Open Farm Sunday
We speak to Open Farm Sunday founder Ian Pigott about how the event has continued to grow and inspire people across the country
Ian Pigott is Managing Partner of Thrales End Farm and Business Centre on the Hertfordshire-Bedfordshire border, a short distance from London and Luton.
The business’s location has given Ian an opportunity to widen knowledge and understanding of farming and other agricultural industries among those more familiar with urban settings.
“Before I returned to the family farm, I worked in the City,” he says. “I couldn’t believe the disconnect between the reality of British farming and its perception among my peers in London. The portrayal of British farming in the media was persistently negative and yet British farming did little to positively enhance its reputation.”
He sought to redress the disconnect via a Nuffield Scholarship, researching the inclusion of agriculture in curriculums around the world.
One country he visited was Denmark, where he learnt about an initiative on the outskirts of Copenhagen: a group of dairy farmers opened their doors on a Sunday in August, welcoming the public to see what happened on their farms.
Open, honest and vulnerable
Through his relationship with LEAF Education (Linking Environment and Farming), Ian planned to bring a group of UK farmers together to open their farms to the public on a given day.
“We needed to wrestle back ownership of our identity with a really positive media story of farming – farmers coming together and celebrating the industry,” Ian recalls.
“Importantly, it needed to be apolitical and work for farms of any shape and size. Telling their story and being open, honest and vulnerable. That was how it started.”
Since 2006, 3.5 million people have been to visit a farm as part of Open Farm Sunday. “I’m really proud of how British farms have responded and, importantly, it has had sustained support from a lot of media channels,” says Ian.
“It has been name-checked by the King in the past, mentioned in Hansard, and has often formed part of the storyline in The Archers.”
Showcasing rural careers
There are many success stories where young people have been inspired by an
Open Farm Sunday visit. Ian is passionate about supporting the next generation and is eager to demonstrate career opportunities in the farming and rural business sectors.
“It’s important to help young people recognise that there are so many different roles within the farming and food supply chain,” he says. “You don’t have to live on a farm or have access to a farm. You don’t even need to own a pair of wellies. There are varied roles appealing to different skillsets but still closely connected to the sector. There’s something for everyone.
“We do a lot of work with Key Stage 4 children, so GCSE level, around food preparation and nutrition. We’re making young people recognise that if you’re interested in food, you could be a buyer, an analyst or you could work in product development – roles that are affiliated with farming but don’t actually involve working with livestock or growing crops.”
However, Ian believes the agricultural sector is not always the best at showcasing career opportunities: “Ten years ago I was involved in an initiative across the agrifood and farming industry aimed at addressing the shortfall in young people coming into the sector. It was clear that the greatest barriers were a lack clear career progression, single points of entry and a stigma of being for the less able.
“The other challenge was that most within the industry saw it as someone else’s problem to pay for it. People want this pipeline of bright young people coming into the sector, but they think that it’s for Defra, or the Agriculture and Horticulture Development Board, or for someone else to fund it.
Every sector is struggling to attract the best and brightest
“In agriculture, we suffer from an outdated belief that a glossy story about how technical we are will sell the career opportunities,” says Ian. “But that’s a given. Every industry is struggling to attract the very best and brightest, whether they’re civil servants, builders, the armed forces, police or medicine. Everybody’s fighting for the best people. You can’t just expect people to want to get into agriculture – you’ve got to make it happen.”
Now 20 years on, Ian believes Open Farm Sunday remains a first-class opportunity to increase awareness and inspire people about agriculture:
“There’s never been a more important time to share your story with your local community. Having your neighbours understand the business you’re running is invaluable. You are in control of your own messaging. So to that end, Open Farm Sunday is a platform that is made for you.”
Take part in Open Farm Sunday on 7th June 2026. Find out how >