FARMERS across Cheshire will be opening their gates to the public on June 13 for Open Farm Sunday.
The annual event, organised by LEAF (Linking Environment and Farming), offers anyone who is interested in food, farming or the countryside the chance to meet the farmers who grow the nation’s food and see how they care for the countryside.
The day could include a tractor and trailer ride, an opportunity to see sheep being sheared, cows being milked or even chicks hatching. There will be farm walks and nature trails organised and plenty of tractors and tools on show.
Open Farm Sunday, now in its fifth year, helps the public discover and understand the story behind their food, and the dedication and skill of farmers who produce it.
Regional co-ordinator for the North West, Huw Rowlands, said “This is a really great way of reconnecting people with where their food comes from.
“Over time, farmers have become more isolated and it’s a great way for them to show people what goes on over the hedgerow.”
Huw, of The Grange, Rowlands’ Red Polls, on Warrington Road in Mickle Trafford, is expecting up to 1,000 visitors at an action-packed day planned in conjunction with the Cheshire Wildlife Trust, Cheshire BTCV, Trafford Mill and Kitchen Garden, the RSPB and North West Falconry.
The event will be run from the Nags Head, Bridge Trafford, where there will be a variety of displays and stands, and a special menu featuring Red Poll Beef, reared at Huw’s farm, will be on offer.
David Rowlands will conduct guided tours of the farm lasting about an hour and a half, and there will be tours of the Grade II listed Mickle Trafford Water Mill with Malcolm Padmore.
Falconry displays will take place with Andy Cook at the Shrewsbury Arms, Mickle Trafford, where a traditional Sunday roast will be on offer.
BTCV will be working in the Trafford Mill Community Kitchen Garden, and there will be activities with the Cheshire Wildife Trust and the RSPB on the farm.
Another Cheshire farm that will be opening its gates is Chestnut Meats, Radmore Green Farm, at Spurstow, Tarporley. Visitors will be able to go on a farm walk and see the herd of kid goats, nannies and billies, pigs and beef cattle. There will be tractors to sit on, children’s activities and barbecued sausages and burgers for sale.
Manager of Open Farm Sunday, Tom Allen-Stevens said: “Holding an Open Farm Sunday event is a very rewarding experience. It’s a fantastic opportunity for farmers to engage with their local community and communicate the excellent work they do to produce the food we all eat.”
This will be the fifth Open Farm Sunday and more than 450 farms across the country are expected to open. To find out which farms are taking part, visit the website: www.farmsunday.org.
