Parents of young children will be catered for at the BCG Main Field Day this year, through the provision of a parents retreat on site, supported by Rural Bank.
Rural Bank, a long-term partner of BCG, are supporting this initiative to encourage participation of the entire farming family at agricultural events.
“Attending agricultural events forms an important part of farm business professional development,” says Rural Bank Regional Manager Agribusiness Wimmera and Mallee, Greg Kuchel.
“Having not just one, but several members of the farm business attend events allows for in-depth conversations about the latest research and industry developments. In particular, we’re keen to see mothers continue to engage and learn so they feel confident participating in farm and industry discussions and decisions.”
To facilitate this, the BCG Main Field Day will have a parents retreat with facilities for nappy changing, breast feeding and kids activities.
“An event like the BCG Main Field Day, which is completely paddock and marquee based, hasn’t necessarily been a conducive environment for small children in the past, but we still see families come along, sometime bringing a grandparent for support,” says BCG Manager Projects and Partners, Pru Cook.
“By providing this facility, we’re hoping that families with young children will be able to stay at the event longer, knowing that their needs will be catered for. We’ve had female BCG members indicate that if agriculture is serious about keeping young women in the industry and building them up to leadership positions, then they must make it easy to attend events. Thanks to Rural Bank, BCG are endeavouring to meet this need,” she says.
Mr Kuchel is keen to see young parents use these facilities. “The idea is for the whole family to be able to come along. Having a young family shouldn’t preclude you from participating in important learning and development opportunities like the BCG Main Field Day,” he says.
“We as an industry need to get better at ensuring the ongoing needs of the entire farming family are catered for, and Rural Bank are pleased to be supporting this novel approach at Narraport on September 12.”
For more information on the BCG Main Field Day, please visit https://www.bcg.org.au/events/bcg-main-field-day-2018/.
Registrations are not required for the parents retreat. Parental supervision is mandatory at all times when using this facility.
