Open Farm Sunday 2010 - What a success!
Fantastic team work from farmers across the country, together with support from the food and farming industry and stakeholders, all contributed to make LEAF’s fifth Open Farm Sunday (13th June) a great success.
420 farms opened their gates welcoming 184,000 visitors. Support for this annual event came from the highest level with Defra ministers Caroline Spelman, Secretary of State for Environment, Jim Paice, Food and Farming Minster and Lord Henley also attending events.
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Download the full report with all the details on results, what the visitors thought and what the host farmers got out of the day.
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Every year tens of thousands of people get great pleasure in visiting a farm on Open Farm Sunday. They come to simply enjoy the countryside or to learn more about where their food comes from. The events are unique and individual, and at the centre of every one is the farmer - a huge THANK YOU to all those farmers, and to the thousands of helpers, who ensured Open Farm Sunday 2010 was a great success.
And of course thank you also to the many people who visited a farm and took the time to tell us what they thought. We have some valuable suggestions on how to take things forward and make Open Farm Sunday 2011 even better. We also have some great feedback and truly heart-warming messages from many visitors. If you were one of them, thanks - it means a lot!
Finally, here's a date for your diary - Open Farm Sunday 2011 takes place on June 12th. Look forward to seeing you!
Here's just a taste of what people thought:
I had no idea what to expect, but it was brilliant, everyone who worked on the farm was friendly and chatty and we learnt so much. The children learnt even more. It was so much better than going to a farm that is set up for visits and full of ball pools and the like, this was how a farm is and should be. My little boy especially enjoyed watching the cows being milked and seeing where the grain was stored, he was amazed. Such a wonderful day. Well done to everyone at Rowley Farm.
I took my husband and two children aged 1 and 3 we all had a fantastic time and watched some sheep being milked, tasted some lovely new foods and had a truly wonderful day. What a fab idea, we are looking forward to next year when we will try to squeeze in two farms!
We had a wonderful time at the farm, and we loved learning about the conservation that was being put into practice on the farm, especially in regards to the wildlife. Even the horrendous rain didn't spoil our wonderful afternoon.
Took 2 young boys and we had a great time. They loved being able to climb up into the farm machinery especially the combine harvester. Very well organised, the staff at the Sutton Estates were very helpful and friendly and everyone was out to make sure that a great day was had by all! Really enjoyed it.
The diversity - opportunity to see and touch animals, speak to wildlife experts, farm manager, farmers and to explore and enjoy the countryside. Craft stalls, games, ice creams. Lovely refreshments, super people. Can't speak highly enough.
Having never been lucky enough to visit a working farm our children were amazed at being able to get up close to all the animals and machinery, what an experience for all of us. We enjoyed lovely farm fresh burgers and ice cream and were able to purchase potatoes fresh of the fields and lovely fresh eggs. Would recommend this event to all our friends can't wait for next year.
It was simply stunning. I visited Scobbiscombe Farm, South Devon, just up the road from me. I do know it well, but went in order to report back to the local newspaper for the village news. Lots of families enjoyed seeing & learning about all the different animals etc & were even treated to a display of sheep-dog handling -- very impressive! Also, as a teacher in Sheffield for about 20 years, I visited Whirlow Hall Farm on a regular basis with my classes - a wonderful experience & they may supply further ideas for you.
Wonderful learning activity -fantastic day for all the family to enjoy together - very informative -knowledgeable friendly staff passionate about their industry and free! very well done great day @ Marsh Farm Nettlecoombe Dorset
Very informative and entertaining visit to Hafod Y Llan - all staff were very friendly and knowledgeable - had a fantastic time despite the rain! Thanks very much
Visited Silcock farm in Tenterden with my 7 year old daughter thoroughly enjoyed the day very good hosts and answered questions sensitively but honestly...bravo
We loved it, a beautiful place everyone was really friendly and the produce was excellent, the strawberries were the best I've ever had, the homemade lemon marmalade is great too - we had a wonderful time and a great place to visit! To all at Pill Farm, Trevilla thank you very much!!!!!!!!!!
Fantastic day out. An eye opener. My son really enjoyed the day. Will definitely do it again next year and bring the rest of the family.
We had a really fantastic day and we were so glad we went on the guided walk - it was great for the kids too. They loved playing with the haylage, hiding in the long, wild margins of the fields and the shire horse and wagon ride and tractors were a real hit. A great deal of effort had gone into the day - we were really impressed.
Excellent national initiative
Great to be able to buy some produce (sausages)
Three generations were in our group and we all enjoyed it (inc the cake!). Everyone was helpful and friendly
Fabulous idea!
It was good to see young animals and to have labels explaining about their rearing and future use. For the children there were a range of enjoyable activities. I particularly enjoyed a very peaceful self-guided farm walk which was clearly marked and with helpful labels.
"Fabulous idea...Was very well organised and lots to do and see.
Will definitely be visiting again"
Fabulous idea and great set up! Can we have it twice a year please????!!!!
I was very impressed with today’s visit and my children had a brilliant time. thank you.
Great day spent with family
Thanks very much to the farmer at Shawcroft Farm near Ashbourne, we enjoyed our day out at the farm.
The tractor tour was wonderful I can't walk far now so rarely see "hidden" countryside these days. The farmer and family were superb - and so proud and enthusiastic. I heard about it on the Archers
Loved it!
We all really enjoyed it though was a little concerned about the road access. The walk was very good and informative. My daughter (8) described it as 'fantastic'. Thanks to all who made this happen :-)
Today was absolutely brilliant and an excellent experience, would really love to go again next year or if it were available, sooner.
this was our first time going to this event , but it won't be our last because we had such a lovely day with the pony trekking and the nature walk. Thank you for a great day out
Do them more often - seasonal events would be good so that you could observe the farm in its various 'stages' throughout the year.
I went to Beauvale Abbey Farm and had an ace time. animals, history, abbey runs, crafts, produce, tea and cake. Very friendly people, well organised, thoroughly enjoyed and will definitely go to these in future.
Had a wonderful day, it sparked off the interest in my 10 year old who now wants to find out more!
Excellent events, good to let general public see what farmers are doing.
We had a very nice visit to the farm and we all enjoyed every minute especially my daughter enjoyed it when they milked the cows.
The farm chosen was a small family-run organic operation and we were able to share the enthusiasm for the caring, responsible way of life. Would like to see more farms of greater variety join in the future in our locality.
Great idea for people to get close to animals & meet people in the farming industry & support British farmers
It has been a really good day. I have a 4 year old who had a ride (at a cost) on a tractor, seen and fed guinea pigs, hens and cockerels, been in a play area with swings and climbing frames. She has seen lambs, a shire horse, tadpoles, water mill - at Sacrewell Farm and this was ideal for someone of her age and a good introduction to a farm. Thanks
It was good that animals had been "imported" to supplement the resident animals and that ride-on toys were provided for kids with flagging interest .
Would be great to do it more frequently eg quarterly
"We visited Middle Farm, Cheriton, which had a really well thought out event - plenty to see, do, lots of hands-on, loads of friendly knowledgeable people to answer questions etc. Really good. An extra improvement would be clear information about LEAF, and how, why the farm is involved and what it is trying to achieve, and indeed why farmers should have environmental concerns and incorporate it into their production. I only know a little about the scheme via working on the MAFF Link IFS project from 10 years ago, so could do with more readily available in-depth info. So as well as the individual info boards & leaflets relating to milking/bees/wool production etc. there could do with being something that bring it all together, explaining about general farming and LEAF practice in particular.
Anyway, it is an entertaining and informative day out for both adults and children, and this farm did very well.
BTW - I heard about OFS specifically from The Archers, and was prompted to then Google for info about it!"
12.00pm to 6.00pm for us was a very good afternoon which we will do again thank you
Had a great day out at Little Baxted farm and one near willows Green in Essex. The farmers were fantastic. Very welcoming and informative. Loved all the hands-on activities and quizzes for the children. BBQ at Little Braxted... delicious!!
An excellent day-the kids were educated of what happens on farm and how it can help the local environment. Very enjoyable
Thought that it was well organised and my daughter who is 3 really enjoyed it
Very well organised event and we thought the farmers and the staff we all very pleased to have us about there farm
Took along my 6yr old daughter and my parents (3 generations) all of us really enjoyed the afternoon. The tractor ride around the farm was described by my daughter as awesome .... will definitely visit again another year.
We had a great time and my 2 1/2 yr old daughter was able to meet lots of animals and in particular saw a sheep being shorn.
Went along with daughter and granddaughter of 6 yrs. An excellent afternoon out enjoyed by all.
Fantastic day out - another at Harvest time please, and next year could they be run over a whole month, so we can visit more than the two that we could only fit in today!!
We loved the tractor rides so did my two kids and the grandparents!
Superb farm staff friendly
We visited Middle Farm in Cheriton. It was the best farm open day we have ever attended and the Cheyney family provided both entertainment for all ages and excellent information on there farming practices. A brilliant day!
Fantastic opportunity to see behind the scenes - wonderful and thoughtful presentation by local farming community
I visited mill farm at oxton and it was fantastic all the staff were very polite and helpful and the demonstrations of shearing were great .
My two sons thoroughly enjoyed climbing on and sitting in the farmer's tractors. My older son liked watching the sheep shearing demo.
First time visiting. Really enjoyed it. Looking forward to next year please! Well done - keep up the good work!
Fab time had by all the family
"We have two small children (3 years and 8 months), and so looked online for farms that are close to home, entertaining, and small in size.
BURRELLS FARM: Very welcoming and very organised. Loved the wide range of hands-on farm activities! Educational. Lovely picnic area. Care taken to make area safe for children. We'll be back next year :) WYSIPIG: Always a winner if you like tractors and piglets."
Maybe have the event a couple of times of year. Thoroughly enjoyed it and looking forward to next year's event.
Helps you to understand how hard farmers work and their non financial motivation
We went to ASGARBY, SLEAFORD. Especially liked the Tractor ride - very informative talk given by onboard farmer. Brilliant demo of sheep shearing took place, and Blacksmith on site. Would have liked to see/interact with many more animals.
Great deal of effort to staff the event my four year old loved it.
We went to Woodfields Farm Common Drift, Gressenhall, Dereham where the reception and helpers were excellent - a real education and thanks to Andrew and all
Great interesting afternoon
Had a great day, local produce, local crafts, local producers, animals, machinery & lots of laughs.
We visited Middle Farm in Cheriton and were really impressed by the cleanliness of the farm in general, the facilities on offer today and the very high standard of all the products we tasted and bought.
Wonderful for children. they were most impressed by pond dipping. only thing was we found out about it more by accident . there was no local advertising or roadside signs for the farm we went to with more advertising more people would have come, but anyway was a wonderful day for children and adults. we will look out for it next year
This is a great event and very valuable for families everywhere. We would have liked to find out more about the farm we visited such as what it produced. We will definitely be visiting a farm next year!
Fantastic day for all the family very informative extremely sensible prices on everything being sold i.e. poultry ,ice cream ,tea cake etc. THANK YOU VERY MUCH
We had an excellent afternoon at the Crichton Royal Farm, Dumfries. Very well organised! Thanks to all
Tractor ride at Beadlam Grange was brilliant!
Our visit to Shotford Farm, Harleston was fantastic, informative and fun. Thanks to all concerned
A great day out for all the family - we had an amazing time! Perfect and thanks to everyone who made the day possible.
Great Sunday family afternoon. Friendly atmosphere. Interesting and informative. Thanks.
My 4 year old daughter had a fantastic day today and really enjoyed all the activities. Staff were friendly, helpful and more than prepared for working with young children. My compliments to them all!
Love it and look forward to it every year, everyone is so passionate about what they do and the kids love it.
I think OFS is a fab initiative, this is our fourth year of visiting farms (a different one each year) and we have learnt loads on every visit. A really good day out, educational, informative and enjoyable.
Denhay Farms, Bridport - A very friendly, professional and informative afternoon.
Went to Middle Farm in Cheriton which was great - loads for the kids to do and they had made a huge effort - my two year old was fascinated by it all. Well done!
It was a very interesting day, a well put together lots of things to do and see, something for everyone. We went to Hopes Ash Farm, Hope Mansell, Ross
I took my son along to his first farm after being told about your event by a friend. Having spent my holidays on a farm either with my Grandfather or working as a Student it brought back nice memories. It also reminded me of how hard it was working on the farm, thankfully it was sunny so I was able to block out the chasing cows around fields in the cold rain memories...My 2 year old son had a great time riding/sitting on the tractors and looking at all the animals. I can't thank you enough for organising the day and Newbottle Estate Farms for letting us in and doing such a great job.
A delightful experience which took me back to my youth when as a youngster I spent summer holidays working on a farm. I am now 60 and still think I'm a kid. Little Braxted Hall Farm....Fantastic !
The farm we went to, Middle Farm in Cheriton, Hampshire was incredibly well run, educational, and such good fun. Many thanks
After hearing about farm Sunday on the archers my wife and I took our grand children ( 6 and 1). We had a fantastic day , thanks to Markswell Farm Tideford Cornwall
A really great day out and such a special event to shout about all the wonderful things farmers are doing out in the countryside
Please can we have more events like this we learnt so much in just a short time. My son said it was the best day he had been to !!
I took my 3year old daughter to Blackberry Farm in Devon - we both had a wonderful time. My daughter had the opportunity to feed calves, tickle pigs and stroke lambs.
We visited 2 very different farms (Burrells Farm & Northdown Orchard) both of which were excellent, very well organised with plenty of activities for the children. An excellent educational day out, please pass on my thanks
Great fun and educational opportunity. Would be great to make outreach effort to city and town folk.
We went to Rowley Farm in Bucks. Only discovered the event by accident by reading a poster at the local Country Park in the morning. And decided to return that afternoon to visit the farm. We especially enjoyed seeing the cows being milked and wondered if it would have been possible to try some straight away, or would it have to have been pasturised first? The tractor trailer ride was fun but could have done with making the trip in reverse so that on the way back I could see what was behind me on the outward run
We would like to thank Middle Farm in Cheriton for a fantastic day, brilliant for the family all the volunteers from the children to the adults were great and very helpful and pleasant - so a big thank you to you all for a very brilliant and well organised day out.
We had a fantastic day! Pennyhooks Farm was wonderful. My 2 and 4 year olds both enjoyed themselves. They loved patting the animals, feeding them biscuits and riding the tractor. We are looking forward to next year already!
We went to Annables Farm in Harpenden and I would just like to say an enormous thank you to everyone who organised and helped out on the day. What a brilliant event - we loved it, the kids loved it. The farmers had so much time for questions. Really well-run by people who clearly love what they do. Fab, we'll be back next year.
I think it is a brilliant idea & gives people an insight into what our farmers do & all the hard work that is involved. It's also a fun day out with something for everyone!
We just went for the afternoon but will go for picnic lunch next time and spend more time there.
I took my daughter to Beech Hayes Farm in Churchinford. The day was great with so much to see and do. Our guide from Natural England was very engaging and informative. Looking forward to next year’s event. Keep up the good work.
Thank you The Royal Veterinary College @ Boltons Park Farm!! My 10 year old son and I had a lovely and interesting 1.5 hrs on your farm. We know all about milk production now!! Would have loved a little more interaction with the animals, say a sheep and cow for the kids to make it an extra-special visit.
We read about farm Sunday in our Marks and Spencer Staff magazine. It great a great day out and learnt a lot
I really enjoyed Woodfield Farm, the tractor tour, was a friendly and lively tour and was able to get on and off, thank you
We visited Annabeles Farm nr Harpenden. It was a very enjoyable day.
We were made to feel so welcome at Hampden Bottom Farm and all the guides were extremely knowledgeable and interesting and pitched their talks at exactly the right level.
Liked relaxed atmosphere, good beef burgers encouraging me to use the farmers market stall more, nice stalls, and folk singer made me feel hippy again.
An absolutely brilliant day out. Everyone from my three year old to my mum had an excellent time. So nice to be able to do something fun and educational without having to spend a fortune! My son enjoyed using the forklift and potato picking and I thought the bees were very interesting
Took the grandchildren and had such a wonderful day out which was FREE and we all learnt so much about farming.
Really enjoyed our day. Also met some really good contacts who may be able to help me start a small business
We enjoyed the opportunity to take our children along to learn about farming and food production
My family and I had a great visit to Monneley Farm, Smiths Green, Barthomley, Crewe. We greatly appreciated the effort the farmer had put in to putting together a great display, and enjoyed our tour of the facility. We'll definitely be going back next year!
Excellent Idea!
We attended event at Offley Hoo Farm, Hitchin, Herts. Event was very well organised, with plenty to do. Particularly enjoyed the guided farm walk.
We were really impressed with the event, and were pleased to have so many different farms to pick from - we would certainly attend any future events
It was a great day out for the family!
It was really educational, not just for children but for visitors of all ages. Thought it was very well planned and managed and it was a very fun day!
Rowley Farm was a great day out and the farmer was lovely and very informative.
Thank you to both Worth Farms and Thompsons for putting on a great event - not just for kids (although that's why we were there) but great for our industry. Thanks again.
My 2 yr old boy loved it and was so excited with all the tractors and getting to have a ride in the trailer. It was a fantastic afternoon and the only reason my knowledge of food/farming didn't increase was because I was trying to calm an excitable 2 yr old who had the best time. I would definitely go again if the opportunity is there. Thank you!
I went as part of a three generation group and we all found something interesting and enjoyable. The younger generation found plenty to keep them busy and learning in ways they did not realize, returning to things several times. The bees on display were of particular interest and we all learned things we did not know. The youngest loved the containers of grains & seeds and the animals especially lambs just hours old. The weather allowed us to have a picnic and the whole time was happily filled. It must take a lot of organization to provide this one day but we as a family were very pleased to be there. Thank you, we will look forward to going again.
it was by chance we went to Beadlam Grange Farm shop in North Yorkshire and we were invited to join the farm tour, it was a great day!
Excellent Day. Super walk with excellent info. Maybe the talk wasn't too good for kids although the tractor ride was. difficult to get it right for 3 yr olds and 63 yr olds! Hampden Bottom farmer was a really caring man (didn't meet him) for the countryside.
Took grandchildren (12 & 13) to Rodway Farm, Cannington. They loved it (so did we) and didn't want to leave. Would like more similar events
I attended Allington Farm near Grantham with my 3.5 year old daughter. We both enjoyed ourselves and found everyone very informative and friendly
We all enjoyed the day out. We would like to visit other farms throughout the Summer - is there any farms that could be opened on other Sunday's throughout the year?
Although we now live in a very rural area we have never experienced being on a farm from inside if you like. We live and walk and drive past fields every day but it is was very different from being on the farm and seeing just what goes on and all the work involved. It has certainly opened our eyes about farming and food production.
Excellent event. Thank you Thank you and Thank you. Keep going and would like to visit again in 2011.
It was a great day out and our two year old loved every minute of it - slept like a log in the evening! It was great fun but also had the educational side to it with the stands providing some very interesting information ranging from cereal production to bumble bees.
We really enjoyed our time at Swithen's Farm, Rothwell. It's very local to us so will be going again. Our toddler daughter thought it was brilliant!
I live on a farm estate, and visited a different farm, it was lovely to see how other farms operate.
Our boys (aged 10 and 8) loved it - they got to feed lambs and handle the small animals