Te Puke Young Farmers on the lookout for new blood

Te Puke Young Farmers members at Te Puke A&P Show last month. Photo / Supplied

Farming carried on right through the pandemic — but for Te Puke Young Farmers, Covid-19 caused a bit of a lull in activities.

The group is now getting back up on its feet after the enforced break.

Shanice Young is a member of the newly formed committee.

The club meets once a month at Jellicoe St Bar and Eatery on the last Tuesday of the month.

“That brings everybody together. We have a little meeting and plan what we’re going to do for the next month within the club,” she says.

The club ran the gumboot and horseshoe throwing contests at last month’s Te Puke A&P Show and also organised a hay bale collection for the cyclone-hit areas. Members help stack silage and hay on farms, have on-farm discussions called Farm Yarns, and sometimes have farming-related guest speakers at meetings.

“We also go to events within the region with other young farmers clubs,” she says. “There’s always something happening.”

Recently, members have been involved in both the Young Farmer of the Year and Dairy Industry Awards.

Shanice says membership isn’t restricted to farmers.

“People could be in horticulture, kiwifruit, the only thing is they have to be 30 years old or under.”

The committee is full of new blood.

“A lot of people aged out at the same time around the start of Covid and others were getting a bit busy, so we are the young ones coming in and starting it up again.”

Check out the Te Puke Young Farmers Facebook for details on how to become involved.