"Do cockerels lay duck eggs?" and other strange things Yorkshire farmers have been asked by the public

But now, as well as providing affordable getaways to some of Britain’s most beautiful surroundings, farm-based holidays are also leading to other benefits for visitors and farmers alike.

By staying on farms, people from non-farming and urban backgrounds are getting a first- hand glimpse into farming life and how the food they eat is produced, leading to a greater understanding of the industry among the public and a greater appreciation for the hard work farmers carry out to produce food.

Rob Scaling runs Cliff Farm Holidays in Sinnington, North Yorkshire, alongside his wife, Hannah.

The couple combine managing a suckler herd of continental crosses and Stabiliser cattle, 120 acres of arable and 70 acres of grassland with a 32-pitch caravan site, glamping barn and two static caravans.

He said: “A lot of sites advertise themselves as a working farm and when you get there all they have is a couple of alpacas and some chickens. Very rarely do people get the chance to stay on a proper working farm like ours to see how it works.

“Our washing up area overlooks the yard and we’ve put footpaths around the farm, for visitors only, so they can have a look round.

“Next year, we’re going to start guided walks so people can ask whatever questions they want. We want it to be led by them so they can find out what they want to know.”

The success of hit television show Clarkson’s Farm has led to people asking more informed questions, but there have been a few odd ones, he added.

“One woman, who was probably in her fifties, saw cows in the yard and asked if we were milking. When I explained they were beef cattle, she

said she’d only realised a year before that beef came from cows.”

A recent social media survey of UK farmers revealed other questions they had had such as “Where do sheep live before they’re captured and taken to live on a farm?”, “do cockerels lay duck eggs?”, “Do pigs make cheese?” and “The farmer won’t be happy, someone’s done graffiti on them sheep.”

Edward and Mandy Lindley run West Hale Caravan Site at Burton Fleming, near to the East Yorkshire coast.

The site is part of a large, highly diversified agribusiness that includes growing potatoes, carrots, parsnips, vining peas, and pumpkins, as well as 32,000 free range chickens and a beef suckler herd.

Edward said that as well as knowing little about where food comes from, the general public understand very little about farming life or the economics of a farm business.

“It scares me how little the general public know”, he said.

“They have no grasp of the commitment it takes to run a successful agribusiness. They’ve no idea you need £2.5m - £3m of machinery before you can actually do your job. Many visitors just look at the cows in the field and think ‘oh that’s nice’.

“But when they visit and see it, they are blown away by the amount of work it takes. That in itself is a great lesson for the public to learn, getting to see how much goes into growing food.”

Edward added that changes to the school curriculum such as no longer studying home economics hasn’t helped people’s understanding of the cost of food and where it comes from.

“People are no longer taught the basics", he added.​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​