Open Farm Sunday "Visitor numbers fall by a fifth"

[petergittins]

https://www.fwi.co.uk/farm-life/open-farm-sunday-2019-visitor-numbers-fall-by-a-fifth

Hope everyone had a good time that did manage to get out and visit some farms for Open Sunday (before it rained too much).

Only managed to visit two myself. The first one was a community run (small farm) in a school which I enjoyed. Not something you see too much.

The second was a little disappointing and seemed to be dominated by trade as opposed to opening up their farm and showing that public about what farmings really about.

What were everybody else experience of it that attended or hosted?

 

[LincsLongwool]

There was a local farm, Uncle Henry's which was interesting, they had lined up a pea harvester and much more.

Didn't seem to be much of a trade talk, which is understandable as they are a public farm and you can buy sausages and other food there and they are regularly open to the public anyways.

 

[Poorbuthappy]

Place my daughter helped out at saw 1700 visitors- up from 1000 the previous year. So their experience didn't reflect your linked article.

 

[petergittins]

Place my daughter helped out at saw 1700 visitors- up from 1000 the previous year. So their experience didn't reflect your linked article.

Excellent. Must have been a great farm to visit

 

[Brisel]

I hosted a small event. Numbers were up slightly on previous years at 186 but we don't have a big capacity, many helpers and there's a much bigger one just down the road that had over 1200. We had trailer rides & a static machinery display so people could climb into the cabs. A local grain merchant had posters & tubs of seed, plants etc to see what we grow, how we grow it & what it is made into.

There's no set formula for what you have to show or not show. It is down to the individual host really.

 

[upnortheast]

Farm near here had 1500 compared with 1800 last year. Probably weather related

 

[Brisel]

The number of visitors dropped off sharply when it started to rain at 1pm! When it's a free event & most don't have to book, they will react to the weather conditions I suppose.

 

[Bald Rick]

TBF anything over 10 is a result. It shows the interest there is in farming and hopefully goes some way to countering the negative stuff the media revel in

 

[vantage]

We were up in Gloucester and called at Hartpury’s event. It was heaving ,well organised and enjoyable.