Open Farm Sunday attracts 230,000 visitors

No less than 361 working farms in Scotland, England and Wales opened their gates to crowds eager to learn more about farming and food production and the important role of farmers as custodians of the natural environment.

Early figures suggest that more visitors from an urban background took part in this year’s activities, with numbers also up on those who were visiting a farm for the first time.

Events took place from the Channel Islands to Shetland, ranging from informal farm walks to self-guided tours, tractor-and-trailer rides and large-scale educational events with organised activities and local stallholders.

Commenting on 2019’s results, Open Farm Sunday manager Annabel Shackleton said: “The overwhelmingly positive response from both farmers and visitors has again illustrated the power of linking the public with farming. Our farmers have been blown away by the calibre and quantity of questions from visitors about environmental practices. It's inspiring to see so many taking an active interest in how their food is produced and choosing to connect with farmers.

“We are so proud of the positive impact of these events and we shouldn’t underestimate the deeply rewarding experience that they offer visitors. As well as the important opportunity for open dialogue between farmers and the public, many visitors commented on how much they appreciated being welcomed onto farm and the space and freedom to enjoy the countryside in safety,” she concluded.

In what has been reported as the highest level of public engagement on record for Open Farm Sunday, it was fitting that the number of farms hosting in Scotland were up 22% on last year, with 24 taking part and a few more still to host events this weekend.

Opening their busy farm to the public for the first time was the Gray family at Smeaton farm, East Linton in East Lothian. Father and son team Kenneth and Philip run a 450-acre mixed operation, growing wheat, barley and potatoes as well as looking after a fold of Highland cattle and a flock of Ryeland sheep.

Daughter Helen Gray has returned home to the farm after living abroad for 15 years and was extremely keen to open up the farm and educate the public on their way of farming: “My brother and I feel strongly that children need to understand what is happening in farming and how much work we put in to producing food, as well as the stewardship of the countryside. A lot of people don’t have the opportunity to get up close to the farming world and with a lot of misinformation going around based on farming practices elsewhere, we feel we are trying very hard to do responsible farming and want to educate the public on that,” she explained.

On the day itself, Smeaton opened its gates to over 750 visitors who were able to share in a full farming and wildlife experience comprising of tractor rides to visit the animals and see the crops, a fantastic display of vintage and modern machinery and the opportunity to join in wildlife walks and try their hand at nature crafts in the education tent on site, plus much more. Visitors were also able to enjoy delicious goodies in the tearoom in the walled garden, explore the nursery garden and sample produce from the local area.

“It was a huge team effort and we were blown away by the support we received from our neighbours, friends, locals and numerous organisations,” Helen continued. “When we first advertised the event RSPB sent us a message saying they wanted to get involved and sent a local volunteer who came along and helped the kids make bird feeders. We also had an education tent with various information on farming and children were able to take part in crafts such as colouring in and badge making – some even tried their hand at making a bug hotel,” she said.

Smeaton farm is also an example of integrated farming, with a relatively high percentage of their land dedicated to woodland. When people arrived at the farm on Sunday, they were given a map of the different trees on-farm and were encouraged to take a walk around the lake and surrounding arboretum. East Lothian wildlife rangers were also on-hand to offer children wildlife tours with details on the local insects and lichens.

“The children were really engaged throughout the day and we were extra lucky with the weather that they were able to enjoy walking round the different activities,” Helen explained. “We have received wonderful comments from people saying how much they have learnt and were amazed to discover how far people had come to visit us – some travelled as far as 40 miles. We will definitely look to take part in the event again next year,” she concluded.

Another busy event at Caledonian Estate near Kirkintilloch saw a fantastic turnout of around 500 members of the public attending their second LEAF Open Farm Sunday on their East Cadder farm.

Caledonian Estate is located on the outskirts of Bishopbriggs, under five miles from Glasgow, which provided a real opportunity to welcome visitors from an urban background and demonstrate how farming works and the benefits it offers to wider society.

On the day, visitors took part in a range of activities and live demonstrations including; machinery, livestock and arable cropping displays; Police and Fire Brigade and a sheep shearing demonstration. They also had the opportunity to watch a gundog display and a variety of forestry demonstrations as well as learning about estate maintenance. Auchinairn Forest School was onsite to work with the kids and they could also take part in pony rides from the local riding for the disabled group.

Richard Oliver of Caledonian Estate commented: “We were thrilled to host another successful LEAF Open Farm Sunday on Easter Cadder Farm last weekend. There are many individuals, organisations and groups involved in the day-to-day running of the Estate and this was very apparent to all the visitors at the event. Their hard work and commitment is the reason the land remains so well utilised, and the Estate’s survival depends on them and this in turn benefits the local economy and community.”