Dairy power
OPINION: The good times felt across the dairy sector weren't lost at last week's Beef + Lamb NZ annual meeting.
Educational programme Farmer Time has announced the successful completion of its first year, with positive feedback from the 1,017 student participants during 2022.
Farmer Time had its origins in the UK back in 2016, subsequently expanding internationally. Beef + Lamb NZ became aware of it just prior to the Covid lockdowns and proceeded to establish a New Zealand branch with the collaboration of Farmer Time founder Tom Martin.
The programme, which aims to connect Year 1-8 NZ school students and their teachers with farmers and growers across the country, started with a small pilot group of eight farmer-teacher pairs and quickly expanded to 47 pairings by year's end.
Emma McElrea, a Year 2 and 3 teacher from Northland School in Wellington, says her involvement with the programme had brought to life New Zealand curriculum learning in a unique, real world way.
"Our farmer Mairi Whittle has been incredible to work with, we're learning so much and our whole class has formed a real bond with Mairi and her boys."
Whittle - a sheep and beef farmer from Taihape - echoed the sentiment. "It's been an honour to be a part of Farmer Time in conjunction with Emma. It's heartening to share parts of farming life with students who might not otherwise get this chance."
Farmer Time national coordinator Marie Burke says it had been amazing to be a part of this programme from the inception and see it grow so much.
"Our hard work to match teachers with farmers and growers has paid off and we can't wait to see where it can go from here."
She says feedback received from participants has been overwhelmingly positive, with every class and teacher surveyed rating the programme as enjoyable and valuable, with even the lowest rated question (interest in continued participation) having a 90% approval rating.
Teachers stated that the programme significantly developed students' awareness of the work carried out by food and fibre producers as well as shedding light on the numerous career opportunities available within the primary industries.
Looking ahead, Burke says Farmer Time is set to continue building on its successful inaugural year and expand its reach to even more schools and farmers.
Labour's agriculture spokesperson Jo Luxton says while New Zealand needs more housing, sacrificing our best farmland to get there is not the answer.
Profitability issues facing arable farmers are the same across the world, says New Zealand's special agricultural trade envoy Hamish Marr.
Over 85% of Fonterra farmer suppliers will be eligible for customer funding up to $1,500 for solutions designed to drive on-farm efficiency gains and reduce emissions intensity.
Tighter beef and lamb production globally have worked to the advantage of NZ, according to the Meat Industry Association (MIA).
Groundswell is ramping up its 'Quit Paris' campaign with signs going up all over the country.
Some farmers in the Nelson region are facing up to five years of hard work to repair their damaged properties caused by the recent devastating floods.
OPINION: Labour leader Chris 'Chippy' Hipkins is carrying on the world-class gaslighting of the nation that he and his cohorts…
OPINION: The huge success of former Top Gear host Jeremy Clarkson's new TV show, Clarkson's Farm, and the boost it…