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After Buy a Bale kicked off in 2013, and Rural Aid was founded in 2015, founders Charles and Tracey Alder have been able to launch a number of other programs to help farmers.
Whereas Buy a Bale provides feed and fodder, the Farm Army and Farm Rescue initiatives provide physical help on farms and in rural communities.
Charles tells us that Farm Army is now a database of over 14,000 volunteers who are willing to give their time to help farmers on their properties.
Charles says that “morphed into the Farm Rescue program which is where they will go out for a week and do a concerted job on a house or a community project”.
Farm Army has volunteers who have registered from all over the world to help out rural communities.
Each week thousands of farm jobs are registered, where farmers have detailed the help they need most. Those jobs are then matched up to people who are currently available and capable of performing those particular tasks.
Farmers who are looking for volunteers through the Farm Army are asked to consider what they can offer them in return, such as free accommodation.
Farm Army also organises paid work. Many farmers are too remote to have a local tradie available so this program also invites tradespeople willing to travel to register with them as well.
“In many areas, it’s almost impossible to find people with trades that will drive the distances to do work,” Farm Army says. “On the other hand, there are tens of thousands of grey nomads, holiday makers, tradies on holiday, even backpackers who have skills that are willing to help but just don’t know where their help could be best put to use.”
Farm Rescue meanwhile, entails “a group of volunteers and some tradespeople visiting remote and rural areas to help fix infrastructure that farmers do not have the skill, time or money to do themselves. Jobs range from painting and fencing through to electrical, plumbing, construction, mechanical and gardening. Farm Rescue trips usually consist of 8-10 skilled volunteers working on one or many properties or a community project for up to a week.”
Visit farmarmy.com.au and farmrescue.com.au to find out more.
“Come and join our Farm Army volunteers on a Farm Rescue trip and help us change people’s lives.”
Read the full eEdition here: T&C Buy a Bale lift out
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