Ashburton Courier: December 05, 2019

Local news at www.starnews.co.nz Ashburton's The Courier, Thursday 5 December 2019, Page 23
Rural&Lifestyle
Ag teachers get out on to the land
Mid Canterbury agricultural
teachers took part
in arural field trip last
week, joining other teachers
from around Canterbury
to visit agricultural
businesses and two
farm operations.
Ashburton College’s
Stephen Millichamp,
James List and Kayla
Williams were among
the 40 teachers and agricultural
industry representatives
to take part in
the Teachers Day Out
event run by New Zealand
Young Farmers.
They visited New Zealand
Dairy Collaborative
(a new milk powder
blending and packaging
facility in Ashburton),
the sheep and beef property
of Chris and Anne­
Marie Allen, Barkers of
Geraldine and the
potato farm of Charlotte
and James Bowan, who
supply to Heartland
Potato Chips.
Mr List, who this year
joined Ashburton College’s
agricultural teaching
staff, says it was a
chance to‘‘see what the
industry is doing and
where it’s going’’.
He said there was alot
more innovation on
farm, changes in farming
practice and new ideas.
‘‘It’s where we’re
going,’’ he said, with
RURAL DIARY
Thu
•
Brought to you by your
local insurance brokers
more collaboration
between the secondary
school and industry
representatives from the
likes of Ravensdown,
Midlands Apiaries and
agronomists from agri
seed companies.
He said representatives
were invited to
speak to agricultural
students about working
in the agricultural
industry, allowing them
to learn about other job
opportunities not necessarily
as a farmer or a
farm worker.
They are looking for
‘‘smart kids to work in
the industry’’ he said.
Out in the field
Strip-till technology, hybridred beet, cocksfoot
and forage rape were among the discussions
beingheld during the ArableYendofyear field
walk in Mid Canterbury. Around 50 members,
aged 35ish and under, visited the property of
Rakaia farmer Simon Lochhead to hear about
using strip-till technology to establish seed crops.
They then headed to BrianLeadley’s for atour and
barbecue. Arable Ys is aFAR initiative aimed at
building confidence in the next generation of
arable farmers. Here,Arable Ymembers listen to
Rakaia farmer Simon Lochhead. Photo supplied.
Thursday, December 5
• Temuka Store Cattle
Monday, December 9
• Temuka
Tuesday, December 10
• Canterbury Park All
Stock excl. Store Cattle
Thursday, December 12
• Temuka Weaned Calf
Friday, December 13
• Adams and Seaton
Suftex and Suffolk Ram,
Canterbury Park
Monday, December 16
• Temuka
Tuesday, December 17
• Canterbury Park
All Stock
2208278
Also onthe field trip
was Ashburton’s Callum
Burrell, who grew up a
‘‘townie’’ from Tauranga,
but now works as
an agri manager at
Ravensdown, based in
Mid Canterbury.
He got the chance to
visit afriend’s farm when
he was 10 years old and
with his interest piqued
he never looked back. It
lead to his career in the
rural industry.
The bus trip took the
teachers through arange
of business operations in
the primary sector to
give teachers more
awareness of the huge
Rural
Directory
CONTRACTORSGENERAL
ACL -Ashburton Contracting
Ltd Ph: 308 4039
SHEARING CONTRACTORS
Proshear Limited
Ph: 302 7541
To advertise in this space
please call 308 7664
199 Burnett Street, Ashburton
amount of opportunities
available in the industry.
They in turn could
take their learnings back
to the classroom.
The day ended with a
discussion with a panel
of young people in the
district working in the
food and fibre sector.
Other schools represented
by teaching staff
were Mount Hutt College,
Geraldine High
School, Rangiora High
School, Oxford Area
School, StAndrews College,
Beaconsfield
(Primary School),
Christchurch Boys' High
School, Lincoln High
2180558
School,Linwood College
TechnologyCentre, Darfield
High School,Twizel
Area School, Kaikoura
High School, Timaru
Girls' High and Haeata
Community Campus.
• DairyNZ accredited
Effluent Pond Design
andConstruction
• Pond Constructionand
Irrigation Development
• Hedgeand Stump
Removal
• Farm Conversions
• DairyTracks–
Lime or Gravel
• PumpHire
WE BUILD STRUCTURES &RELATIONSHIPSTOLAST
Warm &Healthy Affordable Homes
TRANSPORTABLE /8-10WEEK BUILD TIME
OR BUILT ONSITE
DESIGNER AFFORDABLE HOUSING
WHYCHOOSE US?
✓ WE LOVE WHATWEDO ✓WE UNDERSTAND YOUR NEEDS
✓ WE RESPECT DEADLINES
03 352 0252 or 027 518 1346
richard@trentbuilding.co.nz
www.trentbuilding.co.nz
Photo: Ravensdown's
Gordy McCormick(left),
of Mayfield, with Ashburton
College agriculture
teachers Stephen
Millichamp and James
List on the farm of Chris
and Anne­Marie Allen
during the Teachers Day
Out event.
• Wellsand Galleries
• Bulk Earthworks
• Subdivisions
• Site Works
• Tree Shear
• Transportation
2116939