Drought-shout, A Free On-line Comedy Event, Tuesday 26 May 2020 From 7.30pm

There are parts of the country that have been dealing with devastating drought over the past few months, and while the rain may not be far away, the effects are ongoing and have been heart breaking for many.

Coupled with COVID-19 restrictions, the Ballance East Coast Regional Sales team have seen first-hand the depths of despair being experienced by members of their community. They wanted to do something for farmers through-out NZ. Their idea, a free virtual comedy night titled the Online Drought Shout. And their idea went viral within Ballance, with support in the form of prizes and funding.

On Tuesday, 26 May at 7.30pm a group of Kiwi comedians will be streaming their very special kind of humour directly to farmers for farmers across multiple social media platforms including Ballance’s Facebook page (https://www.facebook.com/events/666134843950885/, and the Farmers Weekly website - https://farmersweekly.co.nz/sarahscountry/

The live online comedy event aptly named drought-shout, as after weeks of lockdown we’re now able to have a drink with mates, will be hosted by Te Radar as a special edition of Sarah’s Country. A move away from a traditional drought shout by going virtual, to avoid breaking any current restrictions on social events.

Sarah’s Country is a live virtual TV and radio show Monday-Thursday, discussing topics that matter most to the food & fibre sector in alliance with Global HQ, launched during lockdown to help shine a light on the way the primary sector has responded to the challenges of COVID-19.

The line-up of comedians includes Paul Ego, Justine Smith and Gary McCormick. As well as offering farmers a chance to have a laugh Doug Avery, The Resilient Farmer, will share his experiences.

“We hope people from around NZ, rural and urban audiences, will tune in, says Hadyn Eade, Ballance’s East Coast Regional Sales Manager.

“Running a comedy event is not something we have ever attempted to do before. We just wanted to do something meaningful for farmers, that gave them a break from their day-to-day challenges. We can’t give them rain, but we can help them have a laugh - laughter is such good medicine.

“With support from Super Air, Farmlands and PGG Wrightsons, we’re able to offer farmers some great prizes through two Facebook competitions, to help get some lucky winners off the farm and to have a break - recovering is going to be a marathon, not a sprint!

“This event is for everyone, we really hope that it raises awareness of the impact of a drought on farmers and their animals, and that people can enjoy a good laugh,” says Hadyn.

The more people that tune into this farmer event and get in behind it, the more we can improve the understanding of the impacts of drought, rural mental-health issues and demonstrate our collective support for the rural sector in NZ.

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