There’s still time to find the nearest farm to you that has thrown open its gates (and fields and barns and tractor sheds…). Check the LEAF website here to find your nearest open day, grab a pair of wellies (and maybe an umbrella) and take the kids for a fun couple of hours exploring the farm.
We opted for Rawston Farm – our nearest, and also home to our farming columnist James Cossins (and our other farming columnist George Hosford was driving the tractor for the trailer rides!), plus the Love Local, trust local awards which we’re so proud to be part of.
It was our first time at an Open Farm, and we were amazed at just how brilliant it was – there was so much going on! Even as you park in the field there is an array of enormous farm machinery to get up close to, and tractors bimbling up and down offering rides in the cab.
Inside the barns there were stands from local food and drink producers – it was great to catch up with Meggy Moos Dairy (the milkshakes!) Book & Bucket Cheese, Little Waddon Vineyard, Barbara’s Kitchen (the chilli jam!!), and Tarrant Valley Honey. We also chatted to the Damory Vets team, spent quite some time gazing in adoration at a litter of three week old Oxford Sandy and Black Piglets with their mum Peaches as we caught up with breeder Lillie Smith, who we featured back in April.
The tractor & trailer rides are not to be missed, as they include a fascinating introduction to the farm from knowledgeable and interesting ‘tour guides’.
Since the first Open Farm Sunday in 2006, over 1,500 farmers across the UK have opened their gates and, collectively, have welcomed 1.8 million people onto their farm for one Sunday each year.
Each LEAF Open Farm Sunday event is unique. Activities range from machinery displays and tractor & trailer rides through to demonstrations, nature walks and much more. At each farm, visitors are given the chance to discover what it means to be a farmer, how food is produced and how the countryside is managed. Simply check the website and find your nearest event – farmsunday.org/visit-a-farm
