Charlie Beaty: Make the most of ‘Farmer Time’

If you’ve been a regular reader of my columns (even my dad isn’t, so I won’t be offended if you’re not), you’ll know I’m passionate about industry promotion, particularly through showing children the wonders of farming and food production.

So imagine my surprise recently, when I was chatting with a number of farming friends, all smart and well-informed people, and found out that they had no idea we have the ability to talk directly to children in their classrooms, in real-time, without leaving the farm.

See also: Charlie Beaty – regen should be the norm, not ‘exclusive’

About the author

Charlie Beaty

Harper Adams University graduate Charlie has a keen interest in the livestock sector, being heavily involved in the beef and sheep enterprises at home, as well as the arable and contracting side of things. The 25-year-old is an active member of Warwickshire YFC and loves travelling the world.

Read more articles by Charlie Beaty

How on earth? Well, a few years back, a forward-thinking farmer called Tom, from Cambridgeshire, had the fantastic idea of FaceTiming schoolchildren from his farm, to show them what he gets up to, producing food and looking after the countryside.

From this first video call, the idea grew, with Linking Environment and Farming (Leaf) getting on board to support and “Farmer Time” was born.

Today, more than 1,000 schools are paired with farmers who don’t even have to step off the farm to educate children on food production and promote our industry.

No matter what or where you farm, you have the ability to show our consumers where their food comes from, bridging a gap between farm and fork that seems wider than ever.

We will never achieve sustainability as an industry without the backing of our consumers, and where better to start than in the classroom?

Leaf has developed a library of resources to help you get started, along with tips on how to link the classroom curriculum to what is happening on your farm.

It’s so easy to get involved. by just typing ‘Leaf Farmer Time’ into your internet browser and following the link to the sign-up form.

Leaf will then be in touch to get you prepared with video tutorials for your first chat, and pair you with a teacher and class.

As well as being incredibly important, it’s an extremely rewarding initiative to be involved with.

The kids have fantastic questions and are always fascinated, no matter what you have to show them – although a pet cow or your farm dog is always a winner!