AN Open Farm Day will be held at a popular visitor attraction later this year.
Wheelbirks Farm in Stocksfield will welcome visitors to see behind the scenes of its farm and ice cream business at its annual Open Farm Day on September 30.
Run by fifth-generation farming brothers Hugh and Tom Richardson, the farm's pedigree Jerseys are the oldest established and only pedigree herd in Northumberland.
Lucinda Richardson, Tom's wife, manages the business's popular ice cream parlour which was established in 2010.
The parlour sells award-winning ice cream, milkshakes and luxury ice cream desserts.
The event will run from 10am until 5pm and the parlour will be open to sell homemade food, drinks and ice cream.
Lucinda said: "The Open Farm Day gives visitors a chance to meet the cows and see where we make the ice cream.
"We only have 20 cows which is a really small herd, and we practice ethical farming. Less than one per cent of all dairy farms in the UK are ethical farms. That means the cows live a lot longer because we only milk them once a day. The biggest difference with ethical farms is that we keep the calves with their mums," Lucinda said.
Cows live for approximately five years on commercial farms.
"We've got a cow who is 16 and another who is 13. Once they stop producing we don't cull them, we just keep them going.
"The only reason we can do what we're doing with ethical farming is because we've diversified. If we didn't, we wouldn't be able to do this.
"It's nice to know when you eat something, it has come from happy, well-looked-after cows," she said.
The farm day offers tractor and trailer rides with farmer Tom providing commentary on a ride around the Wheelbirks Estate.
Visitors can also see inside the milking parlour where cows are milked daily, while there will be a bouncy castle in the Orchard.
"Tom takes visitors to see the crops we grow and they can feed the cows. We believe in being transparent, promoting buying food locally and educating people about farming and the countryside.
"It's a way of celebrating what we do and informing people about it," Lucinda said.
The walking tours, guided by Hugh, are free, and the tractor rides are £2.50 for children and £3.50 for adults.
Car parking and entry are free to the Open Day.
The business asks no food or drinks to be brought from home.
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