Open Farm Sunday: Which farms can you visit in Yorkshire this weekend?

It takes place tomorrow, Sunday June 11, with 11 farms from across Yorkshire taking part.

Another farm had opened its doors and gates a fortnight ago as part of the event, which has seen more than 1600 farm­ers across the UK take part and 2.7m visit farms for one Sun­day each year since Open Farm Sunday started.

Each event will be unique, as each farm is dif­fer­ent but may include guid­ed farm walks and nature trails, bug hunts and soil pits, trac­tor and trail­er rides, dis­plays of mod­ern, high tech farm machin­ery and a chance to see farm animals.

At Hazel Brow Farm in Richmond people will be able to see some of the animals which include goats, sheep, cattle and al pacas but the event will also focus on nature friendly farming with a nature trail walk around the farm to see what has been done to attract wild-life and habitats.

Joe Everitt works for the Yorkshire Dales National Park Authority (YDNPA) on the Tees-Swale: Naturally Connected Programme. It is a partnership between the YDNPA and the North Pennines Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty Partnership to work with farmers to restore, improve and connect habitats.

The YDNPA and Hazel Brow will be working together on Sunday to show the work that has been done at Hazel Brow by the farmer.

Mr Everitt said: “The farm at Hazel Brow is a visitor centre and they host activities for families and school trips.

"But alongside that, it is a working farm and is a really nice site in Swaledale where there is farming in a nature friendly day. We decided the focus of our Sunday will be nature friendly farming and hope to show people a bit about it.

"There is a nature walk around the farm and people can learn about the different wild-life on the farm. We have barn owls, hedgehogs and woodpeckers and habitats for wading birds.”

Analysis of last year’s Open Farm Sunday revealed that 85 per cent of visitors said it had increased their trust in British farming and 79 per cent had learned something new about British food or farming. More than half the people surveyed said the farm visit had positively changed their opinion of food production or the farming industry, 72 per cent felt farming was adapting to help combat climate change and 49 per cent said the visit had inspired someone in their group to consider a career in farming.

Further to that, 81 per cent said that as a result of attending they were doing things differently such as buying more local produce and using farm shops.

Mr Everitt added: “It is a great opportunity to bring people who don’t know that much about farming into it and see what farming is like and what a farmer does on a day to day basis.

"We are also hoping to get families and young children in so they can see where food comes from.”

Curlew Fields Farm at York, Forest Farm at Holme on Spalding Moor, Forest of Flowers at York, Lawns Farm at Morthern, Living Potential Walled Garden at Wetherby, Low Swainby Farm at Bedale, Loxley Valley Community Farm at Sheffield, West End Farm at Leyburn, White Quarry Farm at Tadcaster and Wildon Grange at Coxwold.

Rock House Farm at Bedale opened a fortnight ago.