Open your farm

Read our LEAF Open Farm Sunday Information Pack, it's full of useful information that might ease your mind a little before registering your event!

Are you farming in Wales or Scotland? We have pages designed especially for you to see what your local farmers are up to.

There's a whole host of case studies to offer confidence, from small events to huge ones, first time farmers to the experienced. Take a look at our farm walks and talks booklet to get some activity ideas for your event!

And don't forget, a member of the LOFS team is always on hand to help and support if you need it!

One of the first things you need to do is register your event. This makes it an official LEAF Open Farm Sunday event, offers you access to everything we speak about below, and most importantly, means visitors can search for your event on the LOFS website so they know where their local farm is to visit on the day!

• It’s easy to do and FREE of charge
• Once reg­is­tered, you will receive a link to the LOFS handbook. You can also select to have a printed copy sent in the post if you would like!
• The LOFS team are available to chat at any point if you need any support or have any questions.

When running a LOFS event, LEAF support you in as many ways as possible. One of those is by supplying loads of resources to help you promote your event, but also for the running of the event on the day!

The majority of LOFS resources are free. A few incur a small charge for delivery or for supplementary items.

• Posters, fly­ers, post­cards and road­side banners are useful to help promote your event.

• Name badges, direc­tion­al arrows, infor­ma­tion posters, activ­i­ties and hand-outs for visitors, alongside a LOFS polo shirt are all useful on the day of your event.
• Visit the shop to order these items, or if you wanted to print some of the resources yourself, you can find them in the downloadable resources section.

What is available to visitors on the day of your event is completely up to you. We always suggest collaborating with other industry experts and your neighbouring farmers, this makes things more varied for the visitors and helps them to understand just how broad the agricultural industry is, but also takes the pressure off of you so you can enjoy your day that little bit more!

• Book your agron­o­mist, vet, local bee­keep­er and sup­pli­ers to help you tell your farm­ing story
• Ask neigh­bour­ing farms, Young Farm­ers, Scout Asso­ci­a­tion and oth­er local organ­i­sa­tions for support

Read the Host Farmer Handbook - you'll receive a link to this once you have registered. It contains all the information you'll need to run your LEAF Open Farm Sunday event, including Health & Safety, activity ideas and how to begin planning!

We have a number of case stud­ies written by expe­ri­enced host farm­ers, who share their experience of opening their gates - have a read and see their top tips to help plan your event.

We have produced a series of webinars to help walk you through a few aspects of planning your event. It's worth setting aside a few moments to watch these, we might answer some of your questions.

Speak to your LEAF Open Farm Sunday Ambassador. We have a team who cover all of Britain who are more than happy to talk you through the process and share their experiences of LEAF Open Farm Sunday with you. Pick up the phone or drop them an email.

As we've mentioned before, your event is run by you, to suit you and your farm. Weather it be a large or small event, farm walk or machinery display.

Things you need to consider when it comes to planning:

• How many vis­i­tors you would like? Plan accord­ing­ly – refer to the hand­book for help.
• What do you want to show people? Are their any hazards that should be avoided such a slurry pits / chemical stores?
• Where might people park?
• Who's going to help!
• Read up on our Health & Safety information.

The final thing to do is promote your event.

• Use the resources mentioned above
• Put posters and flyers up in local shops, markets and schools
• Put up a roadside banner for those driving past
• Spread the word over digital communications and social media
• Double check your event has been registered and is visible on the 'visit a farm' section of our website!