This year Alan Hunter, Longfield Farm will be taking part in Bank of Ireland Open Farm Weekend for the first time. Click here to find out more information about his farm.
Name/farm name: Alan Hunter, Longfield Farm
Tell us about the farm’s background and how you got into farming.
My family has been farming at Longfield for over 50 years. After completing 3 years at Harper Adams Agricultural College I returned to work on the family farm and now have 35 years’ experience.
Originally, Longfield was a dairy farm, we then converted to lowland beef production and now we mostly concentrate on arable production.
What type of farm do you run? (e.g. dairy, poultry, equestrian etc)
Longfield Farm is a mixed arable farm, selling early potatoes at the roadside; wheat and barley to local feed companies; willow woodchips for sustainable fuel and leasing grassland out on a seasonal basis. The farm also uses any wood produced from the trees to heat the house.
What products would you produce on your farm?
We produce cereals, straw, new potatoes, willow woodchip, kindling and firewood on the farm. We also store lambs in late summer to sell on to processors in the New Year.
Tell us about the process involved in creating this product ‘from field to fork’.
As well as storing lambs we grow cereals and new potatoes in our fields. The cereals are then sold on to feed mills around March of the next year. Our potatoes (Home Guards, British Queens and Kerrs Pink) are harvested and sold at the roadside during July and August. The kindling and firewood grown on the farm is processed and sold once dried.
What awards/successes have you achieved, if any, for the products you supply?
Over the years we have achieved several awards for our agri-tourism self-catering enterprise.
What values do you think an initiative like Bank of Ireland Open Farm Weekend brings to the agri-food industry?
Bank of Ireland Open Farm Weekend is a great way to bring people with a genuine interest in farming and food production to the heart of where it all happens.
Many people in Northern Ireland drive past farms on a daily basis without really understanding what it takes to run a farm and what is growing in the fields. I believe Bank of Ireland Open Farm Weekend is an excellent opportunity for local farmers to showcase their great work and educate the public and the next generation on the ‘Farm to Fork’ journey.
What made you interested in participating in Bank of Ireland Open Farm Weekend?
Being located adjacent to the main A2 carriageway, which is only 6 miles from the city of Derry, we felt locals who pass by regularly might be interested in what we do on the farm. Longfield Farm is ideal for visitors as it is compact and all in one block, making it very accessible.
What plans do you have for activities on your farm during Bank of Ireland Open Farm Weekend?
During the weekend we plan to conduct tours around the farm yard, allow visitors to walk through the farm and look at the different crops growing in the fields and will hopefully have a number of mountain bikes available for cycling tours, using our internal farm roads.
We also hope to have our firewood processing and kindling machine set up for demonstrations.
What do you hope to achieve from taking part in Bank of Ireland Open Farm Weekend?
My wife and two sons will be helping out, meeting and greeting visitors. As a family we hope to highlight to the local community exactly what we do on the farm and showcase our work in an interesting yet informative way.
