Our farmers opened their gates!
A bit of rain didn’t stop the crowds from turning out in full force to catch a glimpse of what happens behind a Fonterra farmer’s gate.
On Sunday 10th November 2019 around 7,000 people spent the day on one of our Open Gates farms learning more about dairy farming.
They saw where their milk comes from and the efforts our farmers are making to clean up New Zealand waterways, lower their emissions, and maintain the land for generations to come. It was a true family day out with something for everyone!
Our farmers led the tours, showing visitors everything from pasture and herd management to milking. Our tanker drivers also took part showing our visitors how the milk is collected and tested.
There were games and activities for the kids and plenty of Fonterra products to try including, Mainland cheese, Anchor Uno yoghurts and Primo flavoured milk. At Durham farm in Waipu, Northland, 425 people attended and one of those visitors, Sunelle Engelbrecht, said after moving to New Zealand a year and a half ago she wanted to show her son what rural life in New Zealand was like.
“We’re from South Africa and wanted to bring our son Janco out into the country to learn more about farm life in New Zealand. It was such a great day, we’ve loved it,” said Sunelle.
The rain just couldn’t stay away from the party in areas further south in the North Island. Unfortunately, we had to cancel our Open Gates event in Tauranga due to weather conditions, and our farm in Ashhurst, Palmerston North closed earlier than expected for the same reasons.
A huge thank you to our 14 farming families who put their hands up to open their gates to the public this year.