On Sunday 7 June, hundreds of farms across the country will be opening their gates to welcome the public for the tenth Open Farm Sunday. This annual event organised by LEAF (Linking Environment And Farming), offers a great way for people to find out more about where their food comes from, talk to the farmers who produce it and get up close and personal with the countryside.
So if you haven’t visited a farm lately, put the 7 June in your diary and find out about the story behind our food. Meet the farmers who grow the wheat and oats that go into our breakfast cereals and bread and look after the cattle and hens that produce our milk and eggs. Talk to them about how they rear the meat that goes into our Sunday roasts and sausages and see first hand how our fruit and vegetables are grown.
A visit to a farm on Open Farm Sunday is guaranteed to be packed with a host of different experiences. When did you last hear a cow moo, a pig grunt or a sheep baa? How long since you walked across a field and took time to look at all the wildlife that live there, like the bees and other insects that pollinate the crops, the birds that nest in the hedgerows and the worms that help to look after the soil? As well as producing our food, farmers are responsible for managing the countryside and all the wonderful wildlife that lives there.
Find out which farms in your area are taking part.