Farm Day Goes National

Farm Day, the successful program where city families are invited to visit farming families to learn more about life on the land, is on again this weekend.

Farm Day is the ‘brain child’ of wool and lamb producer, Deb Bain. In 2006, she launched the idea to bring 75 metropolitan families to farms for a hands-on educational experience.

For her efforts, Deb won the 2007 Rural Industries Research and Development Corporation’s ‘Victorian Rural Woman of the Year’ Award, fitting acknowledgment for her voluntary contribution to reconnecting metropolitan and rural Australians.

This year, with the support of Meat and Livestock Australia, News Limited and the National Farmers’ Federation (NFF) – Farm Day is now national.

A study funded by the Victorian Department of Primary industries (DPI) found that prior to Farm Day, city families had a broad view of agriculture but lacked a real understanding of what farming really involved.

Following the farm visit, city families experienced an increase in their understanding of agriculture and a more sophisticated view of what farming is about.

For more information, visit the Farm Day website.