OPINION: "Open the farm gate, muddy the public's trainers and change how they see farming"

As LEAF (Linking Environment and Farming) encourages farmers to open their gates for Open Farm Sunday on June 7, Farmers Guardian's editorial director Olivia Midgley reflects on the quiet but powerful influence such encounters can have on the public

clock • 2 min read
OPINION: "Open the farm gate, muddy the public's trainers and change how they see farming"

Last weekend offered a reminder of the value of opening the farm gate to the public. At a school on the urban fringe of Banbury, Oxfordshire, which runs its own 47-hectare teaching farm, a two-day lambing...

To continue reading...

Already a member? Login for full access.

Login

New to Farmers Guardian? Register for 1 free article per week or become a member for unlimited access to essential farming news and insights.

article-img-580x358

 

More on Farm Life

Rural poverty 'overlooked and misunderstood' by policymakers, report finds

Rural poverty 'overlooked and misunderstood' by policymakers, report finds

Without a deliberate shift towards rural-aware funding, workforce planning and service design, rural disadvantage will deepen: accelerating skills drain, weakening local economies, eroding community resilience and undermining public confidence.

Chris Brayford
clock 19 March 2026 • 1 min read
Spirited sisters unite through grief and grit to run Cheshire mixed farm

Spirited sisters unite through grief and grit to run Cheshire mixed farm

After the loss of their father, sisters Fiona and Alison Wilshaw stepped up to run their family farm in Cheshire

Danusia Osiowy
clock 19 March 2026 • 9 min read
Farmers' IHT fight continues as court told Gov 'acted unlawfully'

Farmers' IHT fight continues as court told Gov 'acted unlawfully'

Tractors descend on Royal Courts of Justice as eleventh-hour campaign to halt family farm tax begins

clock 17 March 2026 • 3 min read