Back row, from left, Leim Strickland, Alan Bridges, Helen Anderson, James Kennedy, Growing The Burnett project leader Brian Jarvis and trainer Bob Felsman; middle row, Charles Speedy and Jason Perkins; front row, Growing The Burnett treasurer Tony Slade, Kathleen Bennett, Vanessa Bugden and Derek Gadd

April 2, 2014

A second group of Federal Government-funded trainees are at the midway point of their eight-week training at Growing The Burnett’s Red Earth Meadows farm at Memerambi.

The 11 trainees are learning about small acreage farming, through both practical training in the paddock and classroom theory.

The program is being funded by the Australian Government through the Local Employment Co-Ordinator Flexible Funding Pool.

Project leader Brian Jarvis said that on April 16, the first group will be joined by more trainees who will learn post-harvest and food-handling skills.

The trainees are being mentored on-the-job. A registered trainer from the Australian Agricultural College Corporation (AACC)  is also visiting regularly to teach the theory side of the course.

When southburnett.com.au visited today, the trainees were hard at work – some out in the field or on the tractor, while others were preparing seed trays.

Brian said the group was going well and the trainees were picking up their new skills quickly.

The produce is sold at the farm and at the weekly Fresh Food Markets held in Kingaroy’s O’Neill Square on Thursday mornings.

Brian said he planned to survey customers and local businesses about changing the time of these markets.

The markets currently operate from 7:30am to noon.

“I think it may be more convenient for people to visit the markets on their way home from work – and parents on their way home from school,” he said.

“We are looking at changing the time to 2:00pm to 6:30pm but we will see how the public feels about it.

“We will leave the survey open for a couple of weeks and if we have to change it we will do it next month.”

[UPDATED]

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