First, an exclusive for breeders: our Integrated Breeding Platform (IBP) crew has been beavering away, and is pleased to announce that version 3 of the Breeding Management System is out, with enhanced features and functionality (more – IBP website).

This one's for everyone, breeders and all interested in agriculture and crop science. At GCP, plans are in high gear for an alcohol-free agricultural version of Oktoberfest this month.

To give you a peek into our plans, first up is our final General Research Meeting (GRM) which opens tomorrow, 7^th October, and runs to 10^th October. GRM updates and reporting will be primarily via IBP, as IBP and the future are the main focus of this year's meeting.

The week following the GRM will be a busy, fruitful and festive one, with three international days relevant to agriculture lined up back-to-back during this UN International Year of Family Farming:

• International Day of Rural Women on October 15^th;
• World Food Day on October 16^th: Theme –  Family farming: Feeding the world, caring for the earth; and,
• International Day for the Eradication of Poverty on October 17^th: Theme – Leave no one behind: think, decide and act together against extreme poverty.

In the runup to these international days and what the Unted Nations has dubbed the World Food Week, we'll be posting relevant microblogs on our Facebook, Twitter, Flickr and Storify accounts. Then, towards the end of the month on October 23^rd, our plan is to put a special sparkle in your day with a very fitting finale to Oktoberfest. More on that autumn surprise later (hint: D is divine).

Meanwhile, let the October festivities begin, starting with GRM  on the morrow!