{"id":62601,"date":"2014-04-02T21:07:14","date_gmt":"2014-04-02T11:07:14","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/southburnett.com.au\/news2\/?p=62601"},"modified":"2020-12-04T14:08:43","modified_gmt":"2020-12-04T04:08:43","slug":"new-farming-skills-take-root","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/southburnett.com.au\/news2\/2014\/04\/02\/new-farming-skills-take-root\/","title":{"rendered":"New Farming Skills Take Root"},"content":{"rendered":"
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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\u00a0Tony Slade, Kathleen Bennett, Vanessa Bugden and Derek Gadd<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

April 2, 2014<\/strong><\/p>\n

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.<\/p>\n

The 11 trainees are learning about small acreage farming, through both practical training in the paddock and classroom theory.<\/p>\n

The program is being funded by the Australian Government through the Local Employment Co-Ordinator Flexible Funding Pool.<\/p>\n

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.<\/p>\n

The trainees are being mentored on-the-job. A registered trainer from the Australian Agricultural College Corporation (AACC)\u00a0 is also visiting regularly to teach the theory side of the course.<\/p>\n

When southburnett.com.au<\/strong> visited today, the trainees were hard at work – some out in the field or on the tractor, while others were preparing seed trays.<\/p>\n

Brian said the group was going well and the trainees were picking up their new skills quickly.<\/p>\n

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

Brian said he planned to survey customers and local businesses about changing the time of these markets.<\/strong><\/p>\n

The markets currently operate from 7:30am to noon.<\/p>\n

“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.<\/p>\n

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

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

[UPDATED]<\/b><\/p>\n

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