Over 300 farms have already registered to open their gates for this year’s Open Farm Sunday on the 7th June, but organisers LEAF (Linking Environment And Farming) are urging more farmers to sign up and host a farm walk to give people the opportunity to find out how their food is produced and the vital work farmers do in managing the countryside.
Annabel Shackleton, LEAF’s Open Farm Sunday manager explains: “Every farm regardless of size or type, has something to offer on Open Farm Sunday. The everyday farming activities are exciting and fascinating to people experiencing it for the first time.”
“A simple farm walk can have a huge impact – you don’t necessarily have to put on extra activities. Visitors are happy to hear about what you do on the farm to produce great food and manage the countryside. They love to see the machinery you use, hear about work you do to manage soil, water and wildlife on your farm. Perhaps you could include 30 minutes for a ‘Farmers Question Time’. You could ask your agronomist, vet or neighbouring farmers to come and help tell your farming story.”
Taking place on Sunday 7th June 2015, the core aim of Open Farm Sunday is to showcase farming and food production, giving the general public an opportunity to understand better how and why farmers do what they do.
Annabel added: “Whether you invite 20, 200 or 2,000 visitors to your farm, your event can help build community relations, educating the public and raising the profile of your farm and the whole farming industry. It is up to farmers to decide the size and type of event they organise, to suit their farm.”
All registered farms will receive resources and support from LEAF, no matter what size their event. Resources available include blank invitation cards, flyers and gate banners to promote your event, through to posters, leaflets and stickers to display and hand out on the day. Resources have also been provided by many of the sponsors of Open Farm Sunday. Sponsors for 2015 include: Aldi, Arla, Asda, BASF plc, Defra, Farmcare, Farmers Weekly, Frontier Agriculture, John Deere, Kellogg’s, LEAF Marque, Marks and Spencer, National Farmers Union, Syngenta, The Tesco Eat Happy Project, Waitrose plus the Agriculture and Horticulture Development Board (from its BPEX, DairyCo, EBLEX, HGCA and HDC divisions).
