Who is the FARMY ARMY?
Farming volunteering.
The FARMY ARMY is a group of skilled farmers who are able to commit time to going into an area and helping other farmers in need, particularly in adverse events. These are people who can go and replace fences or shear sheep because they're worried about flystrike. They are skilled farming people helping other farming people.
Federated Farmers has operated the FARMY ARMY brand since the Christchurch earthquakes in 2010-11. We call for volunteers to register. Just under 600 farmers have come forward to help with Cyclone Gabrielle clean-up efforts. Approximately 55 people have registered that they need help from the FARMY ARMY.
Cyclone Gabrielle deployment
Federated Farmers are now matching the FARMY ARMY skill base to meet demand and will start deploying volunteers in late February to affected areas. Getting access to farms during the response phase can be quite difficult, particularly in places like the Hawke's Bay and Gisborne, which are really constrained by getting onto farms. Once access is good, Federated Farmers will be encouraging those farmers to travel to those areas and do what they do best.
Federated Farmers are encouraging FARMY ARMY volunteers to bring gear with them to help in certain situations such as repairing fencing. They will make sure the FARMY ARMY volunteers are kitted out with high-vis gear for health and safety purposes and are also working to get donations for items. These donations could provide the financing for fencing suppliers that get them allocated to the property that the FARMY ARMY worker is on.
Right skills to right circumstances
The FARMY ARMY is about matching the right skills to the right circumstances. A farmer might need someone who can operate particular farm machinery. Once skills are matched between the farmer who’s giving help and the farmer needing the help, possibly they could work out a situation where the farmer coming in from an out of town location could stay with the farmer who is in need.
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“Federated Farmers is passionate about rebuilding communities and we’re in this for the long haul”
– Federated Farmers CEO Terry Copeland.
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0800 327 646