I’ve been impressed by the efforts many of you are making to inform people about what really happens on-farm, whether it be through correcting misinformation online, sharing your stories on social media or opening your farm gates. It really can make a difference, even though it might not always feel like it at times.
A few months ago I was fortunate to see first-hand the impact that can make when I helped at two school visits to dairy farms in Canterbury.
It was amazing to see just how engaged and curious the children are in learning more about dairy and where their milk comes from.
We talked to them about everything from cow and calf care to looking after the environment, irrigation, milk collection and quality controls.
Feeding the calves on the Calfateria and milk tasting were clear highlights for the kids but they were even amazed at simple things like how much grass a cow eats each day. I found this a good reminder to stop and appreciate the little things we can often take for granted.
For a lot of the students and their parents it was their first visit to a farm and one teacher wrote to me to say everyone, students and parents, had an awesome experience.
“We are forever grateful,” she said.
The icing on the cake was the thank-you letters from the children – they made my day.
These school visits are part of DairyNZ’s Rosie Education programme. Over the past year, thanks to farmer volunteers, 7553 children along with their teachers and parents visited a dairy farm. The programme takes care of the communications between schools and farmers and helps meet health and safety requirements.
It’s great that farmers are opening their farm gates and schools are taking up the chance to educate their students and caregivers about dairy. My hope is more farmers and schools engage in this learning experience because, for many children and parents, it might be the first and only chance they get to spend time on a farm.
The visits might encourage a child to take up a career in dairy and give the parents better information to help them work through their children’s career options and might even inspire a career change for themselves. They are also a chance for you to tell your story and shape the impression parents or teachers might hold of the dairy sector.
MORE:
About Rosie’s Education programme or hosting school visits at dairynz.co.nz/education
Natalia Benquet is a DairyNZ senior consulting officer in Canterbury.
