McRae Wins Southern South Island B+LNZ Director Vote
Matt McRae, a farmer from Mokoreta in Southland who runs a sheep, beef and dairy support business alongside a sheep stud, has been elected to the Beef +Lamb NZ Board as a farmer director.
Now in its third year, Open Farms is designed to provide a platform for farmers to connect with urban Kiwis.
More than 7,000 people have visited 82 farms throughout New Zealand in the last two years, with Open Farms founder Daniel Eb saying he is confident the initiative will continue to grow.
“There is no lack of interest to get on-farm,” he says.
“We book out half of our capacity in 24 hours and more than 80% of events are overbooked. We’re asking more farmers to host with us to give more Kiwis a chance to reconnect with their rural roots.
Ahead of the 2023 event, a series of changes have been made which Eb says will make hosting easier. These changes include the introduction of a private event format for first-time hosts and a subsidy to help cover farmers’ time.
“We made these changes to help reduce some of the anxiety around hosting and show farmers that we value their contribution to the project,” he says. “We’re seeing a lot of hosts return for another year, we can’t do it without them.”
Eb says hosting is also a valuable and rewarding experience for farmers and their businesses too.
“Farmers feel a renewed sense of pride when seeing their farm through fresh eyes or sparking a passion for food production in others,” he says.
“There are tangible economic benefits to hosting. We’ve seen farmers use their open day to build team morale, hire new people or market a direct-to-customer business model.”
Greg Hart from Mangarara Station in Hawke’s Bay has seen first-hand how the day can positively impact both urban and Kiwis and farmers.
“Farmers will get to see and feel that big body of support for them out there in the wider public. They see they’re not alone,” Hart says.
Meanwhile, B+LNZ chief executive Sam McIvor says B+LNZ has sponsored the event from its inception with the aim of fostering better public understanding of farming systems.
“When it comes to bridging the urban-rural divide, there is nothing more effective than an on-farm experience,” he says.
“Farmers get to talk directly with consumers to build better understanding of the care that goes into New Zealand’s world-leading red meat sector, and primary sector as a whole. It is an invaluable experience.”
To find out more about hosting, visit the Open Farms website.
