Hundreds Of Families Enjoy Open Farm Sunday At Agricultural College

Families across East Yorkshire and beyond turned out in their hundreds to find out more about the world of farming at Bishop Burton College.

The agricultural college, near Beverley, held its Open Farm Sunday event, in partnership with LEAF (Linking Environment and Farming), at the weekend.

Around 1,500 people attended the event, which was free to enter and included a wide range of family-friendly activities, all designed to help people find out more about life on a working farm and how farming benefits the environment.

These included tractor and trailer rides around the College’s 360-hectare farm, animal feeding experiences, sheep shearing, sheep dog and milking demonstrations, as well as heavy horse displays.

The event also showcased the use of modern technology in farming, including drones for crop evaluation and tractor simulators for helping train the farmers of the future.

Jeanette Dawson OBE, Chief Executive and Principal of Bishop Burton College, said: “It is always wonderful to open up our campus and our farm to the wider public.

“This is the second time we have held Open Farm Sunday and it really is a fantastic event – helping to raise awareness of farming and how it benefits the environment, as well as giving families a really enjoyable day out.”

The event featured numerous country craft and farmers’ market food stalls, with funds also raised for R.A.B.I (Royal Agricultural Benevolent Institution), which supports farming people of all ages if they are in financial difficulty and of limited means.

The East Riding and Yorkshire Young Farmers’ Stock Judging competition also took place at the College and its catering outlets provided a variety of offers, including farmhouse brunches and lunches made using locally-sourced ingredients and Bishop Burton meat.

Bishop Burton College is a Centre of Vocational Excellence for Agriculture, delivering both further education courses and degrees. It also delivers a wide range of other courses in subjects including sport, equine, animal management, engineering, construction, floristry and environmental studies.

The College was recently chosen as the host venue for the highly prestigious FEI Pony European Championships in 2018.

To find out more, visit www.bishopburton.ac.uk.