We held our 'Open Day' in September this year and again, we saw 500 plus visitors who enjoyed a tractor/trailer farm tour, pig roast and numerous displays and competitions.

Visitors were able to see some of our 500 breeding sheep and fat lambs, Gloucester Old Spot breeding sows, piglets and grower pigs; and also a pen of young turkeys loaned to us by Peach Croft Farm from whom we source our geese and turkeys at Christmas.

A key attraction was our recently extended butchery where sausage making, butchery demonstrations and a 'guess the length of the sausage' competition took place.

The children had fun guessing the age of an old Ferguson tractor, counting the spots on a pair of piglets and naming two new Charollais rams.  The chance to lamb a life size mock up ewe proved very popular!

Rural exhibitions included the Oxfordshire Bee Keepers Association, Fir Tree Falconry with their birds of prey and a 'Ploughing Through the Ages' demonstration. This showed visitors how ploughing has progressed from a single furrow horse plough, through tractor ploughs to big 16 furrow reversibles and how during the century one man has progressed from ploughing one acre a day to around 60 acres in one day.

Visitors came from far and wide including Germany and the USA. One of them commented: 'It was a really enjoyable, informative and inexpensive day out'.

Competition answers and winners (first correct entry drawn):      Age of the tractor (April 1954): Brian Dodwell, Barford St Michael. 

Weight of the pig (62.5kg): Joan Todd, Deddington. 

No. of spots on piglets (29): Christopher Nelson, Bodicote.

Length of the sausage (719cm):Claire Shepherd, Brackley.

Name the 'new arrivals'(Archie & Alfie): Cubby Brett, Barford St Michael

We are pleased to announce that our event raised £300 for Katharine House Hospice which we are sure you will all agree is a very worthy cause - many thanks to all those who generously purchased a raffle ticket.

The first three winners out the hat were: Mrs Baker-Pike, a Wootton Stores customer, who won the top prize of a Peach Croft free range turkey. Mr Grenfell, a Woodstock Farmers' Market customer, who won the Hawk Walk from Fir Tree Falconry and Mr Purbrick, from Bicester, who won a bottle of whisky!

We would like to thank everyone who helped make the day lots of fun and a great success.