A community of online farmers have made their first decision – to sow grass seed - as part of the MyFarm experiment to re-connect members of the public with the day-to-day workings of a real National Trust farm.
955 of the 1,450 registered farmers voted – with 88 per cent voting yes to sowing the seed, and 12 per cent voting not to.
The grass seed will be planted today on 40 acres (16 hectares) of land at Wimpole Home Farm in Cambridgeshire by Farm Manager Richard Morris and his team.
Richard Morris said: "Watching the debate unfold online was fascinating as people kept one eye on what the weather forecasters were saying while getting to grips with the advantages and disadvantages of sowing.
"With this first decision it seems our Farmers don’t mind taking a calculated risk that we’ll get some sustained rain soon. The grass needs rain to germinate and grow to establish a good root system. If successful it will improve soil fertility and we’ll be able to plant cash crops in 2013."
The weather forecast for Wimpole and the East of England is looking mixed with rain showers forecast for tonight and tomorrow.
Jon Alexander, project manager for MyFarm, said: "We hope our Farmers enjoyed the debate around this decision and got a real feel with what it’s like being involved in ’Farmville for real’.
"We’ll know in a few weeks if sowing the seed was the correct decision depending on whether it rains and how much actually falls. If the seed fails due to lack of rain, the farm will lose £3,500 – one percent of it’s annual income."
MyFarm is seeking 10,000 Farmers to take part in the experiment. For £30 Farmers get a daily behind-the-scenes insight into how the 1,200 acre organic farm operates, the right to make decisions on the farm by voting regularly and a family ticket to visit the farm for a day.
