Open Farms - Caroline Downs

We are the Menlove family, 3rd and 4th generation sheep and beef farmers. We farm because we love it, we care about animals, the environment and producing high-quality food.

When you come to our Open Farms day you will have the opportunity to see a drone and sheepdog at work, see sheep moving through the yards, watch a sheep be shorn, and be weighed like a sheep! You can explore our wetland, set up an electric fence and enter a competition to guess the weight of the sheep. There will be a horse demonstration, a presentation from environment southland, information about our pest control endeavours, scavenger hunt for kids and please feel free to BYO lunch, there will be a picnic area set up!

This is a tentative timeline of when we think things will happen:
10.00 am People start arriving
10.15 am Horse demonstration and wetland tour departs (10 people at a time)
10.45 am Set up an electric fence and sheep moving through yards
11.15 am Horse demonstration and wetland tour departs (10 people at a time)
11.45 am Set up an electric fence and sheep move through yards and shearing demonstration
12.15 pm Winner of competition announced - Picnic area for BYO lunch
1.00 pm Horse demonstration - and wetland tour departs
1.15 pm Set up electric fence and sheep are moving through the yards
1.30 pm Watch the horses guide the sheep back out to the farm signifying the end of the day
2.00 pm Competition winners taken on a longer tour of farm in our farm vehicle

In between these activities people can dig for worms, hunt for bugs, pat animals, search for scavenger hunt objects, read information boards and enjoy being in the fresh country air at their own leisure. This is an outdoor event so please bring and use sunscreen, sunhats, clothes and footwear suitable for walking and getting dirty, warm/wet weather gear!

We are looking forward to sharing our farm with you!

And H&S message for visitors: Shearing is loud, we are not providing hearing protection so please bring your own if you would like!