Mark | 
01 31st, 2008| 
Famous (or infamous?) words, but very relevant to modern farming. Like a mantra almost, people have been chanting for ages about how we have to get the public 
reconnected with the land and the production of their food. It hasn’t necessarily had the impact we might hope, although some groups have been working hard to achieve this all along, and doing an admirable job.
However, it feels like it’s only now that some real impetus is getting behind this movement and we’re all for it. More and more interest is being shown in food provenance, led largely by the growth in organic. As an industry we should now be capitalising on this.
OF&Gs’ Development Officer, Steven Jacobs, has been making sure we keep pace with a number of educational initiatives, because organic farmers can have a huge role to play in teaching children (and the public generally) about sustainable farming.
We’d very much like to see more of the public being shown how organic farmers use smart solutions alongside centuries-old methods to produce their food. But it’s great when kids, their parents and their teachers come into contact with ANY farm.
That’s why the work of one OF&G licensee, David Thompson, has to be recognised here. David, who farms near Alnwick in Northumberland, has been made Assistant Director of farm education charity The Country Trust and is no stranger to having groups of kids from inner-city schools on his farm. He’s been featured by Farmers Guardian (an article well worth a read) and we hope to catch up with him soon to see how OF&G can help.
We are aware that quite a number of our licensees are involved in educational visits. If you’re one of them, why not drop us a line and tell us what you’re up to…
OF&G Chief Exec, Richard Jacobs, talked to Radio Four’s Farming Today about the percentages of organic matter in pig and poultry rations plus the impact feed prices are having on producers.