The National Sheep Association (NSA) has connected sheep farmers with schoolchildren and the wider public to educate them on where their food comes from and how it is produced.
NSA stated that by engaging directly with young people, farmers can help build understanding of how sheep farming supports the environment through grazing and landscape management, produces a sustainable, natural fibre in wool and provides a high-quality, nutrient-rich source of food in lamb.
NSA technical communications officer and Yorkshire farmer Anna Wilson welcomed pupils to learn about lambing season during a school visit, and was accompanied by a group of young lambs.
Wilson stated: “The children asked such thoughtful questions about why the lambs had numbers on their sides and what their ear tags meant, showing just how valuable hands-on experiences can be.
“For many pupils in built-up areas, meeting farm animals at school is their first real connection to farming, helping them understand where food comes from and why farmers are so important to our everyday lives.”
NSA members Andrew Dellbridge and Catherine Flaxman, who farm in Norfolk, have worked to connect the classroom with the countryside. The couple farm around 100 Hebridean and Herdwick ewes across a mix of grazing land from traditional meadows to solar farms. They are now in their second year of working with Farmer Time, an initiative that sees them partake in video calls to school classrooms.
Through the regular live calls direct from their farm, Andrew and Catherine guide pupils through the farming calendar, offering a real-time insight into the care and management of sheep throughout the year.
The farmers said: “It is hoped that when children are out and about, they don’t just see a ‘green’ landscape, but recognise the livestock, land managers and farmers within it. We want them to understand the care that goes into producing food and looking after the countryside and perhaps even consider a future career in farming.”
NSA is now encouraging more sheep farmers to get involved in outreach activities where possible, helping to inspire a better understanding of British farming and food production.
