Not strangers to coming together at times of adversity, the vegetable growing community supporting the East of England Agricultural Society’s education initiative, Kids Country, have joined forces to record a special reading of the poem ‘Farming’, by poet and farmer’s daughter Bonnie Mohr. Amongst those involved in reading the poem as part of the first ever Virtual Food and Farming Day were the National Farmers Union (NFU), Albert Bartlett, Alan Bartlett and Son, and G’s Fresh.
Toby Bartlett, director at root vegetable growers Alan Bartlett and Son, explains why they took part: “We’ve been a part of the Food and Farming Day for a number of years and it’s always been a calendar date to look forward to, where we get the opportunity to share our passion and knowledge with the next generation. As with many plans this year, things had to change – the team at Kids Country did a fantastic job in moving to a virtual day that children could still enjoy and learn where their food comes from home and something we didn’t want to miss out on.”
Whilst Justin Wilderspin, head of farming and procurement at potato growers Albert Bartlett, said: “We are always happy to help educate the future generations in food and farming.”
Sandra Lauridsen, education manager for Kids Country, says: “One of the most popular elements of our first ever Virtual Food and Farming Day was the ‘Farming’ poem by American poet Bonnie Mohr and read by the farmers, food producers and volunteers that support Kids Country. Perfectly encapsulating both the hard work that goes into producing the food that we eat and also the vision of the Kids Country initiative, this poem can be viewed at https://youtu.be/siANRZcUnTc”
Kids Country would like to thank the poet Bonnie Mohr for her poem. Bonnie said: “The poem is written from my heart – it is what I believe to be true about farmers, and it is a tribute to these hard-working people. It is a thank you and a celebration of the force that feeds our world, which is why my involvement with the Food and Farming Day was so fitting and so meaningful.”
The Virtual Food and Farming Day, which the ‘Farming’ poem recording was a key part of, was in place of what would have been the eighth Food and Farming Day this year, where over 900 homes and schools took part in live sessions on the day, and a further 9,000 logged in later on.