Organisers of the workshops, Dairy Women’s Network and SealesWinslow, collaborated with celebrity chef Michael Van de Elzen to create an addition to this year’s event in the form of the ‘Nourish’ campaign. Nourish aimed to help farming families get through the notoriously busy time of calving and calf rearing with some delicious recipes.
Attendees of calf nutrition workshops were able to take away recipe cards for five nutritious and easy to prepare meals.
“Good nutrition tends to be something that goes out the window when people get stressed, so we wanted to support members during this period, and help develop the Dairy Women’s Network community through the provision of sharing healthy meal ideas,” says SealesWinslow animal nutritionist Wendy Morgan who presented at the workshops.
Van de Elzen surprised members of the Otorohanga calf nutrition workshop when he turned up and spoke briefly about the importance of good nutrition to help people get through busy times.
He cooked his chicken soup and muesli slice with mashed avocado for lunch and then spent time talking to members and signing their recipe cards.
“It was great to get out into the country and meet so many lovely women involved in our agri sector. I've got a lot of admiration for what they do," says Van de Elzen.
Morgan says the workshops were a huge success, with maximum registration numbers achieved in many towns.
The workshops aimed at improving different aspects of calf rearing, with information about the techniques and adaptations that can be made to existing infrastructure and management.
“There was strong interest at each event. Calf rearing is clearly a topic that Dairy Women’s Network members are passionate about and want as much information as they can get,” says Morgan.
“We had people attend the workshops who are rearing calves for the very first season, as well as those who have been doing it for decades.”
