Open Farms: show ’em what you’re made of

Scott

THE call is out for farmers to get involved with the Open Farms 2023 event. Now in its third year, Open Farms is set for Sunday, March 12, with the day providing a platform for farmers to share their stories with urban Kiwis.

More than 7000 people have visited 82 farms throughout New Zealand in the past two years and Open Farms founder Daniel Eb is confident the initiative will continue to grow.

“There is no lack of interest to get on farm,” Eb said.

“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.”

Changes have been made ahead of the 2023 event to make hosting easier, including 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,” Eb said.

“We’re seeing a lot of hosts return for another year. We can’t do it without them.”

Hosting is rewarding for farmers and their businesses, he said.

“Farmers feel a renewed sense of pride when seeing their farm through fresh eyes, or sparking a passion for food production in others.”

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 directto-customer business model,” Eb said.

Greg Hart from Mangarara Station in Hawke’s Bay has seen first-hand how the day can positively impact both urban 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 that they’re not alone,” Hart said.

Beef +Lamb NZ chief executive Sam McIvor said the industry body has sponsored the event from its inception to foster better public understanding of farming systems.

“When it comes to growing the understanding of, and support for farmers there is nothing more effective than an on-farm experience,” McIvor said.

“Farmers get to talk directly with consumers to build better understanding of the expertise, passion and care that goes into NZ’s world-leading red meat sector.

“It is an invaluable experience.”

The Open Farms platform supports farmers with event planning, marketing, registrations and kit, and connects visitors to Open Farms events via a booking system.

The platform is independently run by Open Farms Ltd, with support from sponsors B+LNZ, the Our Land and Water National Science Challenge and the Ministry for Primary Industries’ Sustainable Food & Fibre Futures fund.

Read more about being an Open Farms host at: https://www. openfarms.co.nz/host-an-event/