Federated Farmers promotes farming facts

Federated Farmers President, Bruce Wills, has used an opinion piece in yesterday’s Sunday Star Times, to push for facts to come into the debate about farming; facts and information easily obtained from farming organisations but especially from New Zealand’s rural media.

“There’s an easy way for people to find out a lot more about farming and farmers. That’s to read, listen to, or watch New Zealand’s rural media,” says Bruce Wills, Federated Farmers President.

“New Zealand has an awesome array of rural media covering print, radio and television. The language we use makes it accessible to those outside of farming because farmers aren’t big on technobabble.

“The reason why I am pushing the rural media is that there is too much assumption when it comes to farming. People can put one and one together and come up with five or worse, they base what we do today on what they saw twenty years ago.

“I’m glad to say farming has moved on in all respects, especially when it comes to the environment.

“The rural media is one means to show people outside of farming, just how much debate and critical analysis takes place inside agriculture. We just need people outside of farming to see, hear and read that for themselves.

“Federated Farmers itself has compiled a number of industry sources together into one place at www.fedfarm.org.nz/farmingfacts. This includes links to the rural media where a lot of information is archived or available on-demand.

“I believe the more information we can get out there will help to open more eyes about modern farming,” Mr Wills concluded.