Tasman Young Farmers focus on development at inaugural event
Tasman regional Young Farmers are gearing up for one of their biggest events of the year. The Tasman Regional Skills Weekend will take place on 26 and 27 September at the Mandeville Sport Grounds.
The two day event aims to upskill it’s Young Farmers and TeenAg members across four main areas: Animal Health, Maintenance, Agronomy and Personal Development.
New Zealand Young Farmers (NZYF) Tasman Field Officer Teaghan Lourie says the inaugural event is the first of many events dedicated to development in the region.
“The Tasman Region is focused on developing our member’s practical and technical skills. This event is the first step on that journey”.
The other unique aspect of the event is the deliberate involvement of TeenAg members, the Secondary School version of Young Farmers.
“The inclusion of TeenAg in this event was a no brainer. The transition between TeenAg and Young Farmers can be a bit scary, so this is about bridging that gap between the two levels and continuing to build our talent pipeline”.
The Saturday is solely focused on learning new skills from industry experts.
The four categories are broken down into 18 different modules:
Animal Health – Velvet Grading, Q+A with a Vet, Rousie Skills, use of animal drugs and Breeding.
Maintenance – Farm Implements, Motorbikes, Welding, Fencing and Chainsaws.
Agronomy – Pasture, Seeds, Irrigation, Soils and Fertiliser.
Personal Development – Debating, Interview Skills and Public Speakers.
Each module runs for 20 minutes except the Personal Development modules running for 35 minutes. There are 90 participants registered for Saturday activities.
On Saturday night the Waimak Young Farmers Club are running a “Traffic Light Dance” at the Mandeville Sports Club while TeenAg members will have a movie night. Most participants are camping onsite.
Sunday morning will see some of the skills put into practise for the Regional Competitions Day, including Debating, Fencing and Clay Target Shooting. The winners of the Fencing and Clay Target Shooting will proceed onto the NZYF National Competitions Grand Final in Tamaru 7 July 2015. Those who are not competing in Competitions will be taking part in range of team building activities.
The Sunday will also include the Regional Meeting where the future strategy of the region will be on the agenda.
