Farmers share their experiences in activities day

FARMERS who are part of the Oxfordshire Chilterns Farm Cluster say they have faced a tough season after tackling dry weather.

Open Farm Sunday, a national initiative, was brought to Market Place in Henley on Sunday, hosted by Nettlebed Farming Club.

It was an opportunity for visitors to meet farmers and understand how food is grown, as well as the challenges they face.

They could also learn the process of how bread is made from wheat, milk a plastic cow and sit on a stationary tractor.

Children’s activities included quizzes, making an origami tractor and exhibiting farm animals, including Vicky the cow, sheep and lambs.

A raffle also took place to raise money for the Thames Valley Air Ambulance.

David Passmore, who owns 500 acres of land in Ewelme, helped to organise the event. He said: “There’s a whole raft of things going on at the moment, from fertiliser taxes to inheritance taxes, commodity prices and the driest spring, which are restricting farmers.

“Open Farm Sunday has been going for years, which is an initiative by the farming industry to get people out on to a farm to learn how the food is produced, see what we do and maybe feed some animals.

“Over at Nettlebed Farming Club, we decided to take a farm to a town, because some people here wouldn’t think about going to a farm. There’s an increasing disconnect between people living in towns or cities and the countryside, so it’s good for children to come up and sit in a tractor or milk a cow. This encourages people to understand the countryside more and what’s going on.

“We’re still here and keen to promote the positives of farming, despite all the restrictions we’re facing. We’ve had loads of people here who are interested in what we do, which is encouraging to see.” Stephen Doble, a fourth-generation farmer with more than 1,200 acres at Shiplake Farm, remains positive despite facing weather issues and government uncertainty.

He said: “We all work very hard but our goal posts are constantly changing due to changes in government.

“I’m in a multi-generational business and it has become very hard to farm. It’s the driest it has been in 100 years but we can somewhat cope with that because we’re used to it.

“What we don’t want is to take a bashing from the government with more regulations and less support.

“The fact that our families have done it for generations shows they have made it through those challenges, so we can too.”

James Hayes, a farmer at Goulders Farm in Cockpole Green with more than 200 acres, said: “Farmers are a resilient bunch and we know the challenges. You live in optimism that the next year is going to be better than the previous, so you keep pushing forward to make those marginal gains. They’re really keen to have butterfly and bird surveys to know what they’ve got and to be able to manage them within their farming system.”

Henley MP Freddie van Mierlo said it was an enjoyable opportunity to support struggling farmers.

He said: “It’s fantastic to have farmers here in the heart of Henley. It’s a brilliant day for families to come along and learn more about our farming community and what important work they do.”