Monday, 23 January 2023 - We all have questions we would love to ask, especially about other peoples' way of life, their jobs or where they live. This is exactly why rural education charity, The Royal Highland Education Trust (RHET), in partnership with e-Sgoil's Developing Young Workforce (DYW) Live team, are hosting 'Talk to a Farmer' week from 6th to 10th February - giving children the chance to learn more about farming, farmers and the countryside.

Following on from last year's hugely successful online sessions, farmers and growers from across Scotland will be getting ready to go live, streaming into classrooms up and down the country, to answer questions from Scotland's school pupils.

e-Sgoil's DYW Live team provide live sessions supporting young people to develop work skills and provide inspiration for future careers. With their support, RHET are offering four sessions per day over the week for schools nationwide. A representative from the DYW team explained:

"We were delighted with the success of last year's Talk to a Farmer week, where we had engagement of over 20,000 learners and are really looking forward to hosting it again this year.'

The network of RHET coordinators, who link local schools to local farmers, have pulled together an exciting, diverse timetable, featuring volunteers from their local area to share their farming stories, with e-Sgoil's DYW Live team helping livestream question and answer sessions with viewers. From Blackface sheep farmer Billy in Moray, to Charlotte, a grain/farm trader with Frontier, everyday pupils can link in live to the farm.

Seeds and grains are the focus for the RHET 'Journey of Food' project this year and amongst other growers will be cold-pressed rapeseed oil producer Robert Mackenzie from Cullisse who will talk through the journey from plant to bottle. Robert said:

"When I was asked if I would get involved in the Talk to a Farmer event it really was a no brainer for me! What a great way to inspire and engage with pupils so they know the facts about their food production. Also, we can help them see what they are learning in class is needed on farms and it's an industry with huge potential for various careers."

Carol Littlewood, RHET Angus Project Coordinator, explains:

"Being able to offer schools visits to working farms or by visiting them in school is all possible thanks to those who give RHET their time for free."

"Farmers from all over the country support RHET in our work in so many different ways and this online event is just one of them. We are delighted to see a steady return of schools visiting our working countryside, so this online event is a brilliant shop window, a snapshot of what they could see when they are out and about."

Teachers who took part last year told RHET they found the experience not only enjoyable but informative, pupils were in the classroom in front of the whiteboard and were transfixed by the scenery and had a great time thinking up questions to ask. RHET providing this kind of service during class time was said to help bring learning to life.

If you are a teacher and would like to get involved, visit rhet.org.uk and sign up at the link on our homepage. If you are a farmer, grower or someone with an interest in helping RHET deliver free food and farming learning to 3 – 18 year olds, we would love to hear from you.