We have always welcomed visits to Sparkenhoe Farm and have hosted school visits for many years. You never tire of explaining to a group of children where their milk comes from and how it’s used to produce great tasting cheese. LEAF’s Speak Out training, available to members, gave us some great tips on how to tell our farming story, answer tricky questions and get some media coverage! LEAF also produces several handbooks which are packed with ideas on activities to help us put on fun and engaging visits.
One of the spin offs of doing the LEAF Audit was that it reinforced our policy of buying feed locally – we buy field beans and wheat from neighbours. By using field beans and vastly reducing our reliance on imported soya, we have helped the local economy, reduced our carbon footprint and maintained efficiency. We also believe that we produce better cheese from milk produced from cows fed on field beans.
"There is an ever widening community of LEAF members – like minded farmers looking for innovative ways to move their businesses forward. We’ve met some really inspirational characters, who may be useful to know one day."
We have also attended a number of regional LEAF technical events, member’s events and the annual conference. Our network within the farming community has definitely increased and we’ve met people we would not have normally come across – at one event, we even met BBC Masterchef host Greg Wallace!
Become a member today and benefit from technical days, members events and speak out training!