Farmer Mairi Whittle (right) is involved in the Farmer Time programme, pictured here with her partner Hayden Tapp and their sons Tad and Lachie.
Farmer Mairi Whittle (right) is involved in the Farmer Time programme, pictured here with her partner Hayden Tapp and their sons Tad and Lachie.
An education programme that connects Kiwi classrooms with farmers and growers across the country is celebrating a successful first year.
Farmer Time, set up by Beef + Lamb NZ, links Year 1-8 students and their teachers with food and fibre producers online.
It aims to engage, inspire and educate young people about food’s journey from farm to fork in the ever-changing and diverse primary industries.
Types of farming involved include sheep, beef and dairy, fruit, vegetable and grain, and goat, deer and pig. Agricultural contracting, market gardening and a native tree nursery are also on offer.
More than 1000 students participated in the initiative during 2022 and Farmer Time national co-ordinator Marie Burke said the programme received positive feedback.
It then expanded quickly to reach more than 40 pairs by the end of the year.
Participants’ feedback has been overwhelmingly positive so far, with survey results indicating that 100 per cent of classes thoroughly enjoyed the Farmer Time sessions.
The results found teachers also responded positively to the programme.
They agreed that Farmer Time contributed significantly to developing 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.
Notable statistics from the survey include:
100 per cent of teachers rated the programme as highly valuable for their class, with all respondents indicating their willingness to recommend Farmer Time to other teachers.
91 per cent of teachers reported successfully connecting the ideas and discussions from Farmer Time sessions with further in-class learning.
90 per cent of farmers expressed their intention to continue participating in Farmer Time, with the remaining indicating they would be interested in returning to it in the future.
All of the eight New Zealand curriculum learning areas were covered.
Emma McElrea, a Year 2 and 3 teacher from Northland School in Wellington, said Farmer Time brought learning to life.
Emma McElrea, a Year 2 and 3 teacher from Northland School in Wellington, is part of Farmer Time.
“Farmer Time is an incredible tool to help bring real-world examples to the New Zealand curriculum learning areas in a unique way,” McElrea said.
McElrea and her students were paired with Mairi Whittle, a sheep and beef farmer from Taihape.
“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,” McElrea said.
McElrea and Whittle also talked about their Farmer Time experience on Country Calendar last week.
Whittle said it was “an honour” to be part of the experience.
Farmer Time national co-ordinator Marie Burke with husband Rob. Photo / Louise Savage
“I feel like I’m forming a real connection with the students who didn’t initially know much about farming but are interested to learn more,” she said.
“My family and I take for granted what we know about farming, so it’s heartening to share parts of farming life with students who might not otherwise get this chance.
“We look forward to seeing their excited little faces and love the questions they think of.”
Looking ahead, Farmer Time is set to continue building on its successful inaugural year and expand its reach to even more schools and farmers.
