Fun-tastic Farm Day at Open Farm Sunday 2016!
Sunday 5th June 2016 saw 460 people flock to Lower Treginnis Farm in St Davids for Open Farm Sunday 2016, arranged by Blas y Tir (Puffin Produce) in partnership with charity Farms for City Children, the first Open Farm Sunday held by Blas y Tir!
The free event on the most westerly farm in Wales drew in families from as far as Cardiff, looking to have their chance to learn more about farming and the environment. As well as providing free samples of our delicious Pembrokeshire Earlies to all who attended, we also allowed children to experience picking their own Pembrokeshire Early potatoes.
This is the first time Blas y Tir has enabled children to try picking their own potatoes, and they loved it! Getting their hands dirty trying to find their very own Pembrokeshire Early potatoes was a great success, we’ve even had some photos on Facebook where children have helped cook their dinner using the Pembrokeshire Earlies they have picked!
At Puffin we are passionate about looking after our environment and keeping farming sustainable, and the Blas y Tir Sustainability Station was very popular, with families able to learn more about different soil types, bugs and creatures that help crops grow and the benefits of composting!
Families were also able to take part in the ‘Blas y Tir Treasure Trail’, which ran from Lower Treginnis farm to Porthlisky Farm, owned by Robin Elliot, a commercial potato farmer who grows Blas y Tir Pembrokeshire Earlies for Puffin (among other varieties of potatoes).
AHDB Potatoes were also in attendance, with their UK-wide potato marketing team, who made their first appearance at an Open Farm Sunday in Wales, on the 10th year of the national event. With so many activities to do on their fun potato trailer, children loved learning more about potatoes in a fun and interactive way. The trailer makes its way round lots of national events, including various county shows, agricultural events and fun days. With lots of information on board the team aims to teach children about eating healthily and being sustainable, and is part of the ‘Grow Your Own Potatoes’ scheme which provides schools with free potato seed to allow children to experience growing their own food.
Thank you to all who came and supported the day, and especially Dan and his team at Lower Treginnis Farm, Farms for City Children, who allowed all visitors to get involved with feeding, milking and interacting with all the animals on the farm. We are looking forward to planning ahead for next year!