Countryfile shines light on Selborne Landscape Partnership

Matthew Norris-Hill was on Countryfile to discuss the excellent partnership work being carried out in and around Selborne, Hampshire.

He spoke about the farmers, conservationists and volunteers working together to provide landscape scale benefits to wildlife.  The group are building on the work by Gilbert White, who monitored and explored the area of Selborne.

Over a number of years the area has been monitored and surveyed and a baseline set.  The group then worked together to decide on a number of projects to improve the connectivity of habitats.

https://www.selbornelandscapepartnership.org.uk/ 

Our Jack Scott Wins BBC Award

Jack Scott, our Assistant Conservation Adviser in Kent, has won the BBC Countryfile Young Countryside Champion for 2023!  Jack was crowned winner at the BBC Food and Farming Awards 2023 ceremony.

Jack won the award for the horticultural work and public engagement initiatives he is involved in.  Alongside working with FWAG he also runs his own horticultural business and hedge and wood planting.  Jack works closely with his supply chains and customers, as well as running educational visits to children and young adults experience agriculture and learn more about farming.

We are all so proud of Jack and all the wonderful work he does!

Emsden Trophy Winner 2023

A Kent producer has been presented with the Kent Farming & Wildlife Advisory Group (FWAG) conservation award for its work supporting farmland birds and rare plant species.

The 2023 Country Land and Business Association (CLA) Emsden Trophy was presented to Watts Farms, a family-run business growing more than 60 different crops, supplying over 500 restaurants as well major retailers and the NHS.

The awards presentation and drinks reception was hosted by last year’s winner, Fidelity Weston of Romshed Farm near Sevenoaks.

On a fine summer evening CLA members and other guests enjoyed a tour led by Fidelity of the 200 acre family farm which is certified Pasture for Life and organic with the Soil Association, farming Hereford cattle, sheep and poultry.

Improving the farm for nature is central to their approach and it is currently in Higher Tier Stewardship with an emphasis on wildflower meadow restoration and woodland edge scrub development.

The stock are on a rotational and part mob grazing system, which Fidelity believes benefits the biodiversity on the farm. She runs educational visits focussing on the soil and the benefit that livestock bring.

Keen to ask her visitors on the day what they thought about diversifying and managing grasslands and how to tackle problems such as thistles, Fidelity got plenty of response from FWAG advisers present Debbie Reynolds, Paul Cobb and Jack Scott!

Joe Cottingham, Director at 2023 Emsden recipient Watts Farms, said: “We are absolutely delighted and very proud that Watts Farms has been awarded this year’s Emsden trophy. We very much see ourselves as caretakers of the land we farm for future generations, and as such monitor all of our actions against the environment, to ensure that the baton can be passed on.”

Recent projects include improving soil structure and increasing the pollinator population by introducing legume-rich mixes including phacelia and vetch mixes, and working with Farningham Woods nature reserve to improve habitats which has resulted in a rise in Deptford pinks – an endangered species.

Meanwhile the wetland area helps to increase the dragon fly population that in turn has seen an uplift in birds such as the Hobby that reside along the woodland edges. In recent years Nightjar have also returned.

Kent FWAG adviser Paul Cobb said: “Watts Farms is an excellent example of a modern efficient farm business supplying to a demanding market that devotes time and resources to conserving wildlife on its farms.

“The interest and dedication shown by the team at Watts Farms in encouraging and monitoring species of conservation concern such as farmland birds and the rare Deptford Pink is really inspiring.”

Woodland Creation and Carbon talk, hosted at Newhouse Farm, Hampshire

Featured discussions surrounding how to stack public and private funding, as well as carbon additionality. Jade Hemsley, Forestry Commission, (FC) began the afternoon with a detailed overview of woodland creation through an England Woodland Creation Offer (EWCO). This was followed by a discussion surrounding Woodland Carbon Code and Woodland Carbon Guarantee, covered by Mark Broadmeadow (Head of Climate Change at FC), Chris Waterfield (Carbon and Water Adviser at FC), Andy Baker (UK Woodland Carbon Markets Adviser at SF) and Annie Gordon (Carbon Markets Project Manager at FC). Andy Bason, Farm Manger at Newhouse Farm gave an overview of the woodland creation on the farm. The first site was an agro-forestry set up, with rows of fruit and nut trees at 36m intervals in a cereal crop. The second site was an EWCO funded plantation, planted with a mix of native and non-native species. The attendees quizzed Andy on his thoughts surrounding the projects and there was a focus on how best to protect the trees from deer damage. The event summarised the importance of a whole farm approach to woodland planting and the need for continued maintenance following funding.  

A Harvest With A Difference

FWAG South East advisor Debbie Reynolds visited T Dennes & Sons with farmers Wayne and Gary Coomber to see how their enterprising new Kent Wildflower harvesting business is managed from field to packet. Director, Mr Chris Denne, provided an insightful look at the process of harvesting in the meadow, identifying species from seed, to the end product of a valuable wildflower mixture.

Farmers Wayne and Gary, from Headcorn, were there to witness their own native provenance organic wildflower seed being removed from the seed head, through a range of labour-intensive processes, to create a species rich Kent Wildflower mixture.

Wildflower meadows have declined by 97% since the 1930’s. Identifying remnant meadows and sites of high species diversity provides an exciting opportunity for wildflower seed harvesting.  Sensitive harvesting methods need to be observed to ensure the value of sites is not jeopardised and any site designation restrictions adhered to.

FWAG South East were able to identify this opportunity during a site visit to Wayne and Gary’s farm in West Kent. As farmers they are dedicated to large scale restoration of lowland meadows and produce high quality herb rich organic hay.

To discuss if your land could be a donor site or to find out how to establish a meadow please get in touch. Projects like this highlight the value of farmers, advisors and suppliers working together.

Conservation Award for Kent Farmer

Kent FWAG adviser Paul Cobb nominated this years winner of the Emsden Trophy, Fidelity Weston, based on her conservation work both on and off the farm: ‘Romshed Farm has been a shining example of conservation in the service of food production over many years, and Fidelity has worked tirelessly with neighbours and other organisations to achieve this, as well as showing a wider audience and especially the younger generation the benefits.  FWAG is delighted to nominate her to receive the Emsden Trophy in 2022.’

Fidelity manages the family’s 80ha farm outside Sevenoaks in Kent, running Hereford cattle and Lleyn ewes to Pasture for Life and Soil Association standards.

Fidelity is actively involved in local conservation projects and the cattle are increasingly being used to graze land away from the farm as the local interest in “wilding” has grown.  The farm itself has a strong emphasis on biodiversity and in particular on wildflower meadow creation and restoration. There is an ongoing programme of educational visits, Open Days and meat sales direct from the farm.

“Farming can be done in a way that supports and encourages biodiversity both above ground and in our soils and we as farmers should be seen as the solution and not the problem.  I hope I can continue to promote the benefits of bringing conservation and farming together to ensure we get the right policies in place to support farming into the future.  Awards such as The Emsden Trophy promote the importance and value of this and I feel very honoured to be awarded this Trophy.”

Funding Available for Cover Crops in Kent

We have partnered with Affinity Water to offer farmers within catchments around Folkstone and Dover the chance to apply for funding for cover crops.  The aim is to reduce soil erosion and improve water quality in the area. Two types of species mix are available, you choose what is best for you.  Click the image for more detail or contact our adviser Helen Theobald: helen.theobald@fwagsoutheast.co.uk

Cover crops and the new ELM schemes

In February we held our first event of the year with a visit to cover crop trial plots in the Woodgarston catchment, as part of a project with South East Water. The morning began with a tour of the cover crops and was followed by presentations by South East Water, Frontier Agriculture and FWAG South East.  Discussions focussed on the impact of cover crops on nitrogen, their management and the inclusion in current and future schemes. The results from this project clearly show the importance of cover crops to reduce nitrate losses to groundwater, with the potential of cover crops to retain at least 3 times more nitrate than a stubble field.

Re-wilding: farmers friend or foe?

There has been lots in the news recently about re-wilding and natural regeneration.  It has become quite the contensious issue and dividing opinion; for some it’s seen as the only way forward, while others see that it has no place in modern farming.  However, does it have to be an all or nothing approach?

A farm we’ve been working with in Kent has shown that you can have both.  They’ve identified an area of the farm that wasn’t productive so have turned it over to a small-scale wilding project.  They only carry out a bit of mowing just to keep the scrub in check and to stop the flowers from being overwhelmed.

So next time you’re looking at your farm plans you might be able to find an area that you could make into a wildlife oasis.  We can advise on how best to manage the area, and also find out if there would be any funding available for it. 

Magic Memories: Musings by Paul Cobb

If you are at a loose end on winter nights during this New Year period, may I suggest trying a little Magic? Not the David Copperfield sort, but visiting the magic.defra.gov.uk website.  From its origins in mapping the more obvious designations like Nitrate Vulnerable Zones, Magic has evolved into a source of all kinds of information about your farm. Groundwater vulnerability? Check. Priority habitat? Check.  

Nothing shows up how little we know about our farms’ history more than the Historic Environment Record (HER). The HER is not on Magic, and the only time most people come across it is in Stewardship scheme applications, when it is received and promptly forgotten.  The historic environment has always been the poor relation in Stewardship and I fear it will be the same in ELMs. I’ve yet to come across a farmer who knows about anything in their HER, unless it coincides with a bit of family history or is glaringly obvious.  

Unfortunately, a lot of historical stuff isn’t obvious. Take the farm I did a survey on recently. The HER told me it has an old moated farmstead site, and helpfully the modern map has ‘moat’ next to it in an antique script, as well as a nearby ‘Moat Farm’. Enough clues?  On the ground, what’s left of the moat looks like a couple of mucky old ponds, but it’s medieval, and part of a larger site where the moat (which was a status symbol rather than a real military defence) would have gone round the whole main building.  The farmstead shows quite clearly on a 1946 air photo and post war map, but I didn’t find any remnants of it – if there are any, they will just look like any old bricks and rubble. The whole site is scrubby, overgrown and un-managed, so it’s perfect for wildlife as well.  

Then there is the World War Two command post on another farm that looks like nothing more than an old breeze-block shed. Because it was a breeze-block shed; but in its day it directed a battery of guns nearby, targeting Hitler’s bombers coming over the coast en route for London.  These sites look like a mess to be cleared up, or handy rubble for some hardcore. But people lived and died on that moat site maybe as far back as the 13th century; your father or grandfather might have telegraphed a signal from that shed to the guns, his knuckles white on the telephone receiver.  

History might be hidden, but it’s not dead. All those places, and the people who lived and worked there, give depth and meaning to the countryside you live in now. So get on to Magic, dig out that old HER, and bring the past to life.  

(originally published in Farmers Weekly)

We Struck Oil!

When you think of the Wiltshire countryside you think of open rolling landscapes and ancient monuments; what you don’t think of is oil! But we’re not talking about the liquid, we’re talking about the Oil Beetle. Like the fossil fuel it’s black, and iridescent and rare, and if you find it on your land you should count yourself lucky.

FWAG SE Adviser Karen Davies came across one while out surveying: “I was looking for some small indicator plants when I realised I was looking at a chunky iridescent beetle. Not just one, but there were several of them; apparently if there is suitable habitat you may find a few together.”

Oil beetles have been identified as priorities for conservation action through the UK Biodiversity Action Plan (UKBAP) – meaning work needs to be done to conserve them and their habitats. Oil beetles are reliant on solitary bees to compete their life-cycles, therefore the health of oil beetle populations is dependent on the health and diversity of wild bees. The ideal habitat for oil beetle species is wildflower-rich grassland. Oil beetles are sensitive to changes in land management and are a good indicator of the health of our countryside.

These beetles were found on quite short, unimproved chalk grassland, on quite a steep bank which is why it had been left unimproved. Basically they need flower rich pasture so anything maintaining existing species rich grassland or creating and enhancing species rich grassland is key for this species.