The organisers of The Bank of Ireland Open Farm Weekend are hosting a special one off training and information event at Greenmount College this Thursday, the 29th May.
Based on their own experience and the experience of the farmers who have taken part in the previous two years of the initiative, the organisers will share ideas, tips and ‘best practice’ examples of how you can run and promote a successful event. The information evening is designed for both farmers new to the initiative and farmers who took part in previous years who wish to share their own experience or learn from the experience of other farms.
Barclay Bell, Deputy President of the UFU said, “The experience of our 2012 farmers was invaluable in making last year’s event such a resounding success and I know the skills and experience learned for the 2013 events will prove invaluable to our new farmers for 2014.
“But this event isn’t just for farmers new to the initiative. Last year we saw some great ideas from farms, demonstrating real creativity in promoting their farms to their local community and getting across the ‘field to fork’ message to all of their visitors. This event will be a fantastic opportunity to share all of those ideas in a relaxed and open forum.”
Guest speakers will be available from the Bank of Ireland Open Farm Weekend steering committee, NFU Mutual and the Health and Safety Executive to allay any concerns you might have about welcoming the public on to your farm.
The event organisers will also talk you through how to promote your event to your local community and how to better get across the field to fork message to your farm visitors. Materials such as plastic signage to direct people to your farm and teaching aids such as farm storyboards will be available for collection on the night.
While the evening is primarily designed for this year’s farmers to get information and ideas for their events on 14th and 15th June, the organisers are keen to encourage any farmers who are considering taking part in The Bank of Ireland Open Farm Weekend in the coming years to come along to hear more about the initiative.
