Festival helps beef up farming

Millie Puru had her cash out, ready to pay for steak burgers she and her "baby", 13-year-old grandniece Shontell Staples, ordered in Whangarei's Cameron St mall yesterday.
So Mrs Puru, of Hikurangi, was delighted to be told her money was not needed. All she and Shontell had to do to get their barbecue lunch was listen to its cook, agricultural consultant Bob Thomson, explain how pastoral farming is Northland's top industry.
"This tastes wonderful. I would have been quite happy to pay the Northland farmers for this - it's fabulous," Mrs Puru said.
The free food was part of FarmFest events this week designed to lift the profile of farming among Northland's urban residents. About 1000 steaks from the Mad Butcher and lamb patties made with a "secret recipe" by Omak Meats in Kamo were served to shoppers in Whangarei, Dargaville and Kerikeri at lunchtime yesterday.
And at the same time in Whangarei, FarmFest spokesman Geoff Crawford was attracting attention by cruising central business district streets in his tractor towing a trailer carrying three young beef cattle.
The festival has been organised by the Pastoral Farming Development Group, one of the six industry clusters co-ordinated by Enterprise Northland. The group contains local farmers, rural suppliers, research organisations and local government representatives.
Primary school children were to visit a farm during festival activities today, while a Westpac Northland Dairy Development Trust seminar tomorrow aims to motivate farmers into expanding their business.
People can visit the farm of last year's Northland Ballance Farm Environment Award winners, the Jack family at Pakaraka, tomorrow before this year's award winners are announced at a gala dinner in the evening.
A farm careers day for secondary students will be held on Friday and a conference and AgriKids fun day are on the agenda for Sunday.
FarmFest also features an art exhibition, a best butcher's shop window contest and school visits by NZ Beef and Lamb Marketing Bureau ambassador Iron Brion.
Meanwhile, Bob Thomson kept getting the message across, not releasing steaks from his tongs until punters had heard that lean beef was cholesterol-reducing and pastoral farming generated 30 percent of Northland's income.