Farmers and growers are poised to open their gates for a series of Open Farm Sunday events that provide people with an unforgettable day out down on the farm.
Open Farm Sunday, which takes place this year on 12 June, is co-ordinated by LEAF (Linking Environment and Farming) and is actively supported by the NFU. The event helps people learn how farmers care for the countryside while producing safe, wholesome food to world-class standards. Visitors can also find out more about how to buy British, thanks to the NFU.
West Sussex NFU chair Dominic Gardner from Patching, near Worthing, who is among those taking part, said:
“Open Farm Sunday is a great event and a wonderful opportunity to meet farmers and find out more about where food comes from.
“Visitors can see our crops, cattle and sheep up close, and enjoy a tractor and trailer tour of the stunning landscapes we look after.
“We can tell people all about our care for the environment that is carried out on a landscape scale by 30 or so farmers within the Arun to Adur farmers’ group.
“West Sussex growers are also among those opening their nurseries to show people the production of British tomatoes and ornamental flowering garden plants that brighten our lives.”
The Arun to Adur group is actually holding its event on 3 July at Applesham Farm, Coombes, Lancing, BN15 0RP to avoid a clash with the South of England Show.
Sharing the story of milk, from field to fridge
East Sussex NFU chair Peter Appleton is among those opening his family-run dairy enterprise at Parkwood Farm, near Polegate, BN27 3QL. So too are the Griffin family of Briddlesford Lodge Farm, Wootton on the Isle of Wight, the Lacey family at Lane End, High Wycombe, in Buckinghamshire and Brixey’s dairy, in the New Forest, among others.
Fruit farms such as The New Forest Fruit Company, at East Boldre, in Hampshire, will help people to learn more about how strawberries are grown, helped by beneficial insects. Mixed organic farmers, the Bennett family of Sandy Lane Farm Shop, near Thame, in south Oxfordshire are also taking part.
Visit A Farm - Open Farm Sunday