The Country
  • The Country home
  • Latest news
  • Audio & podcasts
  • Opinion
  • Dairy farming
  • Sheep & beef farming
  • Rural business
  • Rural technology
  • Rural life
  • Listen on iHeart radio

Subscriptions

  • Herald Premium
  • Viva Premium
  • The Listener
  • BusinessDesk

Sections

  • Latest news
  • Coast & Country News
  • Opinion
  • Dairy farming
  • Sheep & beef farming
  • Horticulture
  • Animal health
  • Rural business
  • Rural technology
  • Rural life

Media

  • Podcasts
  • Video

Weather

  • Kaitaia
  • Whāngarei
  • Dargaville
  • Auckland
  • Thames
  • Tauranga
  • Hamilton
  • Whakatāne
  • Rotorua
  • Tokoroa
  • Te Kuiti
  • Taumurunui
  • Taupō
  • Gisborne
  • New Plymouth
  • Napier
  • Hastings
  • Dannevirke
  • Whanganui
  • Palmerston North
  • Levin
  • Paraparaumu
  • Masterton
  • Wellington
  • Motueka
  • Nelson
  • Blenheim
  • Westport
  • Reefton
  • Kaikōura
  • Greymouth
  • Hokitika
  • Christchurch
  • Ashburton
  • Timaru
  • Wānaka
  • Oamaru
  • Queenstown
  • Dunedin
  • Gore
  • Invercargill

NZME Network

  • Advertise with NZME
  • OneRoof
  • Driven Car Guide
  • BusinessDesk
  • Newstalk ZB
  • Sunlive
  • ZM
  • The Hits
  • Coast
  • Radio Hauraki
  • The Alternative Commentary Collective
  • Gold
  • Flava
  • iHeart Radio
  • Hokonui
  • Radio Wanaka
  • iHeartCountry New Zealand
  • Restaurant Hub
  • NZME Events

SubscribeSign In

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Home / The Country

Farmyard comes to the schoolyard

By Anne-Marie McDonald
Reporter·Whanganui Chronicle·
29 Oct, 2017 10:00 PM2 mins to read

Subscribe to listen

Access to Herald Premium articles require a Premium subscription. Subscribe now to listen.
Already a subscriber?  Sign in here

Listening to articles is free for open-access content—explore other articles or learn more about text-to-speech.
‌
Save

    Share this article

Deacon Williams, 7, with Joey the 6-month-old goat at Ag Day at Fordell School. Photo/Bevan Conley

Deacon Williams, 7, with Joey the 6-month-old goat at Ag Day at Fordell School. Photo/Bevan Conley

Fordell School's playground was turned into a farmyard last Friday for the annual Ag Day.

Dozens of lambs and calves - and one lone goat - made the trip to school with their young owners to compete in a variety of events.

Among the calves was 3-month-old Daisy, which had been reared by Maggie Pearce. Nine-year-old Maggie lives on a dairy farm near Fordell and was looking forward to leading Daisy around the ring and answering questions from the judges about her.

Maggie said Ag Day was a lot of fun.

Read more: Farm fun comes to Turakina School

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

"I love it."

Fordell School principal Yvette Moorhouse said Ag Day was a popular day to which all parents and the wider community were invited.

"We're really lucky that we have people in the community who get involved as judges."

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

Students competed in their school houses in a baking challenge. There was also a young farmer competition which involved drenching, putting up an electric fence, putting in a hose clip fitting, using a docking ring and other challenges.

Ms Moorhouse said these activities were things that most of Fordell's students would see their parents doing on a regular basis.

"We do have some town kids, but even they got the opportunity to raise a lamb so they could take part in Ag Day," she said.

The day ended with a teacher challenge, in which the teachers were pitted against each other in a drenching competition.

Ms Moorhouse said the school had held a week of agriculture-related events, including making artwork and films.

There had been a special event for dogs - including dog obedience - and another event for caged animals, which included chickens, cats, turtles and guinea pigs.

"We've also been learning about bees, because they are obviously very important to the agriculture sector," Ms Moorhouse said.

She said the week was about "embracing everything rural".

Save

    Share this article

Latest from The Country

The Country

Beekeeper advocacy group comes under pressure

The Country

The Country: Luxon on coalition friction

The Country

Man lost wife and daughter in Waiuku triple-fatal


Sponsored

Solar bat monitors uncover secrets of Auckland’s night sky

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

Latest from The Country

Beekeeper advocacy group comes under pressure
The Country

Beekeeper advocacy group comes under pressure

Rifts among industry groups, charities and agencies in the beekeeping industry.

16 Jul 03:00 AM
The Country: Luxon on coalition friction
The Country

The Country: Luxon on coalition friction

16 Jul 01:42 AM
Man lost wife and daughter in Waiuku triple-fatal
The Country

Man lost wife and daughter in Waiuku triple-fatal

16 Jul 12:37 AM


Solar bat monitors uncover secrets of Auckland’s night sky
Sponsored

Solar bat monitors uncover secrets of Auckland’s night sky

06 Jul 09:47 PM
NZ Herald
  • About NZ Herald
  • Meet the journalists
  • Newsletters
  • Classifieds
  • Help & support
  • Contact us
  • House rules
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms of use
  • Competition terms & conditions
  • Our use of AI
Subscriber Services
  • NZ Herald e-editions
  • Daily puzzles & quizzes
  • Manage your digital subscription
  • Manage your print subscription
  • Subscribe to the NZ Herald newspaper
  • Subscribe to Herald Premium
  • Gift a subscription
  • Subscriber FAQs
  • Subscription terms & conditions
  • Promotions and subscriber benefits
NZME Network
  • The New Zealand Herald
  • The Northland Age
  • The Northern Advocate
  • Waikato Herald
  • Bay of Plenty Times
  • Rotorua Daily Post
  • Hawke's Bay Today
  • Whanganui Chronicle
  • Viva
  • NZ Listener
  • Newstalk ZB
  • BusinessDesk
  • OneRoof
  • Driven Car Guide
  • iHeart Radio
  • Restaurant Hub
NZME
  • About NZME
  • NZME careers
  • Advertise with NZME
  • Digital self-service advertising
  • Book your classified ad
  • Photo sales
  • NZME Events
  • © Copyright 2025 NZME Publishing Limited
TOP