‘People say cows are milked by robots. They have visions of androids going round, doing the work,’ Rob Kynaston, a dairy farmer in Shropshire, says, ‘but it's actually some very clever tech that’s made my life a lot easier and made the cows a lot happier.’ If, at the beginning of reading this, you envisaged an RD-D2-type character at udder-level, worry not. You’re not alone. We, as a nation, know almost nothing about farming. Which is why it’s great that Open Farm Sunday is back.
The annual event where farmers open their gates to visitors returns for its 19th year on Sunday, June 8, and hundreds of farms across Britain will be taking part. The national initiative, managed by LEAF (Linking Environment And Farming), means visitors will be able to meet their local farmer and get a better understanding of how their food is produced. They will also be able to enjoy a variety of activities — from tractor rides, to meeting farm animals — making it a great family day out to boot.
Shockingly, this is not how cows are milked in 2025.
Rob Kynaston of Great Wollaston Farm.
‘I think people have a vision of farming not being that advanced, still being very old fashioned, very labour intensive — which sometimes it is,’ Kynaston, of Great Wollaston Farm, says. ‘But there is fantastic technology coming onto the farm, and it's making the welfare of animals a lot better as well.’ Correcting common misconceptions is a big reason many farmers give for participating in the event.
‘Farmers have got a bit of a bad reputation at the moment,’ Lucy Farrow, the assistant farm manager at Worth Farm in South Lincolnshire, says. ‘I think it's important that the public come and visit a farm because, within the news, it's only the bad headlines about farming which get the attention,’ she adds. ‘It's a great opportunity for people who don't live in the countryside to come onto a farm and actually see what goes on.’
Kynaston agrees: ‘I think farmers haven't been very welcoming in the past. To be honest, there's always been this kind of thing of: “Get off my land”. I think the farmers ought to be saying: “Get onto my land now and have a look.”’ Farrow thinks a greater interest in farming from the general public would have benefits beyond simply reputational — namely, boosting the economy. ‘Everyone's struggling at the moment with the price of everything. Sometimes people do buy cheapest over British, unfortunately. But, if they see the care and attention that we actually put into day to day decisions around the farm and how we grow our crops, they'll see that we have got the general public's best interest at heart.’
Neil Donaldson, the commercial director of Hall Hunter Partnership, which farms berries, says: ‘We encourage people to get in the lorries and the tractors and have a go on the blueberry harvesting machines. And we get the kids involved in using all of the machinery too. Then people understand what's happening — they understand what goes into creating a punnet of strawberries when they go into their local supermarket.’ He describes events like these as ‘essential’ for the British farming industry's survival. ‘Because otherwise, if people don't value farming, they won't necessarily put their money where their mouth is.’
For Jake Freestone, the farm manager at Overbury Enterprises, increased awareness about farming is vital for making the industry more sustainable.
Neil Donaldson of Hall Hunter Partnership.
Jake Freestone at last year's event.
‘Love him or loathe him, Mr Clarkson has done a fantastic PR job for farming,’ he says, referring to Jeremy Clarkson’s Amazon Prime series Clarkson’s Farm.
‘There's quite a long supply chain between the fields that the produce is grown in and the supermarket shelves, and that supply chain is also quite digital,’ he adds. ‘So, you know, you can press buttons on an iPad and your shopping arrives at your door. There's nothing in there that remotely indicates how that is grown, and the processes and the level of skill that you need to be able to produce all of these different food products.’ For Freestone, Open Farm Sunday is a chance to help change that.
Jeremy Clarkson took to farming like a pig to muck in Clarkson's Farm.
Annabel Shackleton, the Open Farm Sunday manager at LEAF thinks it’s crucial that people buy more British food. ‘By understanding the passion, the work, the skill and the technology that's gone into producing that food, it actually makes you feel more connected. And so the public will support British farmers more and hopefully buy more local produce, which is good for the planet and good for us as people.’
The event is open to all types of farms, many of which will be LEAF Marque certified, — clearly visible on their product labels — which means that they have demonstrated their commitment to farming practices that support nature and the environment while producing food responsibly.
Open Farm Sunday will take place on Sunday 8th June. Find your nearest farm and start planning your visit or register your own farm to take part on their website.
A look back at Open Farm Sunday 2024
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