Open Farm Sunday set to be bigger and better

Open Farm Sunday, taking place on 9 June, looks set to be bigger and better than ever this year. Farmers Weekly visits a first-time host farmer in Wiltshire as she plans her event.

More farmers than last year are set to open their gates for Open Farm Sunday on 9 June, according to organiser LEAF (Linking Environment And Farming). Farm registrations for farming’s annual open day, which drew 150,000 visitors in 2012, are up by 16%, compared with the same time last year.

LEAF events manager Annabel Shackleton said: “It’s very good news that more farmers are taking part, and we’re keen for even more to register. Following the horsemeat scandal, there’s a real need to build public trust and understanding in British food and farming, and Open Farm Sunday is the single, most effective and supported day in the farming calendar for the industry to do this.”

Visitor numbers to each of the farm events range from fewer than 50 to more than 500. LEAF offers free support to those who take part, including a new buddying scheme for first-time farmers (see below), Mrs Shackleton said.

“It’s up to the farmers what size of event they hold, and what to show visitors. You don’t have to be over-ambitious – a simple farm walk for an invited audience of friends and neighbours is as important as the larger events,” she said.

“You may be amazed just how little people know about where their food comes from – even those who live in the countryside. Open Farm Sunday is such a great opportunity to connect consumers with farmers and showcase British farming.”

As well as information events taking place in April (see panel), host farmers get help with publicity, including free resources to promote their event, and advice on engaging activities that help visitors understand farming better.

“We’ve already had a lot of enquiries from the national media on this year’s Open Farm Sunday – there’s a real positive interest in where food comes from, and we’re expecting more people than ever to come out to a farm on 9 June. So we need more farmers than ever to take part, open their gates and open people’s eyes to the true spirit of the British countryside.”

Helping hand for first-time host

For Laura Cooper, her first Open Farm Sunday will be an opportunity to promote the work farmers do that often goes unnoticed. “It’s a great platform to show people that farmers need nature as much as nature needs farming,” she says.

There are few better illustrations of this than the Marlborough Downs Nature Improvement Area (MDNIA – see panel). Ms Cooper is one of 41 farmers in the scheme, restoring habitats and linking up wildlife areas across a vast tract of Wiltshire downland.

Now, a year into the three-year project, they’re keen to show local residents what they’ve achieved to date. So they’re planning a large Open Farm Sunday event and Ms Cooper’s arable and dairy farm, just outside Avebury, has been chosen as the venue.

“We’re hoping to get about 700-800 visitors. But as this is our first event, I’ve got a number of concerns. Firstly, how will we advertise the event to encourage local people?”

Gavin Davies, who manages an arable, dairy and sheep farm at nearby Pewsey, has come to offer a few pointers. He hosted his first Open Farm Sunday event last year, and showed 430 visitors around his new anaerobic digester and dairy unit.

“We found it was almost impossible to know how many would come, but targeted our publicity towards local villages and schools,” he said.

Ms Cooper is keen to invite local villagers, but not attract the large numbers of day-trippers who come to Avebury to see its ancient stone circle. “So publicity in the local parish magazine and leaflets through people’s doors and to local schools might work best,” she said. She also plans to put a banner at the end of the farm drive next to the main road.

The event itself will take place in the farmyard in front of the grain store, with parking in an adjacent grass paddock. “Another concern is whether we’ll have enough to offer visitors a good day out,” said Ms Cooper.

A number of attractions are planned in the farmyard. The grain stores will be empty – ideal for setting up stalls, especially if the weather turns wet. “I hope each farmer involved in the MDNIA will contribute, for example by providing a tractor and trailer for rides, helping with an activity or hosting a farm walk,” she says.

The plan is to bring farm animals on to the site in pens, but a key consideration is hand-washing facilities – which must be provided if visitors come in contact with the animals – and encouraging them to use them.

“At our event, we set up a tipping water trough, with pipes running cold water, then provided liquid soap and paper towels,” Mr Davies said. “To help encourage children to wash their hands, we gave them stickers we got from DairyCo – it worked really well, and wasn’t much trouble to set up.”

A tractor-and-trailer ride is planned to ferry visitors from the arable yard to the dairy unit. Ms Cooper estimates it will be a 50min round trip, including a tour of the dairy conducted by young members of the South and West Holstein Society.

“My guess is that’ll be a popular attraction,” said Mr Davies. “I’d encourage people to book places in advance.”

Next to the grain store there’s a tree-sparrow village, a wild-bird seed plot and owl box, adjacent to a field where a nature trail is planned. “These areas I hope will show people what the project is achieving,” explained Ms Cooper. “But it’s a 30ha field – a bit of a long walk for small children – and it might be a bit dull.”

Mr Davies suggested two routes, a long one round the field and a short one that just takes in the field corner. “You could do a map, and then have a quiz on the other side. They could get a goodie bag if they complete it – kids love that.”

A number of farming organisations, such as the NFU, John Deere, Country Life butter and Syngenta, provide farmers with hand-outs and give-aways that help provide more of a lasting memory of the day on the farm. The dairy unit supplies Cadbury’s, so Mr Davies suggested the farm might find out whether free samples would be on offer. “We were given loaves of bread and pints of milk to give away at our event,” he added.

There’s still a lot of planning to be done, but some of Ms Cooper’s key concerns have been addressed. “We should have plenty of helpers – various wildlife charities and nature groups involved in the project want to set up activities, and of course there’ll be the other farmers, too. This is important because we want it to be a hands-on day and a chance to meet farmers in a friendly environment,” she said.

More on this topic

Farmers planning to host their first Open Farm Sunday, who would like a few pointers from a nearby farmer with experience, should contact LEAF for details of the new buddying scheme. All host farmers can also speak to their Open Farm Sunday regional co-ordinator.