Open Farm Sunday Reflection

Open Farm Sunday in numbers

The New Year is a great time to look back at the achievements of the previous year and cast an eye to the coming year and what might be coming over the horizon.  Open Farm Sunday is always the first date that goes into our farming diary at Overbury and although our visit is quite low key and limited in numbers, it's a great opportunity to talk real farming issues to those guests who book onto our tractor and trailer rides.  Our contribution is small, but collectively our industry, when it puts it's mind to it, can achieve great things.

I had a quick look back to 2011, when it was a wet and cold event at Overbury and nationally 120,000 people visited events.  Staggeringly 2016 saw in excess of 260,000 people visiting our open farms. Some of the quotes from host farmers in 2011 still ring true today:

"highly rewarding and the feedback has been extremely positive",

"I feel really proud to talk about the food we produce and the work we do for the environment".

Those messages are still so true today.  Our food and the environment, in which it is grown and nurtured, are so important and in the coming months and years we must not loose sight of this important message.  As negotiations take place about how we exit from the European Union (Brexit) it is a matter of national importance to secure a safe supply of home produced high quality, nutritious food from a protected but managed environment.  Our countryside is under pressure from more houses, more people and more access, it's something that won't change or reverse so we all need an understanding of how our countryside works.  Farm visitors also get so much out of the events, it really is a two way conversation:

"Wow, absolutely superb day.  Thoroughly enjoyed every part and my children had a great time"

"Showed a good insight into live on a working farm"

In the great world of on-line social media to get #OFS16 trending is a great achievement and it really does help to spread the word to see what we actually do. In 2011, 362 farmers opened their farm gates.  In 2016 this number had risen to 382.  My challenge to our industry is to get out there, welcome people and get involved before it is too late.  Now is the time to add June 11th into your diary, the next Open Farm Sunday event. If you are unsure about what is involved or concerned about any aspect of becoming a host, there are free training sessions run by LEAF to give you all the information you need.  So there it is, an easy New Years resolution, host an Open Farm Sunday event, make a difference to your industry and have some fun!

Open Farm Sunday-8th June

Come rain or shine we will be taking part, along with almost 400 other farmers around the country, in this years Open Farm Sunday.  The annual event is organised by LEAF (Linking Environment and Farming) and it is a great day out for all the family.  If you are interested in having a look around a farm to see how your food is grown and how farmers look after the countryside go to the website, type in your postcode and get searching!

We are conducting guided tours around the farm, lasting for about 1.5 hours and taking in some of the tremendous views form the top of Bredon Hill overlooking Cheltenham.  We'll be stopping off at Overbury Stud to visit the horses before heading towards Beckford and heading up the Yellow Brick Road.  We will stop off to look at the arable land and how we are using different crops to protect our valuable soil and increasing the populations of earth worms in our soil.  After this it is off around the hill escarpment to look at pollen and nectar mixes designed to provide much needed pollen and nectar for all of our pollinators and recently planted wild bird food seed mixes.  These are not not harvested but left through the winter to provide valuable winter feed for our farmland birds.  Following on we will be sampling some fresh peas before returning via the Park to look at our sheep flock  then on to the village hall.

Trailers are setting off from the village hall at 9.30, 11.30 2 and 4pm.  Places are limited so you will need to call the Estate Office (01386 725111) or e-mail reception@overburyestate.co.uk 

Did The Earth Move For You?

I have been doing quite a lot of driving recently and it's been interesting looking over the hedge to see exactly what has been going on.  This year I have seen far more poorer fields than good ones, no reflection on the farmers just as a consequence of the weather we have been having.  I spotted this field the other day and it reminded me of exactly how vulnerable we are to the weather and how much damage can be caused.  This group of fields is by no means a one-off this year but I thought it would highlight the precarious position our soils, under our management, find themselves in.  The fields would be classed as a clay loam, not much sand and may be a little silt, fairly heavy but not excessive.

The slope of the field wouldn't be great, nothing to really get alarmed with, I think it was even planted with winter wheat.  At the bottom of the field there was literally tonnes and tonnes of soil that had eroded down from the higher parts of the field. With that soil would have been any metaldehyde slug pellets or herbicides that would have been applied to the field.  What highlighted this field to me, driving passed, was the soil on the road and I was staggered that so much could have eroded from a fairly benign, short slope.  I think there have been a culmination of factors in conspiracy here.  Firstly the seed bed could have been too fine, causing the soil particles to run together capping the soil surface making subsequent rain events wash over the soil surface.  I suspect the farmer was trying to get a fine rolled seedbed to negate the effect of slugs (I can appreciate that).  Secondly the cultivations were up and down the slope, very practical from a working point of view but it gave the moving soil somewhere to run.  Thirdly there could have been compaction (although I didn't dig around) that might have reduced the water infiltration rate, causing more water to run off than would have soaked in.  This could also be related to organic matter content in the soil. 

I had a think and thought about what could have been done to negate an issue like this occurring at home or anywhere where we farm on a slope.  There could have been an option to cultivate across the slope; minimal tillage would have retained the trash on the surface to intercept the rain fall, slowing it down and reducing the glazing over of the soil surface.  I also thought about a buffer strip along the bottom headland to intercept any further erosion before it enters the water course.  This year has been exceptional from a soil management point of view and we hope that years like this aren't too frequent but we have a role to play in keeping out biggest asset (soil) in the field at all time.  It's also through years like this that we learn about where our issues lie and then we have to think about how we go about solving them for the future.  There are some very real practical tips in this LEAF Simply Sustainable Soils booklet with further information on how to avoid finding yourself in a situation like this.

Nuffield and the James Hutton Institute

Well where do I start?  I have had a very busy 10 days or so continuing my Nuffield research into the 20t/ha wheat project and it has literally taken me all over the country.  On Sunday the 10th February I had a lovely 8 hour drive from Overbury to Dundee, Invergowrie actually, home of the James Hutton Institute  I was there to meet Professor Geoff Squire the following morning to have a look around the research facility and see what is going on.  I was very interested in this area, firstly as I hadn't been this far North in a very long time and secondly, the JHI experimental farm is a LEAF Innovation Centre.  Monday morning soon arrived and after meeting Geoff I headed out with Euan Caldwell, the Farm Manager to tour farm.  The range of crops and experiments fitting into the fields was incredible and the 'commercial' aspect of the farm had to fit around the experiments.  There were blueberries, raspberries, kale, swede, onions, cabbage, radish, broccoli as well as potatoes and cereals.  The JHI hosts the annual 'Potatoes in Practice' event; hats off to Euan, there is a lot going on.  I was really interested in two main aspects of the farm, firstly the Centre for Sustainable Cropping system and also the genetic work on nitrogen uptake and efficiency, as well as some interesting faba bean nodule banter with Euan and Pete!

Whilst touring the farm Euan showed me another experiment going on capturing the water run-off along tramlines.  All the water is collected (in the mini culvert above) and analysed to measure nutrient and soil sediment loss.  Different tramlines have had different treatments to try and reduce erosion.  Some cultivated, some with different tyre patterns.  All very interesting and practical experiments, aimed to really make a difference on farm.

The sustainability field trials were a really great study topic.  How can a 6 year rotation be evaluated for it's impact on the environment?  The JHI guys and gals, were trying to find out.  The project is being coordinated by Dr Cathy Hawes and involves 6 fields split down the middle with the two halves being managed in different ways.  The, shall we say conventional, half is managed with current best local practise and the sustainable half is managed in a way as to maintain crop output but with a reduction in crop inputs.  This reduction is in the way of artificial fertilisers, fuel and pesticides.  Everything imaginable is being monitored leaving the systems.  Soil movement in the different cultivation techniques, weed seed bank movement, nematode movement, water movement and even small mammal trapping to see if they prefer the sustainable farming method.  The project is in year 4 now, having had to years of straight maize (a C4 plant in a C3 rotation so the degradation rates can be monitored) and two years of the proper rotation.

Here's a view of one of the fields with a beetle bank through the centre.  It will be a fascinating research project and hopefully funding will continue to keep this going for more than a couple of rotations, i.e at least 15 years.  We need this research to measure longer term farming interactions with our environment.

The second area of interest was the work being undertaken by Dr Ali Karley she is looking into root traits for better or more efficient use of nitrogen.  In fact has the wheat breeding in the past been aimed at breeding wheat varieties that only perform well in high input, especially nitrogen, farming systems.  Ali's work is looking at finding traits that enable wheat plants to perform in lower input systems, or those traits that make the plants more tolerant of sub optimal fertility sites.  I learnt that there is about 3,000-4,000Kg of Nitrogen locked away in each hectare of soil (varies a little depending on soil types etc), mainly in organic matter and that plants are fairly efficient in the UK farming system at utilising the nitrogen we deliver through organic and inorganic systems.  I also heard about utilisation efficiency, how much of the nitrogen gets into the grain, (yield and quality implications).  I was also very interested in the work looking at root penetration of compacted soils.  Can we breed wheat plants with stronger more robust rooting systems to be more efficient in their nitrogen utilisation as well as bust through a compacted layer during difficult seasons when compaction could be a problem?

I would like to pass my thanks on to Geoff and his team for looking after me so well and sharing lots of very good information.  I fear that this may not be my last trip to Dundee!  After Dundee I headed back done the motorway to Rothamsted.......

Oxford Farming Conference 2013

Well, where do I start, a fantastic start to the New Year for me, being asked to present a paper at this years Oxford Farming Conference.  It was in fact my first visit to the Conference, held annually in the grand setting of the Oxford Examination Hall.  My talk formed part of the morning session of day two, entitled 'Technology and Innovation".  The first session started with Maurice Maloney, Director and Head of Research at Rothamsted talking about the genetic potential of wheat and where yield improvements will come from in the future.  Following Maurice was Mark Smith, Global Bovine Product Development and Production Director at Genus.  Mark spoke about how breeding genetics have increased yields of meat and milk, from cows and pigs over the past 40 years. Marks presentation can be found here After Mark it was my turn!  My subject was "Will Precision Farming Change The Face of UK Agriculture?"

If you are interested you can watch the presentation HERE and see the video I played HERE I was quite nervous for a few days before the actual talk and especially watching the two speakers before me.  But after a couple of paragraphs I started to relax and other than a few tongue twisters I managed to get through it on schedule and I have to admit I was rather pleased, and very relieved.

One highlight for me was the Frank Parkinson Lecture, given my Mark Lynus.  Mark was one of the original GM protesters of the mid 1995, wearing white spray suits ripping up GM trials.  His first paragraph was an apology to the farming audience for this behaviour and that it helped set back the ability of the E.U. and U.K. agricultural industry to explore the use of GM technology in crop growing.  Mark's lecture can be read here and I have to say that he showed great courage to stand up and give an apology as he did.

Another highlight of the previous day was meeting Princess Anne with members of the LEAF team.  We spoke about Open Farm Sunday, being a LEAF Demonstration Farm and the benefits of getting children out onto farm to learn about the way food in produced and how me manage and look after the countryside.  Her Royal Highness was very knowledgeable and we had great a conversation for 5 minutes. 

I really enjoyed the atmosphere at the conference and it was a great place to meet fellow farmers, agriculturists and others from allied industries.  I would highly recommend it to others next year, but you will need to book early as tickets are rapidly snapped up.

We Are Now a LEAF Demonstration Farm!

We are delighted to announce that we have been selected to become the latest LEAF (Linking Environment and Farming) Demonstration Farm.  We are joining a very select group of 40 farms around the country and we're very proud to be involved with LEAF at this level, showing our commitment to sustainable farming practicies.  Our official launch date is the 11th October but with invitations arriving as I write, I thought a wider announcement to Farmer Jake followers would be appropriate.

What does being a LEAF Demonstartion Farm (LDF) involve? Well it gives us a perfect opportunity to communicate with our farm visitors and local groups in a structured way how we manage and look after our farmland. 

We can demonstrate the long term vision we have for producing sustainable crops and livestock.  We will welcome more people onto our farm to talk about how we farm in conjunction with the 9 principles of Integrated Farm Management and what we are doing to increase the biodiversity on our farm.  Let's not forget though, that we are also here, providing all of this diverse enviornment, in addition to producing food for you and your neighbours to eat.  With food shortages around the world, the pressure for increased production from our limited land base supply will be great.  We have to manage that pressure while still increasing the benefits to the environment in which we live and work. It's by using the IFM principles we can achieve both of these objectives.

Agrii Agronomy Day

On the 1st May I had a really interesting agronomy meeting (day) with Agrii down near Marlborough.  It consisted of a morning session in a rather chilly grainstore and an afternoon session outside in the first bit of sunshine I had seen for nearly a month!.  I met up and had a good conversation with Stuart Alexander from Soilquest (part of Agrii ) all about using precision farming techniques to really target nutrient application.  The Soilquest system works in a slightly different way to that of SOYL who's technology we have been using since 2006 but ultimately using expensive nutrients targeted in the correct areas of the field has to worth while both from a financial and environmental aspect.

Stuart had some really great pictures demonstrating how soil changes with a field.  As farmers we have been joining fields together to get more efficiencies, to use bigger and bigger machinery.  Many of the old field divisions, such as hedges or walls, were put in place where different soil types naturally occurred and those different fields needed different applications and handling and here we are putting them all back into one area.  Now we can try and manage those smaller parcels of soil differently within the same field, which can only lead to better yields with targeted management.  However, and this is where precision farming can be a loose arrangement; if we have a fertiliser spreader or a sprayer at 24, 36 or even over 40m wide then that is currently as precise on these inputs as we can get.  When using narrower seed drills (ours is 6m) that I feel is the way to start the process off by trying to create a more even establishment of plants at the start of the year.

In addition to the Soilquest team Dr Peter Gladders was there talking about disease levels in this years Oilseed Rape crops, especially sclerotinia, which at the time were not very threatening, (cooler night-time temperatures stopping the sporilation). He also spoke about the long flowering period that we may have with  these lower temperatures that could expose the crop to risk for a longer period of time, if the weather warms up.  Therefore timings of fungicide are crucial this year as there is no 'kickback' control on sclerotinia.  Verticillium wilt was also mentioned where there is potential to build up the fungi in the soil, with close rotations of rape and certain varieties, (such as Excalibur) increasing it's occurrence from 6% of the UK's arable fields. I will be out spotting the disease later in the year, usually about symptoms start appearing as the crop is getting ready for dessication.

Finally I found listening to Phillip Marr very interesting, he spoke about the flowers being formed in the plant in mid winter (say dec on a conventionally timed crop).  at this point the crop turns from being vegetative to being reproductive and new main root development stops.  All that happens through the spring and summer is the root cells increase in size giving an appearance of growth, so root development shouldn't be hindered in the autumn with poor cultivations or poor fertility, everything is linked together and can therefore only be managed with Integrated Farm Management it's where autumn metconazole has a great role to play.

LEAF Water Management Training

Today we had a really interesting meeting with a select group of people for a follow up meeting on the LEAF Water Management tool.

From January 1st this year we have had about 55% of our annual rainfall on the farm and it is still very dry so the water training comes at a very poinient time.  We know it is a very precious resource and we need to learn how to use it wisely.

Our training today was reviewing the LEAF Water Tool for each of our farms.  This tool was launched at the LEAF Presidents Event earlier this month by Jim Paice  MP (Agriculture and Food Minister), demonstrating the importance of water as an issue.

Then we moved onto how we use our water knowledge to pass onto other farmers to become a 'Water Champion'.  This means using our skills in communication learnt through our LEAF 'Speak Out'

training to encourage other farmers to learn more about water use and it's protection.  There is much to learn about how we use water on the farm, from reducing its use or increasing the quality of the water leaving our farmland.  I will try and keep you updated on how our journey progressess, but to start off with here's a silt trap and bio bed that we have just created on the farm to do just that.  bio bed

 

Keeping H2O Low with LEAF

Last thursday I had a brilliant day with other members of the Carling Wester Growers Group at a special training day organised by LEAF  The training day was to bring to our attention the impact of water on our farms and how much we rely on this precious resource.  The aim of the day was to raise awarness of water and how it impacts our business and what we can do to try and reduce its impact.  In my farming career I have witnessed both ends of the scale when it comes to water impact.  On the 20th July 2007 we had over 140mm of rain in 24 hours and this spring (Mar-May) we only had 53mm of rain.  The discussion, lead by Caroline Drummond, from LEAF, Louise Manning (LJM Associates) and Andrew Galloway (Masstock Arable (UK) Ltd soon had us discussing in depth, the problems of too much or too little water and its effects on our livestock, crops and the environment.  We discussed how to keep water in the fields, by using minimum tillage to keep trash on the surface to slow down the run-off and reduce risk.  Correctly cultivating the fields allows water to slowly seep into the soil, hard compacted layers mean the water can't soak in and rushes off the surface taking fertiliser, soil particles and pesticides with it into the nearest watercourse.  We spoke about ways to reduce these risks, buffer strips to intercept running water, tramline placement, gate placement, stock watering areas and a whole list of other options available.  Some of these options can be put towards Stewardship Schemes or will count towards the Campaign for the Farmed Environment

We looked at weather data, demonstarting how our climate is changing, with reduced sunshine hours and increased volitility in rain fall events.  We listened to Louise talking about her trips to California where they are running out of groundwater and what's left is becoming saline.  Peru and other countries are going to run out of water (in some areas) in the next 30 years or so.  Countries exporting salad crops, potatoes and vegetables are in effect exporting water and what impact will this have in the future?

After a great walk around the farm looking at sprayer technology, machinery, irrigation we ended up with a spade in a barley field.  The idea was to dig down and try and find any problems with the soil structure that might hinder roots or water from getting into the soil, alais we found none. (Well done Ed).

The next stage of our training is to have a go at the LEAF Water Management Tool, an on-line assessment that looks at: water distrubution around the farm, irrigation, crop protection products, cleaning and transport of product, protecting water quality and domestic water facilities.  Following on from this we will be meeting again, after harvest, to find out how we have all got on, and what changes we have made to our business' as a result of the training.

Integrated Farm Management Training with LEAF

Today I am at the Royal Agricultural College near Cirencester with managers and lecturers from many Agricultural Colleges around the country. The idea of today's training is how we can use the tools developed by LEAF to educate students, of any age. Tools such as The Green Box (which Caroline Drummond LEAF - CEO is holding up), Speak Out Training, LEAF Audit, notice boards and the LEAF Marque can have a real impact on farm about getting our message across. The message is summarised with 'LEAF on every plate and every gate'.

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

LEAF Training Day Success

Yesterday was a first for Farmer Jake.  I was asked by LEAF to give a talk about blogging and twitter to a group of 10 farmers as part of a funded two day course.  The course was aimed at giving these farmers the skills and tools to host inspirational farm visits.

I was taking part in day two of the training session along with Susie and Patrick (from Green Shoots Media) who were talking and demonstrating photography and film.  This picture shows Susie going through a selection of photographs giving tips on light, shade, framing and many other tips, the paparazzi hold dear to their hearts!  I spoke to the group for about 20 minutes explaining, how I started blogging and tweeting, who inspired me and when I started.  Then the group split up for a more in depth discussion about how to blog, what skills are needed, how long it takes and so on.  We talked for a while about twitter as well, and I see a few more followers for No1FarmerJake (thanks) I had a really great morning, engaging with a wide range of people coming from different farming backgrounds.  They all had one thing in common, wanting to enhance the experience of visitors onto their farms and for that I applaud, each and every one of them.  I look forward to reading some new blogs and news from each of the farms as and when they start to appear.  Good luck everyone.

Green Light for High Level Stewardship

Some good news to share with you all in the New Year.  Our Entry and Higher Level Stewardship application seems to have ticked all of the right boxes and has been given a January 1st 2011 start date.  From this moment we are putting the scheme into operation.  It is a great challenge but it will be so rewarding, not just for us, but for the people that visit our farm, those that walk on Bredon Hill and also for the wildlife we can support, attract and encourage.  I hope that the visitors and walkers will be able to appreciate what we are doing and play their part by keeping to the public rights of way and following the countryside code 

A huge thank you to the organizations that lobbied on our behalf, those at FWAG and LEAF the NFU and the CLA also Farmers Weekly for their write up in the 29th October edition.  I would also like to thank Harriet Baldwin MP and Jim Paice MP for their support.  The only omission from our scheme is the removal of funding for our educational access visits and the open access.  These are two areas that really need support to encourage people to learn about their food, farming and the countryside on which we depend on for our living.

So it's full steam ahead, and as of this moment we have started work on our Orchard Management Plan.  Rob Howells our local FWAG Farm Conservation Officer has started mapping and categorizing the trees currently in place.  From this survey we will be able to work out a plan for planting and pruning over the next 5 years.  Later this year we will start to identify those trees and if possible start replanting trees next winter.

Here is Rob in the Cherry Orchard assessing the condition of some very old Cherry trees that could someday soon be some of the first trees to be restored under our High Level Stewardship agreement.

Autumn Rolling In

This is a view along Crashmore Lane running towards our main farm buildings.  The hedges and verges have just been very neatly trimmed, by Gordon.  The colours this year look amazing and although not particularly cold I definitely have that autumn feel.  The field work has nearly been completed.  We will start overwinter ploughing a couple of fields in preparation for salad onions and spring barley later in the week.  There is some outstanding spraying to be done, weather permitting and then the farm maintenance schedule will begin, this year we're targeting quite a lot of sheep fencing!

I have to start writing a talk that I am giving at the LEAF Presidents Event, in London on the 16th November, all about getting the most out my LEAF Membership LEAF.  A little nervous I have to say but I'm sure it will alright on the night!  After the talk I am attending a series of meetings about becoming a LEAF Demonstration Farm which is very exciting.

Big Thank You 2 You

Well done to every-one who attended and those who helped make our Open farm Sunday event at Overbury on the 1st June the best yet. We estimate that over 220 people enjoyed the detailed farm tour with many others taking in the displays in the field. The John Deere, Autotrac 8530 proved a major success with people standing in awe as it performed a twisty route around the trees, with Trevor Bolton (Chris Tallis Farm Machinery- Service Manager) sitting in but not steering the tractor. We were also supported by The Farm Crisis Network, James Meadows (Meadows Farm Shop), Kevin Minchew (Cider), James and Harry Philips, with their ducks and chickens and the NFU. For those not wishing to miss out next year Open Farm Sunday will be on June 7th! Nationally over 400 farms were open on the same day doing all kinds of activities and events, a real credit to those farmers who support LEAF and are prepared to get the message across about British farming and food production to the general public.

A Right Royal Show

These splendid examples of a LEAF employee's are Justine (left) and Val. They, along with the rest of the team work tirelessly for the charity promoting all that is great about British Agriculture and how we can communicate that fact to the general public. Val and Justine were at the Royal Show at Stoneleigh on a 'LEAF Pod' in the Waitrose stand.

I wasn't sure what to expect when I was told they would be on a 'LEAF pod'. I had visions of nightclub podiums and costumes reminiscent of an Adam and Eve fancy dress competition. The show was damp to say the least with torrential downpours. Numbers were well down on where they were last year (I expect). Many two wheel drive cars were being pulled out of the car parks onto the hard roads. It was a shame but I gather the bulk of the show has been cancelled on Wednesday for safety reasons.

At 5pm I was over at the Marks and Spencer's Pavilion adjacent to the main ring for a LEAF Royal Show Reception. LEAF had asked me to say a few words about the LEAF Marque, seen on more and more M&S and Waitrose products. The Marque is the gold standard in farm assurance. It tick's all the 'other' standard marks but includes vast requirement's about biodiversity, environment, energy use and reduction, social impacts on the community and pollution control, amongst others. Check it out on http://www.leafuk.org/leaf/consumers/ You can also look up Leaf Tracks which is a number on your produce that you can type into the LEAF site and it will tell you where that produce has been grown and give you contact details of the farmer! Now that we're LEAF Marque'd we'll be pushing our flour, whole grains, lamb and game later on in the season. I was very nervous speaking after Baroness Byford (President of LEAF), Caroline Drummond (CEO LEAF), Hugh Mowat (M&R Representative) and before Tony Worth (Chairman of LEAF and farmer in Lincolnshire)! I really did that extra glass of red after the talk! It was very successful and encouraging that a supermarket has morals and that it can deliver, through support of British farmers, real benefits to the countryside that we manage and love.

Fresherbymiles all Smiles

Today saw the second delivery to Overbury from Fresherbymiles! http://www.fresherbymiles.com/ Several customers had ordered over the Internet by Monday midday and were able to collect their locally grown/ produced goods straight from the delivery van! I was one of the lucky ones buying ham, steak, tomatoes, onions, Stilton bread and an array of other exciting nibbles. You know the best bit? I didn't have to travel to Morrison's, Tesco's or Sainsbury's, stand in a queue and be bombarded with offers all trying to extract the last penny from my moth ridden wallet!



I did buy some succulent strawberries from the van. I know the farmer who grew them so all the boxes are ticked; local, fresh, good value and grown on a LEAF farm using the LEAF Marque! http://www.leafuk.org Brilliant! Oh and they tasted terrific as well. Find out more about the tasty strawberries and single varity apple juices at http://www.hayles-fruit-farm.co.uk/

Open Farm Sunday Sucess!

Sunday 10th June saw over 200 people descend on Overbury for an Open Farm Event as part of a national campaign organised by LEAF. We were only one farm out of 400 all doing just that, opening the farm gates and welcoming the general public onto our farms. It is estimated that 50,000 were out on farm on one day. That is still not enough! The new Wembley stadium holds over 80,000 and they just turn out to watch a bunch of overpaid pre-Madonnas' kick a football about and pay handsomely for the privilege!

It was great fun taking people around in tractors and trailers answering questions about crops, sheep, irrigation satellite navigation, bio fuels etc. We were even filmed! Check out http://www.countrychannel.tv/ in the future to see the event! Also look out for 'Getting Your Oats' a programme shot last harvest. Caroline Drummond (Chief Executive Officer) of LEAF also came to the event which was a real pleasure, listening to her talk about LEAF, the charity and the Open Farm Sunday Initiative. Next year it's on the 8th June, put it in your diary NOW!

A Grand Day Out!

Bathed in glorious sunshine we held our 3rd Farm Open Day, based between our sheep sheds and the Overbury Village Hall. 350 people attended the open day and were treated to a tractor and trailer ride from the village hall, up to Park Farm on Bredon Hill where they were given a guided tour of the ewe flock mid lambing. Several groups actually saw lambs being born which they will treasure for a long long time.

The tour started by talking about the rams, which ones we use and when they are used, then we looked at the ewes waiting to lamb, before feeding a few orphan lambs and looking at some of the farm equipment on display.
After the tour was finished the tractor took our visitors back down to the village hall where refreshments, lamb casserole and home made lamb burgers could be eaten. There were displays there from SOYL http://www.soyl.co.uk and also local produce for sale from our neighbouring farm shop, (Meadows Farm Shop at Bredons Norton). Rod and Paul, the game keepers provided an insight into their profession and a look at some of the animals and bird they have contact with on a day to day basis. A big thank you to all of those people who helped organise the day and made it the success it was.
It was a really hot day but worth all of the effort, we'll be doing it again on the 10th June 2007 when we will be taking part in the 2nd LEAF (Linking Environment and Farming) organised 'Farm Sunday' http://www.leaf.org.uk

Farm Sunday 10th June 2007

Just some advanced warning about LEAF Farm Sunday on Sunday 10th June 2007! I have just booked the trailers from Robbie's farm at Over http://www.over-farm-market.com/.

I have hired two this time to target 224 people this year! (or a few more if demand is there)

Do book early as last year we ran out of spaces. There will be some static stalls and demonstrations at the village hall in Overbury. You will have to ring the office on 01386 725111 to book your valuable seat.

If there are any potential sponsors out there, don't be shy! Any volubteers to sponsor the porta-loos?