FARMERS across the country, including Cumbria, took to social media for the first ever LEAF Online Farm Sunday, with thousands of consumers joining them on virtual tours of their farms.

The idea was to give the public a chance to see and hear directly from the farmers themselves about all they do for the environment and to produce the food we eat.

The day marked the planned date of LEAF Open Farm Sunday, when hundreds of farms should have been opening their gates for what would have been the 15th LEAF Open Farm Sunday.

Due to Covid-19 restrictions, the annual celebration of farming is now scheduled for Sunday, September 20, with farms dotted around Cumbria joining in.

Low Bankside Farm at Cartmel, Grange-over-Sands, has already signed up for September to give visitors the opportunity to meet and treat Bankside Boer goats.The family-run farm produces suckler calves and prime lambs. They have a small herd of traditional and rare breed cattle used mainly for conservation grazing. They direct sell beef and lamb and use a balance of traditional and modern farming methods with conservation in mind.

Low Stanger Farm , St anger, Cockermouth is offering tours of hay meadows. The farm started restoring the traditional hay meadows in 2009 with support from Cumbria Wildlife Trust and Natural England. They specialise in organic fruit and vegetables, but also grow wheat, which they mill for bread flour, as well as having a small herd of Aberdeen Angus cows. The farm has been managed under a Higher Level Stewardship Scheme since 2009.

Susan’s Farm, Houghton, Carlisle provides visitors with an opportunity to visit an organic farm and see sheep shearing, English Longhorn calves, goslings, lambs and bees. There will also be an opportunity to visit Susan’s Farm new education building, and a display stand from Cumbria Organic Gardeners and Growers. The farm has been undertaking education and care farming for thousands of visitors each year.

Against a backdrop of stunning British countryside, consumers were invited to join farmers from Cornwall to the Isle of Arran and Northamptonshire to Pembrokeshire broadcasting live on the LEAF Open Farm Sunday Facebook page – with a new farmer going live each hour from 8am – 8pm. Just as with LEAF Open Farm Sunday itself, each virtual tour was different and every farm had something special to offer – it was evident that all who took part have an equal passion for farming, caring for the environment, and sharing their stories.