Year of the Farmer hits the road

NINE Toyota Landcruisers will start hitting the road this week to celebrate the Australian Year of the Farmer (AYOF) and help spread farming’s story.
The year-long roadshow will collectively cover more than 56,000km and visit more than 320 events across Australia, from country shows to major food festivals in capital cities.

First stop will be International Dairy Week at Tatura, Victoria, on Thursday 19th January 2012.

The roadshow vehicles will haul purpose-built trailers with all the essentials to build a site complete with a performance space for celebrity ambassadors, TV screens for audiovisual presentations, an ambassadors’ meet-and-greet area, a children’s paint-a-cow activity centre, an AYOF merchandise shop and AYOF show-bags.

Throughout the year, the vehicle crews will hand out a special 128-page magazine produced by Fairfax Media, publisher of Queensland Country Life and a proud supporter of the year.

Fairfax Media chief executive of agricultural publishing Grant Cochrane said the magazine was aimed at telling agriculture’s positive stories.

“It’s about showing consumers farming is an innovative and increasingly high-tech business and giving them an insight into the water-efficient and environmentally sustainable practices employed on Australian farms,” Mr Cochrane said.

“The readers of papers like The Land know this but we hope this magazine will be something they hold onto and use to spread the story of farming and just how important it is to Australia beyond rural communities.

“Australian farmers have a lot to be proud of and to celebrate this year.”