Is it legal to let a member of the public drive a combine harvester on my farm?

This depends entirely on your insurance and how the day is run — it isn't something to assume is fine just because it happens on private land. Speak to your farm's insurer (public liability and employers' liability at minimum) before advertising or accepting any bookings, and check current HSE guidance on visitors and members of the public around agricultural machinery.

Do I need special insurance for a combine experience day?

Almost certainly something beyond standard farm insurance, since it involves paying members of the public operating heavy machinery — but the specifics (what's covered, what endorsement or specialist policy you might need) are a conversation for your insurance broker, not something to guess at. Get this confirmed in writing before you take a single booking.

How do I test if there's enough demand before committing to a date?

Use a register interest page first — share a link, collect names and emails, no payment or date commitment involved. Once you can see genuine interest (and you've confirmed your insurance position), set up a proper ticket campaign with a real date and price.

Should I sell this as a fixed-price ticket or something else?

A fixed-price timed slot works well — e.g. a 30-60 minute session per booking, with capacity per slot capped at whatever your operator can safely supervise at once. That maps directly onto timed-entry ticket sales, the same tool used for open days and pumpkin patches.

What other diversification ideas fit this "Ideas" category?

Anything that turns existing farm assets or seasonal activity into a bookable visitor experience — tractor and trailer rides, sheep shearing demonstrations, lambing weekends, farm photography sessions. This is the first in an ongoing series; check back for more.

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Farm Diversification Idea: Run a Combine Harvester Experience Day

30 July 2026

Ideas

Farm Diversification Idea: Run a Combine Harvester Experience Day

Harvest is one of the most dramatic sights on a working farm, and plenty of people who'll never set foot on a combine harvester would happily pay for the chance to sit in the cab and have a go — properly supervised, on your terms. A "combine experience day" is a genuine diversification idea worth testing: a few hours of an operator's time during a season you're already out in the field, turned into extra income from people who'd otherwise never get near a machine like this.

⚠️ Check your insurance before you advertise anything

This isn't a footnote — it's the first thing to sort out. Letting a member of the public operate a combine harvester, even supervised, is a significant liability question that standard farm insurance may not cover. Speak to your insurance broker about public liability and employers' liability cover for this specific activity, and check current HSE guidance on visitors around agricultural machinery, before you take a single booking or even publicly announce a date. Everything below assumes you've had that conversation and got a clear answer first.

What the experience actually looks like

The shape most farms land on: a paying visitor sits in the cab alongside your main operator, who stays in full control throughout and lets the visitor handle the wheel and controls under direct supervision, on a stretch of field you're comfortable with. It's sold as a timed session — 30 to 60 minutes is typical — not unsupervised free rein, and not a joyride.

Step 1: Sort insurance and a written safety plan first

Get insurance confirmed in writing. Alongside that, work out the basics of how you'll run it safely: minimum age, a straightforward waiver/consent form, PPE (hi-vis, ear defence), keeping the activity away from public roads and other farm traffic, and what happens if someone needs to stop mid-session. None of this is a Farm Stall feature — it's groundwork you do before you ever list the experience.

Step 2: Gauge interest before committing to a date

Harvest timing shifts with the weather, so you might not know your exact date weeks out. Set up a register interest page first — share it on social media or with your mailing list, collect names and emails, no payment or firm date needed yet. Once you can see there's real appetite (and your insurance is sorted), move to a proper ticket campaign.

Step 3: Sell it as a timed-entry ticket

Set up a ticket sales campaign for the days you're combining, with each slot the length of one session (say, 45 minutes) and capacity capped at however many sessions your operator can realistically run in a day — often just one booking per slot, since only one person can be in the cab at a time. Buyers pick a slot and pay online; you get a QR code to scan them in when they arrive.

Worked example

A farm runs combine days across two weekends in September, 9am-4pm, one 45-minute session per slot, capacity 1 (or 2, if a partner/child can ride along as a passenger). Ticket types: Driver's session — £75, Passenger add-on — £15.

A visitor books the 11am slot for themselves plus a passenger — total £90.
The passenger add-on doesn't count toward the 1-person driving capacity, so it never blocks the slot from being sold as a driving experience.
They arrive, show their QR code at the gate, and get their supervised session.

More ideas like this

This is the first post in our new Ideas category — diversification activities that turn what you're already doing on the farm into a bookable visitor experience. Tractor and trailer rides, shearing demonstrations, farm photography sessions — if it's seasonal, novel, and safe to run with the right precautions, it's worth testing with a register interest page before you build a whole campaign around it.

Thinking about trying this?

Get started free → Read the ticket sales guide →