A taste of dairy farming appeals at Owl Farm open day

DairyNZ media release

Friday, 21 October 2016

For immediate release

A taste of dairy farming appeals at Owl Farm open day

Owl Farm at St Peter’s School in Cambridge welcomed over 600 visitors for its first-ever open day, giving them insights into the sector that gives them milk, cheese and yoghurt.

Themed ‘from our grass to your glass’, the open day showed what happens on a working dairy farm to produce milk.

Visitors got a close-up look at cows being milked, checked out a milk tanker and made friends with dairy calves.

They were also invited to plant a tree in the wetland area Owl Farm is regenerating to provide better water quality. This proved such a hit that Owl Farm managers report 2500 trees were planted during the open day.

Owl Farm’s partners had interactive stands at the event to help the public learn about dairy farming. The partners include DairyNZ, Fonterra, Livestock Improvement, PGG Wrightson and Ballance Agri-Nutrients.

DairyNZ’s education ambassador Rosie the cow was a star act during the open day, helping children discover where their milk comes from.

Hamilton resident Joonkang Noh, who had never been on a farm, says meeting Rosie and planting a tree were highlights of the day for his daughter Gyumin Noh.

Joonkang says learning more about New Zealand’s dairy industry was a valuable experience for his family.

“It was good to see the environmental initiatives that take place on dairy farms. We learnt so much.

“It was the first tree my daughter has ever planted and she was very excited. As she is growing up, the tree will also grow, and we look forward to visiting it every year to see the wetland’s progress.”

Helping children discover dairy farming

DairyNZ’s Rosie’s World website hosts educational and engaging learning materials, games, videos and competitions for children.

The Rosie Education programme is available free to all schools and facilitates school visits to local dairy farms.

For more information visit rosiesworld.co.nz and rosieseducation.co.nz.

-ENDS-

ABOUT DAIRYNZ

DairyNZ is the industry organisation representing New Zealand’s dairy farmers. Our purpose is to secure and enhance the profitability, sustainability and competitiveness of New Zealand dairy farming. For more information visit dairynz.co.nz or dairyatwork.co.nz

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