Monday, 19 March 2012 15:59

Farm Day a success- Wills

Written by Sudesh Kissun

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Last weekend’s sunny weather saw people turn up in droves to Federated Farmers fourth annual Farm Day. Around 5000 people came along to the six host farms in Palmerston North, Christchurch, Auckland, Bay of Plenty, Rotorua and Wellington; about 500 more people than last year.

“All six provinces organised a fantastic day. People got to see sheep being shorn, cows being milked and kids got the chance to pat animals they would never normally have contact with, ” says Bruce Wills, Federated Farmers national president.

“We managed to attract even more kids this year, which is great given the reason we hold Farm Day is to show the next generation what agriculture is all about.

“It is essential our children realise what fuels New Zealand’s economy and get to see what happens on our farms first hand.

“A lot of these kids had never visited a farm before. It was great to show them where our food actually comes from.”

At Bay of Plenty’s Farm Day there was a cow getting milked and children were allowed to touch the milk afterwards. Most of them didn’t realise that fresh milk is actually warm and not chilled like what they get at the supermarket.

At Auckland’s Farm Day some of the visitors were lucky enough to see two calves born, a life changing experience.

Wills says it was also great to see Christchurch participating again, after last year’s event was cancelled after February earthquake.

“Bay of Plenty’s Farm Day had a particularly good turn out, with around 1500 people visiting Andrew and Robyn McLeod’s Papamoa Dairy farm. Visitors were the chance to take part in a gumboot run and see a Fonterra tanker up close.

“I attended Wellington’s Farm Day, which had also had a great turn out with around 900 people coming along, despite the closure of Paekakariki Hill Road because of a bike race.

“We’ve had some really positive feedback from all six of the provinces and it seems like everyone really enjoyed themselves.

“I want to thank all our host farmers and volunteers who helped make it such a big success. I also want to thank Farm Day’s principal sponsors, FMG, the Sustainable Farming Fund, Beef & Lamb, Meat Industry Association and Westpac and Farm Day’s supporters, New Zealand Young Farmers, Fonterra, Dairy NZ, the National Bee Keeper Association and Landcorp,” Wills says.

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