked to specific passages in supporting documents, allowing accurate guidance to be given to users. ADLib's expertise in authoring and best practice assessment ensures that all links go to the best advice currently available in the industry, and are continuously updated.
- Custom libraries draw on the documents held in ADLib, but can also include specific guidance and literature requested by the library sponsor (not available through a general subscription), and can be fully branded. Access can be limited to those people the sponsor has authorised (members, subscribers, customers, etc.).
See www.adlib.ac.uk
Contact: Dr. Andy Green
mailto:A.Green@herts.ac.uk


The funeral procession
A man was leaving his house one morning when he noticed a most unusual funeral procession approaching the nearby cemetery.
A funeral coffin was followed by a second coffin some distance behind the first. Behind the second coffin was a solitary man walking with a large black dog. Behind the man was a queue of about 100 men walking in single file.
The man simply couldn't contain his curiosity, and he respectfully approached the man walking the dog:
"I am so sorry for your loss, and I know now is a bad time to disturb you, but I've never seen a funeral like this with so many of you walking in single file. Whose funeral is it?"
The man replied, "Well, that first coffin is for my wife."
"What happened to her?"
The man replied, "My dog attacked and killed her."
He inquired further, "Well, who is in the second coffin?"
The man answered, "My mother-in-law. She was trying to help my wife when the dog attacked and killed her also."!
A poignant and thoughtful moment of silence passed between the two men.
Then the first man asked in a hushed voice, "Can I borrow the dog?"
The man replied: "Join the queue"
Contact: Mick HARKIN
mailto:harkin@iol.ie


About the EFITA mailing list
Please note that you can use this moderated list (>2700 subscribers) to announce any event / product / web site / joke… related to IT in agriculture, environment, food industry and rural areas, and send me all e-mail addresses of people, who might be interested in these matters.
If you do not wish to receive our messages, please see: http://www.efita.net to remove your e-mail address from our mail list.