Apley Estate in Shropshire, one of AHDB Cereals & Oilseeds newest Monitor Farms, will open its gates on Sunday 5 June and invite the public to participate in one of the most enjoyable days in the agricultural calendar – Open Farm Sunday.
There are also plenty of activities for all the family, including visits to Scotty’s animal park and the opportunity to learn more about where food comes from.
Apley Estate first got involved with Open Farm Sunday when Adrian Joynt joined as Farm Manager in 2011.
He had previous experience in hosting the events and feels that it is important to show the public first-hand how their food is produced.
He began: "If we don’t tell people the true story about how food is produced, then who will?
"I feel it is the responsibility of those who work in the agricultural industry to inform others about how important agriculture is and always has been.
"The day is a great way to explain how farming works.
"On the day we get to meet lots of people with a wide range of farming knowledge – it’s great that urban communities have the chance to see how working farms operate."
Over the past five years the Open Farm Sunday initiative has got bigger and better with more farmers getting involved each year.
Apley has hundreds of people visit on the day and the number of visitors is growing year on year, with returning visitors and newcomers alike.
Estate owner Lord Gavin Hamilton said: "At Apley we are really proud about producing and sourcing local food to share with the community, including beef from the Apley Estate.
"Some of the vegetables sold in our farm shop are grown and prepared in Apley Walled Garden.
"We want all to give all of our visitors the opportunity to enjoy fresh Shropshire produce & reduce their food miles."
Open Farm Sunday will take place on Sunday 5 June 2016. There are a range of farms throughout the country getting involved. For more information about the initiative or to host an event yourself, visit farmsunday.org
