South West FoodBowl Association hosts agricultural day to educate and raise awareness about agriculture

The South West FoodBowl Association hosted its Agricultural Awareness Day in Nannup last Thursday and Friday.

The biennial event ran on October 13 and 14 as part of the South West FoodBowl Festival, with about 800 students from Balingup, Bunbury, Busselton, Dunsborough, Manjimup, Pemberton, Nannup and Northcliffe participating in the festivities.

WA Farmers First, South Regional TAFE and Harvey Beef were some of the agricultural representatives that had stalls at the day, hoping to generate interest in the agricultural industry to students attending.

Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development officers were on hand to talk about the science behind agricultural production and career opportunities in the sector.

“The local farming community have driven this fantastic initiative for many years and we are proud to support this event,” DPIRD Manjimup research station manager Ian Guthridge said.

“DPIRD officers gave an overview of the importance of pasture management and nutrition, how to check sheep flock condition and what’s involved in aquaculture, highlighting a unique marron and trout production program.

Association chair Barbara Dunnet said the day gave students a chance to learn more about different areas of the agricultural industry.

“It is important for our children, the next generation, to see agriculture as a career choice,” Mrs Dunnet said.

“For these kids, who know nothing about how food is produced, to spark an interest to choosing a career in agriculture because we are so deficient in workers and people from the full spectrum, whether they pick the apples or be in robotics and engineering, there are many jobs in agriculture.”

During the day, students visited different farms to engage with different agricultural sectors, including a working beef cattle farm, a fruit orchard, a cheese factory specialising in cheese made from sheep’s milk and a free-range chicken farm.

“Events such as the South West FoodBowl provide a fantastic and effective avenue for young people to learn that agriculture is an exciting, innovative, and dynamic industry,” Mrs Dunnet said.

Fresh locally grown and sourced food was brought in for the day’s lunches, including Harvey Beef donated sausages for hot dogs and Newtons Orchard brought in fresh produce to provide snacks for kids on the day.