Discover what it means to be a farmer in Norfolk

Sunday 9th June is 'Open Farm Sunday'

Author: Lauren WattPublished 9th Jun 2024

You can find out more about being a farmer in Norfolk today (9/6) as part of 'Open Farm Sunday'.

Since the first Open Farm Sun­day in 2006, over 1600 farm­ers across the UK have opened their gates and wel­comed over 2.7 mil­lion peo­ple onto farms for one Sun­day each year, including a number here in Norfolk.

It's an oppor­tu­ni­ty for every­one, young and old, to dis­cov­er at first hand what it means to be a farmer and the fab­u­lous work they do pro­duc­ing our food, enhanc­ing the coun­try­side and all the goods and ser­vices farm­ers provide.

Each event is based around the farm’s indi­vid­ual sto­ry, we spoke to Rebecca Mayhew at Old Hall Farm who said it's important that people know the person producing their food and how it's produced:

"Farming practices have changed a lot and they are undergoing massive change at the minute and I think it's really important for the end consumer to be involved because after all if they don't like how something is made or grown then they should have a say at grassroots level and the only way for them to do that is to get out on farm land and understand."

Gressenhall Union Farm are also welcoming people onto their farm, Fiona Ashley said:

"We are all about access at Gressenhall, we want to make sure that people get access to our shared cultural history and heritage. So any opportunity we get like Open Farm Sunday mean we can remove barriers and make access possible for more visitors and different audiences that come to visit us throughout the rest of the year."

Activ­i­ties dur­ing the day may include a farm walk, nature trail, trac­tor and trail­er rides, demon­stra­tions, pond dip­ping, activ­i­ties for chil­dren, a mini farm­ers mar­ket or farm shop.

To find a farm opening it's gates close to you today (9/6) visit the 'Open Farm Sunday' website.

Hear all the latest news from across the UK on the hour, every hour, on Greatest Hits Radio on DAB, smartspeaker, at greatesthitsradio.co.uk, and on the Rayo app.