What they said:
Oliver Minnock, Ballycomber, Co Offaly
Mr Minnock was viewing alternative energy crops with a view to reducing farm energy overheads on his 60-cow dairy farm, which he works with his son.
"I am getting less from my herd of 60 cows now than I was from the 38 I had in the mid-1980s and an event like this is very important to show what can be done," he said.
He said open days were important for showing farmers in a practical way what could be achieved.
Jim O'Mahoney, Teagasc tillage expert
Mr O'Mahoney believes energy crops will transform rural Ireland and the landscape will change as farmers turn to growing such crops in the not-too- distant future.
"We are going to get a common European energy policy which will be as important in the future as the Common Agriculture Policy. These are exciting times and I see dramatic changes in the future," Mr O'Mahoney said.
Billy Thompson, Portlaw, Co Waterford
Mr Thompson came to the event to find out more about energy crops. A dairy farmer, he said he was very interested in the idea that he could grow a crop from which he could run his tractor and other machinery.
"There is a lot of information here on how to do it and I have taken all the literature. I am very interested in the bio-fuels area," he said. He said he might consider growing some of the alternative crops on his 100-acre farm.