RALF Romanian Agriculture Leadership Forum
Our Speakers & Partners
David Fuller-Shapcott
Gold Winner, British Farming Awards 2018, UK
David Fuller-Shapcott is Managing Director of J.N. Fuller-Shapcott & Co., Scottish Borders, from UK. As a farmer, David believes he is responsible for producing safe, healthy and nutritious food.
Trevor Scherman
Winner Innovation Award 2018 of Canada’s Farm Progress Show
Trevor Scherman invented a system that helps farmers reduce their harvesting losses. The canadian farmer manages 2428 hectares.
Viljar Veidenberg
Baltic Sea Farmer of the Year 2018 Award, Estonia
Viljar Veidenberg is CEO at Pajumäe Farm, an organic farm in Estonia which is making different milk products. The young farmer took the farm from his parents 6 years ago and now is managing a new dairy plant.
Wouter Bauman
Rooftopfarmer at Dakakker
The DakAkker is a 1000 m2 rooftopfarm on top of the Schieblock in Rotterdam, in The Netherlands. It is the largest open-air roof farm in the Netherlands and one of the largest in Europe.
Grzegorz Brodziak
CEO, Goodvalley Agro, +13.000 ha, Poland
Goodvalley operates its own feed production and 8 biogas plants that cover 100% of the company’s electricity needs. With audited and TUV certified neutral CO2 footprint, Goodvalley is leading the way to climate-friendly agri and food businesses answering the needs of conscious consumers.
Hannu Haapala
Internationally recognized researcher and developer of innovations in agrotechnology and bio-economy, Finland
He is Doctor of Science in Agricultural Engineering, University of Helsinki, where he was also a professor before developing own business to speed up innovation in agriculture and horticulture.
Wyno Zwanenburg
International consultant with more than 30 years experience in agriculture, Netherlands
He opened his own consultancy company collaborating with companies, entrepreneurs and organizations in international agriculture helping them with their strategic challenges in the markets.
Dariusz Majchrzycki
DANKO Plant Breeders cultivates over 6.300 ha of agricultural land in Poland
Dariusz Majchrzycki is the Head of Cereals and Legumes Section of the Polish Seed Trade Association and Danko Sales and Marketing Director.
Javier Fernández Ponce
the creator of the concept Smart Floating Farms, Spain
The SFF is a floating farm system which is anchored to land, and potentially could be also located off the coasts on open seas in the future. The SFF is configured as a modular-expandable Multi-Layer Floating Farming system which combines Solar energy, Hydroponics-green growing and Aquaculture.
Daniel Buda
AGRI Committee’s 2nd Vice Chair
As a member of AGRI, he supports the interests of the Romanian farmers and Romanian agriculture.
Mihail Dumitru
Deputy Director General, European Commission, DG Agriculture and Rural Development
Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development of Romania in 2010, he re-joined the European Commission where he took over a directorate in charge of Rural development programmes. Since January 2017 he is DDG responsible for CAP direct support, rural development and CAP sustainability.
Prof. Dr. Vasile Vîntu
Rector of University of Agricultural Sciences and Veterinary Medicine “Ion Ionescu de Brad”, Iași
University professor at USAMV since 2001, he has published over 222 papers, of which 21 books and guidebooks. He is a Founding member of the I.A.E.R.T. (International Association of Experts in Rural Tourism and Agri-tourism) – Romania branch.
Prof. Dr. Roxana Vidican
Dean of the Agriculture Faculty, University of Agricultural Sciences and Veterinary Medicine Cluj-Napoca
She started her academic career in 1994 at USAMV Cluj. Her areas of interest are the biology of agroecosystems, grassland and forage plants, biodiversity conservation, ecological ethics, etc. She is a member of European Grassland Federation.
Prof. Dr. Toma Adrian Dinu
Dean of the Faculty of Management, UASVM Bucharest, about the evolution of large farms in Southern Romania
Toma Dinu became Full Professor in Farm Management at the USAMV Bucharest in 2008. His research activity is focused on: trade of agri-food products, farm profitability, biofuels, as well as genetically modified crops.
Arnaud Perrein
General Manager, Sopema, + 4000 ha, Ialomita
Arnaud Perrein is a farmer of French origin, established in Ialomița, the administrator of the Sopema farm and the president of the Romanian Corn Producers Association.
Martin Müller
Owns ALBOTA Trout Farm and over 2000 hectares in Sibiu county
As an IT engineer Martin Müller has implemented at the ALBOTA Trout farm and Agroturistic Complex the integrated concept “From Farm to Plate”.
Cornel Stroescu
He manages over 2000 ha in Mehedinti
Cornel Stroescu is one of the largest farmers in Mehedinti. He cultivates over 2000 hectares of land at Garla Mare, owns a silo of almost 2 million euros and a bird farm in Bistrita. In 2019, Cornel Stroescu was elected as president of the National Agricultural Chamber.
Adrian Chesnoiu
General Director, Agency for Financing Rural Investments (AFIR)
Partner / Adrian Chesnoiu is the one who represents AFIR in the relations with the natural or legal persons, as well as before the courts. The National Rural Development Program developed within AFIR is a viable solution for the modernization of agriculture at national level, but also for the growth of the Romanian village.
Aurel Placinschi
General Director, Agricola 96 Tiganasi and SA Moldova, +5000 ha, Iasi
The two companies cultivate: maize, sunflower, wheat, barley, soybean, rapeseed, beetroot, but they also manage a cattle farm. Aurel Placinschi has invested in the last years in expanding the irrigation network, from its own funds, and hopes that by 2020 this system will function fully on an area of over 3000 hectares.
Nicolaie Apopi
Director, Popagra and Agro Baden Banat, +2500 ha, Timis
The company cultivates: wheat, rape, soy and corn. Nicolae Apopi is constantly investing in new technologies and equipment to increase production, among them a land management system, which allows him to consult the history of each cultivated area at any time.
Cosmin Iancu
He manages over 1100 ha, S.A Gradistea, Ilfov
The young farmer is a 4th-year student at USAMV Bucharest. At the base of the farm, there is a family story that sums up 3 generations. He cultivates rape, wheat, corn and sunflower.
Marius Scarlat
Agral Mixt, +3100 ha, Iasi
TSC Agral Mixt Group of Companies in Andrieșeni has 45 employees. On the over 3000 hectares they grow corn, wheat, sunflower, soybean, etc. The company also owns animals, 1000 sheep and almost 100 cattle.
Vasile Iliuţă
Operates 3.000 hectares of agricultural land in Calarasi County
Vasile Iliuță is the President of the Calarași County Council and shareholder of 6 agricultural companies, operating a total area of 3,000 hectares of land. The farmer has accessed non-reimbursable funds worth 2.8 million euros, thus managing to set up an ultra-modern farm.
Celzin Aedin
General Director, SC Micul Agricultor SRL, +3000 Ha, Constanta
Celzin Aedin works 3,000 hectares, and his farm is located in Osmancea, Constanța county. Celzin Aedin has a different vision from that of other fellow farmers – he is willing to work and especially to test varieties and hybrids, but also new products appeared on the market.
Gheorghe Albu
Director, Argonaut, +6000 ha, Constanta
In addition to cereals, vegetables and oil-producing plants, the companies managed by Gheorghe Albu have 6000 sheep, 250 hectares with vines, and a wine cellar for processing the grapes from the plantation.
Dr. Ing. Lucian Buzdugan
President AGRICOST
Lucian Buzdugan is president of the largest plantation in Europe, with an area of 57,000 hectares and annually producing a total production of over 400,000 tons. Agricost operates 29 vegetable farms in the Big Island of Braila, where it cultivates: wheat, barley, rapeseed, sunflower, corn, soybean, lucerne.
Viorel Băeșu
Director Danistas Plant, +1200 ha, Republic of Moldova
Viorel Băeșu is one of the most appreciated farmers in the Republic of Moldova. The farm managed by him, Danistas Plant cultivates autumn rapeseed, autumn wheat, soybeans, sunflower, corn, potatoes, and apple orchards on an area of 1200 ha.
Liviu Zăgan
Holde Agri Invest operates 2,800 hectares of farm land in the south-eastern part of Romania
Liviu Zăgan begun his adventure with agriculture 10 years ago, working for a family business, Cerealflor. In 2016, together with 3 Romanian entrepreneurs, Liviu laid foundations for his own agribusiness.
Mircea Ionuț Petroman
Director, MERPANO, +5000 ha, Timis
The farmer manages the company MERPANO and operates an area of 5000 ha in Timiș county, which works with a large number of agricultural machines.
Nicoleta Dragomir
Editor in Chief, FERMA Magazine
Moderator of the sessions:”Education. Leadership. Innovation. Agricultural Policies” & ”Large Farms Management”
Cătălin Lența
Journalist, AGRO TV
Moderator ”Xgroup Meeting Agriculture”
Andreea Stroe
Journalist, Antena 3
Moderator of the session ”Future Farming”
George Mușat
Breeding Manager, Project Leader FAO 400 SEE, KWS
Master Partner / George Musat, PhD – Plant Genetics and Breeding is Project Leader for Maize Breeding FAO 400 Continental SEE. His main tasks are: development of inbred lines adapted to South-east Europe and their use in Hybrid creation process and field testing of the new hybrids and selectionof the most performing ones for Registration Trials in order to be registered.
Maria Cîrjă
Marketing Manager, Corteva Agriscience Romania and Republic of Moldova
Professional Partner / She started her career as a biology professor in Malini, Suceava County. In August 2017, following the merger of Doe Agrosciences and DuPont, she is named Marketing Director in the new company CORTEVA AGRISCIENCE – DowDupont Agriculture Division.
Adrian Badea
National Sales Director, PETKUS, ROMANIA
Professional Partner / He has put together his own 9 years of experience spent in the field of solutions for conditioning and storing cereals and oilseeds on the Romanian market, together with PETKUS’s nearly 170-year experience in the production of equipment, to keep the company in the top technology providers in our country.
Alexander Hammerschmidt
IT Management, DKE-Data GmbH & Co. KG Agrirouter, Germany
He is directly involved in the development, implementation and operation of the agrirouter software solution. The web-based data exchange platform agrirouter enables data exchange between machines and agricultural software products from different manufacturers and suppliers.
Pascal Cassecuelle
Senior Bayer Representative & CropScience Division Head Country Group Romania, Bulgaria, Moldova
Professional Partner/ Having started his career in sales department, in France, Pascal assumed various country and global leadership roles for the CropScience division of Bayer in Asia and Latin America. He also spent a number of years of his career at Bayer’s Environmental Science division, overseeing emerging markets.
Ramona Ivan
Directorate of Relations with National and International Institutions / CEC BANK
Partner/ Ramona Ivan has more than 20 years of experience in the Romanian banking system, operating in both state-owned and majority-owned private international banks, over the last five years joining CEC Bank.
Radu Gorunescu
Manager, Studio of Agricultural Systems Romania
Partner/ Radu Gorunescu presented the SAS by Cropio digital platform. It implements to the Romanian farmers a revolutionary system of control and management of the farm, based on the monitoring of the agricultural lands from satellite.
Remus Cazacu
Owner, BIT Software, Romania
Partner/ Remus Cazacu is an entrepreneur with extensive experience in the software and business applications industry (ERP, CRM, BI systems) and has been managing BITSoftware for over 25 years, a company with an innovative business solutions portfolio, over 300 clients, medium and large companies, Romanian and global, and present in over 70 countries.
Brian McKown
Vice President, Kinze Manufacturing, Lithuania
Partner/Kinze is an innovative manufacturer with a 54-year history of developing and producing precision seeders, grain carts, and high-speed tillage products. As Executive Vice President, Brian McKown leads Kinze’s international business including Sales and Marketing and operations in Lithuania.
Alexandr Pešák
Central & Eastern Europe Manager, Kleffmann Group, Czechia
Partner/ Since 2007 Alexandr Pešák works for Kleffmann Group, shortly as project manager, then 10 years as managing director of Czech branch. Since 2017 he works as regional manager of Central and Eastern Europe at Kleffmann Group.
Cătălin Viziru
Marketing Manager, FMC Agro Operational, Romania
Partner/ He started his career in agribusiness in 2009 as a promoter for DuPont Romania SRL in South-Est part of the country and 6 years later – in 2015, he was promoted as a Key Account Manager within the same company. At present he is Marketing Director at FMC Agro Operational Romania.
Testimonials
Media Coverage
Our Partners
Master Partner
Professional Partners
Xgroup PARTNER
PARTNERS
SUPPORTERS & ExHIBITORS
Institutional partners
educational partners
Main MEDIA PARTNER
MEDIA PARTNERS
A PROJECT CREATED BY
Co-organizER
BORO Newsletter
If you are interested in our events/projects news
please register here.
