Tuesday, 12 July 2022 14:25

Farmers asked to go back to school

Written by  Staff Reporters
Beef + Lamb Inc chief executive Kit Arkwright. Beef + Lamb Inc chief executive Kit Arkwright.

Farmers across the country are being asked to go back to school as part of a new educational programme for children called Farmer Time.

The initiative, which originates from the UK, links farmers with primary and intermediate school children through virtual classroom sessions using video call technology.

Students regularly chat live with their matched farmer, gaining an understanding of farming across the seasons and providing real-world examples of what they’re learning during the school year.

Kit Arkwright, chief executive of Beef + Lamb Inc, which is driving the initiative, is keen to see food producers from all sectors get involved.

Farmer Time puts actual farmers in front of children and gives them genuine insights into how our food is being produced. The feedback from both teachers and farmers has been incredible,” he says.

A pilot programme, which involves eight farmer-teacher pairings across six schools with approximately 184 students, ran across term one, with many pairing staying with the programme in term 2.

Marie Burke, a sheep and beef and crop farmer from Tairāwhiti/Gisborne region, is one of the farmers participating in the pilot. She is paired with a school in Orewa, Auckland.

Farmer Time is such a great programme and I really encourage fellow farmers to sign up. The teachers and children we’ve been matched with have loved learning about what we do and how we grow food.  My husband was initially unsure when I first mentioned Farmer Time, but he’s really enjoyed the interactions we’ve had with the class we’re matched with, and is now almost a bigger fan than I am.”

Food producers who want to get involved or find out more information can visit: www.farmertime.co.nz

More like this

New red meat campaign dots down

A new campaign from Beef + Lamb New Zealand Inc. seeks to highlight the link between life’s memorable moments and New Zealand red meat.

The best job in NZ agriculture!

Newly-appointed chief executive of Beef + Lamb New Zealand, Kit Arkwright, says he has landed the best job in the agriculture sector.

Featured

Massey Research Field Day attracts huge interest

More than 200 people turned out on Thursday, November 21 to see what progress has been made on one of NZ's biggest and most comprehensive agriculture research programmes on regenerative agriculture.

Expo set to wow again

Stellar speakers, top-notch trade sites, innovation, technology and connections are all on offer at the 2025 East Coast Farming Expo being once again hosted in Wairoa in February.

A year of global challenges

As a guest of the Italian Trade Association, Rural News Group Machinery Editor Mark Daniel took the opportunity to make an early November dash to Bologna to the 46th EIMA exhibition.

Boost for hort exports

The horticulture sector is a big winner from recent free trade deals sealed with the Gulf states, says Associate Agriculture Minister Nicola Grigg.

National

Winter grazing warning

Every time people from overseas see photographs of cows up to their hocks in mud it's bad for New Zealand.

ANZ defends farm lending rates

The country's largest lender to the agriculture sector says it's not favouring home loans over farm and business lending.

Machinery & Products

Expo set to wow again

Stellar speakers, top-notch trade sites, innovation, technology and connections are all on offer at the 2025 East Coast Farming Expo…

A year of global challenges

As a guest of the Italian Trade Association, Rural News Group Machinery Editor Mark Daniel took the opportunity to make…

» Latest Print Issues Online

The Hound

Review SOEs!

OPINION: NIWA has long weathered complaints about alleged stifling of competition in forecasting, and more recently, claims of lack of…

Bank reset

OPINION: Adding to calls to get banks to 'back off', NZ Agri Brokers director Andrew Laming has revealed that the…

» Connect with Rural News

» eNewsletter

Subscribe to our weekly newsletter