Open Farm Sunday – “a great opportunity for farmers to open their gates and welcome visitors onto their farm to discover the world of farming” – took place today and unsurprisingly Lincolnshire had lots of opportunities for people to “find out about the story behind our food and how farming affects our everyday lives”.
We opted to visit Uncle Henry’s in Grayingham and were rewarded with a tractor ride with commentary, animals to wave to, the chance to sit behind the wheel of several large machines and main ring displays. We certainly weren’t the only ones to enjoy the day as the glorious weather may well have meant that Uncle Henry’s opened its gates to many more people than predicted.
The emphasis may have been on cultivation but there were plenty of wild highlights too.
I got excited when we spotted a few web-footed visitors making their way towards the entrance from the car park.
I was also glad to note that the farm’s mini beast visitors are treated to excellent hotel accommodation should they wish to stay for a while.
And we later learnt how the farm dedicates small patches of its land beside its crops to being patches of wild flowers or areas specifically planted to support bees.
The event even had a dedicated Nature Zone which included a woodland walk. Woodlands are definitely my favourite habitat but, as a certain person was protesting the fact we didn’t wait in the pony ride queue at this point, I didn’t have the chance to wander down its paths. I was therefore pleased when the tractor ride we took near the end of the day included part of the farm’s 30 acres of woodland, which we were told offers shelter to creatures including songbirds, rabbits, foxes, woodpeckers and even a couple of deer every now and then.
It seemed very appropriate as we’d just signed up to a family membership of the Woodland Trust at the charity’s stall. The membership includes a Nature Detectives welcome pack with passport, stickers, bookmark and activity booklet – hopefully it will arrive in June and will provide us with another #30DaysWild activity!
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