Farmland Magazine Issue 13 by FarmLand Magazine

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FARMING LIFE, NEWS AND RURAL ISSUES I s s u e 13 |

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issue13. Editors notes..

Hello all.

22 14 18 09 17 THE USUAL SUSPECTS

Lorna Sixsmith - What type of farm wife are you?

Emma Lander - Summer holidays + Kids

On farm with Yara Reseeding this Autumn

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The smell of cut grass throngs the air in the countryside, with hay and silage making having made its mark on the landscape. The arable crops are ripening and harvest will soon be upon us. On my own farm in Essex we have begun harvesting our sea buckthorn crop, joined by meadow brown butterflies fluttering in the margins and corvids lurking above, threatening to steal the berries. Luckily for us there’s plenty of other food about to avoid them being tempted, but the bright orange of the berry certainly intrigues them. The hedgerows and margins are flushed with life. Greater bindweed with its big white flowers is on prominent display at this time of year. The often downtrodden nettle is also one of the more prominent plants enjoying summer success. On the edge of arable fields red poppy blooms can be seen alongside mayweed and white campion. In some of the chalk and limestone grasslands you can still enjoy spectacular orchids, although many are past their prime. Whilst fewer birds are singing by now you may still be able to hear stonechats, and yellowhammers with their ‘little-bit-of-bread-andno-cheese’ song, along with robins, blackbirds and the cooing of the collared doves and wood pigeons. For this month’s conservation interview I was delighted to speak to arable farmer Andy Roberts who is from Staffordshire. Interestingly, Andy mentioned that for years he kept his interest in wildlife to himself, unsure whether other farmers shared his passion. However, since getting more involved in stewardship and with social media he has realised that hundreds of farmers care very much indeed for the wildlife on their farms. Through this conservation section the Farmland Mag team hopes that we can give more farmers a platform to explain why wildlife is so important to them and what they are doing to actively conserve it on their farms. I look forward to speaking to many more inspirational farmers.

Ben Ben Eagle, Conservation Editor

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"Enhance British food production" Union president calls for government to put the brakes on declining food self sufficiency

FU President Meurig Raymond is calling on policy makers to grasp Brexit as an opportunity to enhance the nation’s ability to produce British food. August 6 marks the notional day in the where the British food would run bare if we fed the nation British food alone from January 1. According to figures, Britain produces 60% of its own food and this rate is both falling. Mr Raymond commented: “Food selfsufficiency statistics have always been an important measure of the nation’s ability to feed itself. But since the UK voted to leave the EU, and with trade negotiations now starting, the supply of British food is now seen in a very different light. Government recognition of farming’s enormous contribution to this country will be vital in the coming months.

"Farmers deliver for our economy, providing jobs and driving growth in rural communities. We provide the raw materials for a domestic food industry that employs 3.8m people, generates £109bn in value for the UK economy and 13% of the country’s Gross Domestic Product. The union president added, “It is interesting to see that since the UK voted to leave the EU, 25% of people think it’s now more important to buy British food. We already knew that 86% of shoppers say they want to buy more British food. “We are calling on the Government to deliver policies that will ensure that Britain retains its ability to be more self-sufficient, support homegrown food and ensure that we have profitable, productive and progressive farm businesses for the future.”

Switch pellets to safeguard water qualiy

nited Utilities is offering farmers 50% off slug pellets in a bid to reduce the amount of pesticide flowing into watercourses. In heavy rainrall, many of the common metaldehyde pellets can run off farmland and flow through field drains into watercourses. To help improve raw water quality in its Cheshire and North Wales drinking water catchment areas, United Utilities is encouraging farmers to the alternative Ferric phosphate pellets. "More can still be done to reduce the amount of metaldehyde in our watercourses. If farmers have already bought metaldehyde pellets it’s not too late, we can help them make the switch at no extra cost. Ferric phosphate pellets are easier to treat and are just as effective as tradtional slug pellets." explained United Utilities' Kate Snow.

Industry calls for short term certainty ahead of Brexit Fourteen farming organisation have issued a joint statement on UK government to provide commitments for the post-brexit transition. The organisations say Governments need to work together with the farmers to prepare for a new long-standing free trade agreement which retains and grows opportunities for food trade with the EU and the rest of the world. They also call for commitments on transition that will see the UK remain in the Customs Union until a full free trade agreement is in place with the EU.

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Deputy President Tim Breitmeyer said: “Farmers and land managers will benefit from new opportunities in trade and agricultural policy. However, we must take the necessary time to put in place the right trade agreements and to develop and robustly test a new policy that will support farming and the environment for the long-term. “We need a period of certainty in which this work can be done and we will continue to work with fellow farming organisations to achieve this."

Baileys judge wants 'thoroughly modern winner Diageo Baileys Irish Champion Dairy Cow competition organisers have announced this year’s judge will be Evesham dairy farmer Paul Miller. Mr Miller commented; "I will be looking for a winning cow that fits with the modern system".

Farming officer for National Park Following its UNESCO World Heritage Site status, the Lake District National Park has appointed North Yorkshire upland beef farmer Briony Davey as its first ever dedicated farming officer, creating 'a new wave of opportunities' for the site.

Are you Dairy Stockperson of the Year? The annual NFU Dairy Stockperson of the Year Award has launched. he Award seeks to champion dedicated, committed and enthusiastic dairy stock managers from across Wales. Aled Jones, NFU Cymru Milk Board Chairman said: “As a dairy farmer myself, I am very passionate about the industry and I believe it is important to champion those individuals who go above and beyond to ensure they have happy and healthy cows. I would urge you all to nominate a dairy farmer or manager in your area who you believe deserves to be recognised for their work within the industry.” Mair James, Welsh Dairy Show Secretary said: “This award is

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"Just noticed the emoji for island is They've obviously never been to Scotland" Pictured: The 2016 Dairy Stockperson of the year winner Iwan Francis

a fantastic way of raising the profile of the dairy industry and those who work within it, therefore the Welsh Dairy Show is pleased to be associated with NFU Cymru and NFU Mutual in this Award.” This year’s winner will receive

£300 and a Welsh slate engraved cheese board and the person nominating the winner of the award will also receive £50’s worth of local farm shop vouchers or goods. The closing date for entries is Monday, 25 September 2017

Domhnall Macsween

@sweenyness

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Knife restriction must consider rural communities

ountryside Alliance Chief Executive, Tim Bonner, has written to Home Secretary, Amber Rudd MP, to express concerns that new proposals to restrict online knife sales could adversely affect rural communities without any evidence that the proposals will reduce knife crime. The home office proposed last month that all online purchases of knives would need to be collected from a shop in person with a proof of age document.

The Countryside Alliance has outlined its concerns that this could affect those with limited public transport access to a store that is most likely to be in an urban area. The CA recognises

and supports the efforts to reduce knife crime, but says this can be done without affecting those that live in the most remote areas. Head of Policy, Sarah Lee, commented: “as with all policies, it is important that proposals to tackle knife crime, are subject to rural proofing to ensure that the requirements of people in rural areas are not overlooked. Knives are used by many people involved in farming and country sports, and yet it is these people who will be most affected by the proposals."

Lawn mower man drives the distance

rison officer Andy Maxfield from Inskip in Lancashire has completed his epic journey from John O’Groats to Land’s End on a John Deere lawn tractor. Andy travelled the lengthy journey of 874.3 miles in five days, eight hours and 45 minutes to raise money for Alzheimer’s Society.

commented: “It was a tough challenge and a fantastic team effort all round – we certainly raised awareness for Alzheimer’s Society and we all had some fun along the way, I'd like to give a huge thanks to John Deere”. The original target was £1,000, however, by the time the Maxfield's charity ball comes around in December, over £10,000 will have been raised. ■

Black Isle tractor pull The 180th Black Isle Show opened with a charity tractor pull in aid of RSABI and Breast Cancer Care. NFU Scotland’s Black Isle branch team, with Vice President Gary Mitchell, came out victorious on the night following three closely contested heats. The prize money of £1000 was split between the two charities on top of other donations. *RSABI regular updates from September

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Innovation ANGELA YOUNGMAN ay@farmlanduk.com

Next time... Meet Soil scientists from the Centre of Ecology & Hydrology

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Innovation under scrutiny ANGELA YOUNGMAN

gricultural innovation is the theme of Agri-Tech East’s REAP Conference 2017. Participants will be encouraged to think beyond conventional methods and investigate new ideas and concepts with international speakers and globally renowned scientists. Maria Beatriz Giraudo from Argentina, winner of the Kieckner Prize for Global Farming 2016 will be discussing the No-till revolution, while other speakers will look at ways farmers can add value by using agritech. Topics include Digital Farming to reduce waste, and methods of adding nutritional value. One of the most eyecatching parts of the conference is always the Startup Showcase, sponsored by Innovate UK. This provides an opportunity to meet some of the UK’s most interesting startups seeking collaboration, partnerships and industry insights. Previous conferences have included robotic harvesters and turning waste into colourings. Today’s Knowledge Meets Tomorrow’s Technology is at the Wellcome Genome Campus Conference Centre, Hinxton Cambridge. Tickets have to be booked in advance. See www.agritech-east.co.uk

>> 6

£30m Cambridge centre for crop science launched Unique facility to develop links between farmers and the food industry

impact for crop-based food production.” This new Centre is expected to be unique within Europe simply because it is focused on linking the University facilities directly to farmers, processors and other crop related industries. The crops under study will be wide ranging covering everything from globally traded crops such as wheat and rice, to the so-called orphan crops which lag behind in technological advances. 3CS will also focus on advances in genetics "3CS innovations will generate new crops and agronomy for other UK crops and new ways of growing crops for food, such as potatoes and legumes. The intention is to recruit the best fuels, feedstocks and pharmaceuticals” researchers from around the world to work in interdisciplinary science including plant genetics and bioinformatics. "3CS innovations will generate new crops and new ways of growing crops for food, fuels, inLinks are being established with organizadustrial feedstocks and pharmaceuticals,” said tions like the Cambridge University Potato Growers Research Association. Professor Sir David Baulcombe, head of Cambridge’s Department of Plant Sciences. “We enFunding for the project has been provided by the Higher Education Funding Council visage that new 3CS crop technologies will enafor England (HEFCE) and NIAB. ble higher crop yields and lower environmental ver £30m has been invested in setting up a new purpose built Cambridge Centre for Crop Science (3CS) focusing on developing links between farming and the food industries to help deal with the problems of feeding the world’s ever increasing population. The new centre will provide a major boost to the university’s existing research initiatives around the subject of food security.

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8& 9 NOV 2017 Received your Mid-Tier pack?

Agri-Tech East REAP Conference Today’s Knowledge Meets Tomorrow’s Technology. When? Tuesday 7th November 2017. Where? Wellcome Genome Campus Conference Centre, Hinxton, Cambridge, CB10 1RQ

If you have had your countryside stewardNEC, BIRMINGHAM ship pack through but don't know where to start, contact FWAG on 01823 660684 or info@ fwagsw.org.uk

£40,000 innovative project funding available

p to £40,000 to fund innovative farming projects across Wales has been announced by The European Innovation Partnership (EIP). A maximum of 40 projects can apply for the funding which aims to bring together people from different practical and scientific backgrounds. Knowledge Exchange Manager for Farming Connect, Lynfa Davies, said: “It may be a new technology that you have heard about from another industry or sector within the agricultural industry and you feel it could help improve a particular part of your management system. This funding could allow you and a group of people with similar interests to try it out and see if it works in your business environment. “Or, if you have a problem within your business but you’re not sure how to solve it, you can bring that problem to us and we will look if a project can be developed aimed at finding a solution.” Every EIP group needs to include at least two farmers from separate businesses and at least one individual from a related organisation. Farming Connect’s Knowledge Exchange Hub can also advise on how projects can be structured to get the best out of the funding you’re applying for. Each project can run up to 3 years and will be supported by a fully funded innovation broker. Visit businesswales.gov.wales/farmingconnect to find out more and apply.

1000’S OF IDEAS TO MAKE YOUR LAND MORE PROFITABLE

200

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exhibitors

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75% would diversify following Brexit n increasing number of farmers and rural business owners are looking at branching out to establish multiple streams of income which will allow business to remain resilient in times where subsidies are falling and trade deals with the EU are up in the air. A recent study by Farm Business Innovation revealed that out of almost 300 farmers and rural business owners polled, over 74% are more likely to diversify their land in response to Brexit, and this number is set to increase as the realities of the current economic climate sink in. Dairy farms are keeping bees, arable farmers are growing miscanthus in areas with poor soil and installing solar panels, sheep farmers are opening livery stables. It’s not just farms either, all kinds of rural businesses are expanding their revenue streams. Landowners are opening glamping sites, estates are hosting rock concerts, large country houses are opening their doors as filming venues. The examples and opportunities are endless. With the world of farming at a crossroads, this can be seen as either a problem or an opportunity, many farmers are turning just one field into something like a go kart track or paintball battlefield and turning enough profit from that to keep the rest of the traditional farm going.

INSPIRING RURAL ENTREPRENEURS

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expert advice from the cla

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SHOWS, EVENTS AND AUCTIONS FOR AUGUST SHOWS & SALES PLANNER Feature your event here. Contact kirstyfarmlanduk.com

WESSEX COUNTRY FAIR Netherhampton, Wiltshire. Join us for the 5th Wessex Country Fair. 01722 416353

AUG - SEPT

THORNTON-LE-DALE SHOW The Showground, Maltongate. show@thorntonledale.com 01722 416353

EQUIFEST 2017 5 day event Celebrating 9th year. East of England Showground. Enjoyment for all horse lovers. equifest.org.uk

POTATOES IN PRACTICE FREE. Balruddery Farm, Angus. Largest UK field potato event. events@hutton.ac.uk

ROYAL LANCASHIRE SHOW A celebration of our great British countryside. Salesbury Hall, Ribchester. 11 - 13 Aug. Adults £12 / £9adv

ROYAL MANX SHOW Friary Park, Isle of Man. Livestock, cassic cars, vintage tractors and machinery Adults: £6, Children: £1

KEITH COUNTRY SHOW 6 - 7 August, Keith, Moray, AB55 5AJ www.keithshow.org.uk Contact 01542882978

SOUTHPORT FLOWER SHOW Netherhampton, Wiltshire. Join us for the 5th Wessex Country Fair. 01722 416353

KINROSS SHOW RSPB Loch Leven. Flowers, sheep, cattle, goats and horses. Suitable for all ages. 01592 840030

18 BLACKNOSE BEAUTIES Borderway Mart, Carlisle. Showcasing the very best of the renowned breed. valaisblacknosesheepsociety.co.uk

08 LUNESDALE AGRICULTURAL SHOW Underley Park, Cumbria. Cattle, sheep, horse, dog, poultry and show jumping classes. 015395 67618

10 OKEHAMPTON SHOW Stoneypark showground, Horses, pigs, sheep, cows, entertainment and much more. @okehamptonshow

12 SHREWSBURY FLOWER SHOW 2 day event held at Quarry Lodge, Shrewsbury. Perfect for flower lovers. info@shrewsburyflowershow.org.uk

13 ANGLESEY COUNTY SHOW 2017 The Showground, Gwynedd. Over 2 days. Fun for all the family. Visit www.angleseyshow.org.uk

28 HOPE SHOW 2017 August Bank Holiday.The Showground, Derbyshire, 01433 650031 info@hopeshow.co.uk

AND SEPTEMBER

01 KEIGHLEY & DISTRICT SHOW Aireworth Road, Keighley www.keighleyshow.co.uk 01535 930459

09 HENLEY SHOW 2017 The Henley Showground, Bucks. 126th Anniversary, Opens 8.30am www.thehenleyshow.co.uk

14 WESTMORLAND SHOW One of the oldest and largest one day Shows in the Country. Lane Farm, Crooklands 015395 67804

17 ALL WALES PLOUGHING Penfeidr, Castlemorris, Pembrokeshire. jane.john123@icloud.com 01446 710376

28 FLINTHAM SHOW Grange Farm, Newark, 97th Ploughing Match and Agricultural Show 07773 011408

02 DORSET COUNTY SHOW 2 day show at The Dorchester Showground dorsetcountyshow.co.uk 01305 264249

10 HODDER VALLEY SHOW 9 - 10 Sept. Holme Farm, Dunsop Bridge. Traditional agricultural and horticultural show 01200 446698

14 TILLAGE LIVE 2017 See latest equipment live and dicuss new ideas. Monks Kirby, Warwickshire 01722 416353

23 MALVERN AUTUMN SHOW 2 day show. A true celebration of food, the countryside, gardening and nostalgia. 01684 584900.

30 SOUTHWELL PLOUGHING Bulcote Farms, Bulcote. Beef, dairy, horse and pony. 0115 9633654 info@ southwellploughingmatch.co.uk

AUCTIONS

03 MOORCOCK SHOW 2017 One of the oldest and leading sheep shows in the Yorkshire Dales. 01722 416353

13 UK DAIRY DAY Dedicated annual one day event for the dairy industry at the International Centre, Telford. 01923 695225

16 MIDLAND GAME FAIR 16 - 17. Weston Park, Shropshire, TF11 8LE midlandgamefair.co.uk 01722 416353

24 SURREY GAME & COUNTRY 2 day show. Loseley Park, Guildford 01483 890810 Get tickets at www.midlandgamefair.co.uk

30 S. YORKS SHOOTING SHOW 2 day show. Doncaster Racecourse. 01274 548342. info@southyorkshiregamefair.com

01 THAME SUMMER SHEEP FAIR Friday 1st September atThame Market, OX9 3FP. Entries close 21 August. 01844 217 437

SHOW & SALE OF BELTEX SHEEP Newark Livestock Market. Entries closes 9th August. Mart Office 01636 676741

05 OBAN LIVESTOCK CENTRE Great annual show and sale of top draw BF wedder lambs, also sale of store sheep of all classes

08 RARE BREED CATTLE, SHEEP & PIGS Entries now open. 8th & 9th September at Melton Livestock Market. 01664 562971

29 DUMFRIES RAM FAIR Dumfries Mart, DG1 1NF. Mart Office 01387 279495 dumfries@cdauctionmarts.co.uk

Feature... Get in touch if you would like your school farm included

Education

Next time... What is the right course for you? P12

@pipkinzoo

HAYLEY SIMPKIN

ALISON WOODHAM PHOTOGRAPHY

Countryfile presenter Adam Henson delivered a keynote speech

Young people are the shining future of farming Conference highlights the shared passion for school based farm learning and the value of land based education

right young people are the future of the agriculture and food production industries’. That was the take home message at the inaugural School Farms Network Education Alliance Conference (SFNEA) held at the Royal Agricultural University (RAU) in Cirencester last month. The SFNEA is a partnership between the Royal Agricultural University, Applied Inspiration, and the School Farms Network, with the support of the Federation of City Farms and Community Gardens. The RAU recognises the importance of the link between school activities and student progression to higher education and career outcomes, and is dedicated to widening participation.

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There are over 115 school farms (though many would be more accurately described as smallholdings) in the UK ranging from those with an allotment and some chickens, to units running large beef, dairy and/or sheep herds on three-figure acreages. The majority of registered school farms are based at secondary schools, where working on the unit allows students to gain GCSE-level qualifications in Animal Care and Land-based Studies. Many of these farms also involve their pre-GCSE students in lessons and after-school clubs, some even running their own official branch of Young Farmers clubs. Gaining a grounding in animal care and agriculture at this age has to benefit the industry, by attracting young people into related further and higher education courses.

The therapeutic benefit of working with animals has been demonstrated and, indeed, a number of these farms are based at special schools for young people with particular educational needs. A number of these schools also take livestock and students to their local and county shows, fully immersing them in agricultural life. Unfortunately, some of these farms have recently come under threat with one well-established and successful farm based at Cardinal Wiseman School, in Coventry, likely to close within the year. There is however a growing campaign to try to save this popular and well-run school farm which has been publicised by the BBC. One key threat is the devaluing of land-based qualifications in that they no longer count on the

schools’ performance indicators, except for one particular BTEC. The current focus on ‘academic rigour’ that has seen creative subjects also come under scrutiny, and indeed removed from the curriculum altogether in some cases, also applies to vocational subjects such as agriculture and horticulture. However, it is more important than ever that we have ‘home grown’ talent available to replace the retiring workforce and so it is vital that anyone with an interest in land-based industries lends their support to the forthcoming campaign to promote the importance of land-based qualifications, and by extension the work of school farms too. Please do make contact with the School Farm Network to offer your support and they will also be able to provide contact details of your nearest school farm, should you wish to make links with them.

The conference However, it’s not all doom and gloom. Attended by 100 teachers, students, and education practitioners from across the UK, the two-day SFNEA conference was a golden opportunity for those passionate about school-based farm learning and developing pathways to higher education to come together and share knowledge and expertise. The conference explored the role of rearing farm livestock in schools, and the value of landbased education, including the areas of agriculture, business, technology, food security, and the environment.

tweet Follow RAU @RoyalgUni Tweet us @FarmlandUK

AWARDS Congratulations to all of the award winners and runners-up: School Farm Enterprise and Innovation Award 2017 Winner: Chipping Campden School Runner-up: Bebington High Sports College

"School farms enable students to build confidence" There were a number of key messages which shone through each of the sessions;

■ Young people are interested in where their food comes from, and the food supply chain.

■ We need bright young people in the future of the agri-food and wider land-based sector.

■ Conservation is a key part of agriculture, the two must go hand in hand.

■ School farms help students to become passionate about animals and farming practices.

■ Education must be fun and hands-on, that’s when students learn and become inspired.

How two award winning school farms operate

School Farm Community Engagement Award 2017 Winner: Woodchurch High School Runner-up: Thomas Alleyne’s High School Best Use of School Farm in the Curriculum Award 2017 Winner: Brockhill Park Performing Arts College Runner-up: Eastfield Primary School School Farm Leadership Award 2017 Winner: Bebington High Sports College Runner-up: Mowbray School Farm. School Farm Student Leadership Award 2017 Winner: Kirk Hallam Community Academy Best School Farm Secondary School Award 2017 Winner: Ramsey Grammar School Runner-up: Bebington High Sports College Best School Farm Primary School Award 2017 Winner: Eastfields Primary School Runner-up: Edwalton PS Best School Farm Award 2017 Winner: Brockhill Park Performing Arts College

Chipping Campden School

Brockhill Park PA College

Chipping Campden school keep various livestock including Cotswold sheep and poultry as well as having a large organic garden and the lease of a traditional orchard. The school run a Rural Crafts course where students enjoy making hurdles, dry stone walling, willow work and hedge laying. Their offerings include apple juice, lamb burgers, sausages, eggs, honey plus vegetables from the garden and rural crafts items. Students are involved in all aspects of the work. Chipping Campden work together with the business department and the catering team as a Community Interest Company (CIC), selling to the staff and also through various local hotels and shops

Brockhill’s School Farm is home to beef cattle, sheep, pigs, rabbits and chickens. A fully embedded curriculum including the colleges' own accredited level 1 qualification called the Great Outdoors for yr. 7 and 8. BTEC’s are taught to the to the higher years. During ‘Farm Fortnight’ every department at Brockhill delivers lessons using the farm as a stimulus. Brockhill's Young Farmers Club has 80 members who enjoy learning about animal husbandry and run social events and fundraisers. Livestock is showcased at the annual Kent County Show. The staff feel it is important to share the facility with others and they run ‘Farming School’ for primary schools with 6 curriculum linked lessons.

Keynote Speakers

2017

THE SCHOOL FARM WINNERS

TV presenter Adam Henson, Director of Cotswold Farm Park, Dan Corlett, CEO of Farming and Countryside Education; Leigh Morris, CEO of the National Land-Based College; Peter Fearon, Coordinator of Land Based Science, Bebington High Sports College; and Professor Jo Price, Vice-Chancellor of the Royal Agricultural University. @farmlanduk | FARMLAND MAGAZINE

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Conservation

Go online More conservation news & stories at farmlanduk.com

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BEN EAGLE ben@farmlanduk.com

Image credit Andy Roberts

A voice for wildlife Staffordshire arable farmer Andy Roberts on conservation work and doing his bit for habitats

ndy farms in partnership with his brother and parents. He is a great advocate for farmland conservation and has monitored the bird species on his family’s farm from a young age. He encourages other farmers to share their wildlife sightings using his twitter account @Farmland_Nature and the hashtag #tractorbirding. His personal twitter account is @handles4forks. Thanks for talking to me Andy, Can you tell me about your farm and the conservation work you undertake? It's my pleasure. We’re mainly an arable farm but we also have a beef suckler herd. The arable comprises wheat, malting barley, OSR and potatoes. Two thirds of the farm is rented from the Crown Estate and the rest we have managed to buy over the years. In terms of conservation I’ve always had an interest in wildlife but it was the 2001 foot and mouth crisis that led to us getting involved in stewardship. We went down with the disease because we had some sheep on tack. The cattle had to go. The silver lining was that we received some free advice from Business Link and a visit from FWAG.

FARMLAND MAGAZINE | @farmlanduk

They came and looked at the farm and were quite impressed by the steep sandstone escarpment which runs through the middle of the farm. It was identified as a valuable habitat and they suggested we maintained it by getting cattle back on the land and entering into a countryside stewardship scheme. You’ve been interested in wildlife for a long time then? Yes absolutely. I’ve been interested in wildlife since a very young age. I enjoyed watching the wildlife on the farm and recording the birds. I was able to show FWAG all of these records when they visited in 2001 which certainly helped our application. I’d never really spoken to anyone about my interest before though because when you go to young farmers you don’t compare skylark plots, you talk about wheat yields. I now realise there are lots of like-minded farmers about who enjoy talking about farmland conservation. I’ve been to many meetings about stewardship and realise that most farmers enjoy the wildlife on the farm and want to conserve it. They just never get a chance to talk about it.

Have you got a mix of HLS and ELS? Yes. We started with the original countryside stewardship scheme and then we added on entry level when that came in. We renewed the whole lot in 2012, so it’s an HLS scheme with ELS options. What notable species do you have on the farm? We have a few pairs of lapwing. They’ve always seemed to do well in the sugar beet, and we’ve got some low lying wet grassland so they have chick rearing habitat and nesting habitat in close proximity. When the sugar beet factory in the region closed we were concerned that we would lose our nesting habitat, so we added a fallow option to our stewardship scheme to provide them with that, and they have used it occasionally. We usually have three or four pairs of lapwing, but this year we happily have eight pairs. Six pairs nested on one field destined for potatoes, which created a bit of a challenge when it came to planting. I managed to delay for an extra week to allow most of them to hatch out but we ended up having to move some of the nests and put them back when we finished. But, the trouble with that was that there were so many gulls, rooks and crows coming down when we started cultivating that they didn’t really stand a chance. One pair was successful in nesting though after we planted. We have a few grey partridge. I’d like to increase their numbers if I can but it’s a struggle. We have plenty of skylarks because we have quite a good proportion of spring cropping. Yellow wagtails nest in the potatoes. We’ve got a few corn bunting which are always nice to hear. We also have plenty of yellowhammers. I remember spotting them from a young age with their ‘little-bitof-bread-with-no-cheese’ song.

Next time.. We focus on conservation grazing, looking at the art and science behind it, objectives, suitable breeds and introducing livestock to improve habitats.

Received your Mid-Tier pack? If you have had your countryside stewardship pack through but don't know where to start, contact FWAG on 01823 660684 or info@ fwagsw.org.uk

We really need to work together. Both conservationists and farmers want to reverse the declines in species You run two twitter accounts, your personal one (@handles4forks) and the @Farmland_Nature account. Can you tell me how that started and whether you think social media generally is a good way of engaging farmers and the public in conservation? I’d been putting my wildlife sightings on my personal account but I realised that not everyone’s interested so I thought I’d set up a dedicated account for them. It’s now become a means of sharing other people’s sightings, trying to show the public what farmers do. Then there’s the #tractorbirding as well. Tractors are like a mobile bird hide. The birds come really close, particularly at potato planting time. I’m normally on the de-stoner so I’m trundling along at under 2mph. It’s quite easy to take a few photos of the birds. It’s a great way of seeing the wildlife on the farm. I try to follow non-farmers on twitter, otherwise you’re preaching to yourselves. I follow birders and people with a general wildlife interest as well. Through twitter I’ve found a good network of local birdwatchers. I put my images on twitter and they pick up on it. I’m trying to show what we’re doing for wildlife. Do you think there’s a divide between farmers and conservationists? Well there’s been a lot of conflict over the years and a lot of the wildlife groups are perceived as ‘farmer bashers’. However, I think we take it too personally. It’s not farmers but ‘farming policy’ that has caused the declines in populations. Farming has changed and there are winners and losers as a result. Some of the losses are down to intensification and some of it is down to changing practices.

We really need to work together. Both conservationists and farmers want to reverse the declines in species...The usual response from farmers is to say that it’s not farming, it’s badgers and buzzards that are causing the declines, and yes they have a role to play, but farming has also had an impact. At the same time I think the wildlife groups need to accept that some predators have risen significantly in population and are affecting the populations of other species. However, it’s a combination of both. We shouldn’t blame one or the other. We should work together to find a solution. Do you think the August hedgecutting ban is a sensible rule or an impractical pain? On the face of it I thought it was unnecessary because nobody is going to cut all their hedges in August. On our farm we find the earlier cut hedges have a chance to put on regrowth before winter and they can still flower the following year. Having said this, I understand that some species will nest in August, towards the end of the season. We have a lot of hedges so we employ a hedge contractor. Now he’s got a lot of hedges to cut and not cutting in August means that there’s less time for him to get round everything. Conditions get wetter as time goes on so you lose one of the best months for hedgecutting from a practical point of view by not cutting in August. Having said that, there’s a derogation that you can apply for if you’ve got OSR and that’s worked really well for us.

If you could encourage our farmer readers to do one thing for wildlife on their farms, what would it be and why? I would look at things that aren’t going to cost you anything. One thing we do is to collect the wheat screenings and feed them to the birds. I made some homemade partridge feeders from old drums and I feed them in there. Yellowhammers love them. You can spread them along a track. So, when you’re drying the wheat you’re increasing the specific weight and you’re also getting the screenings which you can feed to the birds. It’s a win-win situation. So that would be one tip. I’d also suggest getting to know your local nature groups and invite them on to your farm. You might be surprised to find out what species you’ve got. It’ll inspire you to want to improve the farm. How do you plan to conserve wildlife on your own farm moving into the future? It will depend on what is in place when our current scheme runs out. Will we look at something new post Brexit? There’s quite a lot of uncertainty at the moment. I’d like to continue with a scheme that’s similar to what we’ve got currently. That would allow us to continue the good work we’ve been doing. Hopefully the payments will be appropriate for what we do and we’ll continue to do it. Thanks Andy, great to speak to you. ■ @farmlanduk | FARMLAND MAGAZINE

The UKâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s fastest declining bird, the turtle dove, needs farmers. This beautiful, diminutive farmland dove is in trouble. Operation turtle dove aims to reverse the fortunes of this much-loved bird. The RSPB, Conservation Grade, Natural England and Pensthorpe Conservation Trust work with farmers, scientists and other conservationists across the UK to try to tackle these challenges it faces.

FARMLAND MAGAZINE | @farmlanduk

Turtle doves are inspiring a great British revolution RSPB's Rupert Masefield shares advice on how we can conserve and encourage the rapidly declining farmland dove

hile Brexit stories promise to dominate media coverage of the farming and agricultural sector for many months to come, outside the spotlight a growing number of conservation-minded farmers are part of a quiet revolution taking place in the British countryside. The realisation that the rapid changes British agriculture underwent in the mid-to-late 20th Century have contributed to unprecedented losses of some our most iconic farmland wildlife has galvanised many farmers into action to restore lost habitats and wildlife on their farms and in the countryside. This nature-friendly farming revolution has been fuelled by the passion of individual farmers for British wildlife, so it’s perhaps no surprise that the UK’s fastest declining bird has become one of the cause’s most potent rallying symbols. Since 1970 we have lost 97% of our turtle doves, or put another way, for every 100 turtle doves breeding in Britain in 1970 there are now just three. This extraordinary fall in numbers, together with the turtle dove’s cultural importance and its traditional status as a herald of summer, when its call used to be one of the ubiquitous sounds of the countryside, has helped to rally farmers to its aid.

Why are turtle doves in trouble? The first step to helping farm wildlife is to know what to do for it. The RSPB and its partners in Operation Turtle Dove have helped identify some of the root causes of the turtle dove’s plight here in the UK. As a migratory bird, turtle doves are only here for a few months of the year, but it is a crucial few months as this is when they breed. In order to breed successfully, turtle doves, like other birds, need the right habitat in which to nest and plenty of food to fuel the energy demanding work of reproduction and rearing young. It is here that they have run into trouble in the last 50 years. Turtle doves almost exclusively eat the seeds of arable plants commonly considered weeds by farmers. In the 1950s, with the introduction of new herbicides and changes in farming techniques aimed at increasing productivity and efficiency, many of these plants became much less common. While food for the human population was more plentiful than ever, turtle doves were experiencing a famine. Without enough food, breeding success dropped below the level needed to sustain the population, and turtle dove numbers plummeted – not helped by the added pressures of desertification, habitat loss in Africa (where they spend the winter), and shooting.

Now though, efforts to address these pressures are underway throughout the turtle dove’s range, including providing them with the food and nesting habitat they need here in Britain. How you can help turtle doves on your farm? Turtle doves need the same three things that all animals need to survive: food, water and shelter. Providing these where and when they need them is the key to helping their numbers recover. The further turtle doves have to go to find food and water, the more their breeding success is reduced. Food – The availability of seed food, especially early in the summer when they first arrive back in the UK after their migration from Africa, is crucial. Fallow areas and uncropped cultivated plots or margins are particularly good at providing the right kind of seed food. Higher tier Countryside Stewardship supports options to create turtle dove-specific feeding plots in areas where they are a conservation priority (East and South-East of England). Water – With a diet consisting almost entirely of seeds turtle doves need to drink to get enough water and having easy access to fresh water close to their nesting and feeding areas is important for maximising their breeding success. Shallow edged ponds enable the birds to get to the water to drink. Shelter – This really means shelter for them to build their nests. Turtle doves are very shy birds and like to build their nest deep in tall, dense hedgerows and scrub for protection from predators. Tall, thick mature hedgerows are ideal nesting habitat for turtle doves and lots of other farmland birds. Avoid hedge-cutting in the breeding season – 1 March to 31 August – to prevent disturbance or damage to nests.

How to spot a turtle dove? ■ The turtle dove is a small, round-headed, short-tailed dove. Its bright brown back is dotted with dark spots. ■ In flight, it flicks its backward angled wings and rolls from side to side. ■ It has a soft, purring ‘turr-turr’ call, from which it gets its name. It can be heard calling from the top of dense shrubs, hedgerows and trees in summer. ■ Can be confused with collared dove. @farmlanduk | FARMLAND MAGAZINE

CONSERVATION

Support for supporting turtle doves Turtle doves will be starting to leave the UK to return to Africa for the winter in September, but lots of the things farmers can do to help them can be started in the autumn for the following spring/ summer. Many of the measures farmers can take to help turtle doves can be supported by Countryside Stewardship (mid and higher tier) schemes or as part of Ecological Focus Areas to meet greening requirements under the Basic Payment Scheme. If you are in an area where turtle doves have been identified as a conservation priority, you may be eligible for one-to-one support to help you plan and implement measures to benefit turtle doves. In East Anglia and the South-East of England, RSPB Farm Conservation Officers work with farmers to help turtle doves on their farms, including providing support with Countryside Stewardship applications, designing EFAs, or implementing voluntary measures for turtle doves. Operation Turtle Dove is a partnership project between the RSPB, Pensthorpe Conservation Trust and Natural England that aims to reverse the decline of the turtle dove in the UK. To find out more visit www.operationturtledove.org

NEWS 2018 Big Farmland Bird Count The next Big Farmland Bird Count will be taking place from Friday 9th to Sunday 18th February 2018. Around 1,000 farmers took part in 2017 and the GWCT are looking to beat that number next year so please put those dates in your diary, you only need to spend 30 minutes counting on any one day whilst the count is taking place. #BigFarmlandBirdCount

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Get to know your birds Of course, itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s not only turtle doves that can benefit from farmers taking steps to create and manage areas for birds and other wildlife on their farms. Measures that will be good for turtle doves will also help a wide range of other species as well. With that in mind, here are a few other farmland birds to look out for and some of things you, as farmers, can do for them. Images - Mike Langman. Linnet Identification: Small finch with rust brown back. Male has grey head with red forehead and chest in breeding season. What they need: Nesting - thick hedges and patches of scrub, especially thorny shrubs like hawthorn, gorse or bramble. Summer food -small seeds of broadleaved weeds as provided by uncropped, cultivated patches or margins. Winter food - Small seeds in stubble fields, wild bird cover crops, fodder

Lapwing

Grey partridge Identification: Chicken-like bird of open fields and heaths; streaky back, orange face, but often looks dark brown with no obvious pattern; low flier. Nesting - rough grass margins and beetle banks in arable fields. Summer food - crops with plenty of insects, especially spring cereals, undersown cereals, conservation headlands, wild bird cover crops and unimproved grassland. Winter food - seed-rich over-wintered stubbles, or wild bird cover.

FIND OUT MORE + To find out more and contact your local RSPB Farm Conservation team visit www.rspb.org.uk/farming or email Samantha.lee@rspb.org.uk

Identification: Unmistakeable crest on head; dark above, white below; very broad wings and distinctive flight; wheezy peewit call. Nesting: on the ground in grazed pastures and spring crops, or cultivated fallow fields or plots in arable fields. Look out for nests from March onwards. Summer food: grazed pasture and arable areas with abundant soil invertebrates, especially earthworms.

Yellowhammer Identification: Small yellow bunting with long tail and rusty rump. Male vivid yellow on head and breast; female paler, yellow-buff on head and breast with streaks.

Nesting Thick thorny hedge with adjacent ditch bordered by wide, rough grass buffer strips around arable fields. Summer food Insects in buffer strips and crops. Conservation headlands can be particularly beneficial. Winter food Seed food in over-wintered stubbles and wild bird cover crops. In grassland, areas allowed to go to seed and left uncut and ungrazed through the winter.

Skylark Identification: Small yellow bunting with long tail and rusty rump. Male vivid yellow on head and breast; female paler, yellow-buff on head and breast with streaks. Winter food: over-wintered stubbles; in grassland, areas allowed to go to seed and left uncut and ungrazed.

Event GWCT and Natural England Farmer Cluster Conference. Your chance to hear first-hand accounts of running a Farmer Cluster and the opportunities it provides. Royal Geographical Society London on 12th October 2017. Price: ÂŁ45.00 Call 01425 651025

FARMLAND MAGAZINE | @farmlanduk

Southern region Bee Farmers Association Chairman

Bee Farming

Next time... treatments for varroa. Plus winter preparations.

@kevinhorner4

KEVIN HORNER Sarum Bee Supplies

Step b y Step

Honey Extraction Honey supers are cleared of bees and moved from Apiaries to the honey room, they are stacked ready for processing. Each frame is carefully uncapped.

Summer and specialist crops

fter the early spring crop from the Oil Seed Rape has been harvested, the honey supers are returned to the hives in anticipation of a good harvest, as the hedgerows, field margins, EFA's and any other areas of natural uncultivated land burst into flower giving good pollen and nectar flows. These flows are greatly influenced by the weather, in the South of the country this year it has been very dry leaving these flowers yielding pollen but very little nectar, yet in the Midlands and the North of England, where there has been rain, the crops are considerably better. Brambles generally yield generously giving a pleasantly flavoured honey as it comes mixed with lower yielding wild flowers, this is usually a runny honey that is generally my best selling honey. This is also the time of year Bee Farmers move their bees to specialist crops that yield mono floral honeys, there are also parts of the country where

military manoeuvrers, the diverse amount of flowers that grow on this natural Chalk Downland is huge, the area has no sprays only certain flowers grow in the or chemical treatments, leaving wild that leads to honeys that can the flora free to flower yielding a be given specialist labels and have unique flavoured honey sold by very distinct flavours. specialist retailers. Borage is one of the farmed As the summer draws to an end crops that must have bee pollinaone of the most unique of crops tion to give a crop, it also yields a comes into flower attracting many light coloured runny honey, beekeepers to transport their bees Unfortunately, only a small acreconsiderable distances to obtain age of borage is grown in the UK this honey. I am of course talking now. Lime trees flower during the of the Ling Heather that flowers summer months and there across moorland and hillare various places in sides across the UK. the country where The very aromat"ONLY A large areas of limes ic Honey collected SMALL are grown and by the bees on the AMOUNT OF when they are in Heather needs flower the bees specialist equipBORAGE IS work them ferment to extract, GROWN IN vently, this gives a large amounts of THE UK" very aromatic and this honey is sold in distinct honey.One cut comb containers, of the areas that yields the rest is sold in jars, the a very distinctively flavoured honey is Thixothropic, i.e. its honey but not mono-floral is Salisa jelly until stirred then it turns bury Plain. liquid returning to jelly if left to Although this area is used for stand. IMAGE Lester Quale

The frames are stacked into the honey extractor, most of us run two extractors, one running while the other is loaded to speed the process up. The extracted honey is tapped off through a coarse filter into 30 llb buckets.

When ripened the buckets of honey are poured through a fine filter into a bulk tank, from there the honey is bottled with a calibrated bottling machine.

The finished product is labelled according to regulations with our own specialist labels and packed ready for sale/delivery

@farmlanduk | FARMLAND MAGAZINE

Feature... Get in touch if you would like your farm included >>>

ARABLE

Go online More arable news & stories at farmlanduk.com

@roseheather1

HEATHER BRIGGS hb@farmlanduk.com

Top tips for... Harvesting pulses

often perceived as being able to withstand harvest delays and other operations, including seedbed preparations and oilseed rape sowing, often take priority. But, if pods split and beans are exposed to light this will cause the seed coat to darken and increase the amount of crop loss. Drying for combining peas and field beans Drying can be more difficult with peas and beans than with cereals due to seed size, but it is still important because while damaged produce is acceptable for compounding, mouldy produce is not. According to PGRO, the quality standard for peas and beans is usually 14% moisture content (MC) with 2% impurities, or a combination of the two that should not exceed 16%.

f field bean crops are infested with green weedy material, or has a few late set pods which are still green, application of a desiccant will aid combining, advises the Processors and Growers Research Organisation (PGRO). . But, as well as increasing production costs there may also be loss of crop from the passage of the sprayer when desiccating, growers are warned. Moreover, desiccation will not advance seed maturity and has a slow effect on green stems.

Becky Ward, PRGO Desiccant should be applied at the correct stage of maturity as if applied before growers may lose yield or seed quality. The most widely used desiccant is diquat, which can be used on crops for animal feed, human consumption or seed. It should be applied when 90 per cent of the pods are dry and black and most of the seed is dry, advises PGRO. At this stage, most of the leaves have senesced and fallen but the stems are still green. The contact action is fast and harvesting can be carried out 4-7 days later.

Glyphosate is not a true desiccant but can be used as a pre-harvest treatment to control perennial weeds. However, it must not be used on crops destined for seed. Quality lost with field bean harvest delays Once beans are ready to harvest, the quality will begin to deteriorate, warns PGRO. When the crop is mature, cycles of wet and dry weather increase the chances of staining if they are not harvested. However, beans are

New liquid formulation of maleic hydrazide available

new, liquid formulation of maleic hydrazide, Itcan SL 270, has been registered for use in onion and potato crops. The product can be used for control of volunteer potatoes, which play host to PCN, as well as being a primary source of blight inoculum for nearby potato crops, warns independent agronomist John Sarup of Spud Agronomy. The effect maleic hydrazide has on stopping cell division is another reason growers could benefit from an application.

FARMLAND MAGAZINE | @farmlanduk

Mr Sarup says: “It has been a year of very dry conditions and sporadic rainfall, which means some varieties are at a high risk of either secondary growths or chain tuberisation, causing quality problems.” “The crops must be actively growing to get translocation of the maleic hydrazide down to the tubers, so do not apply to drought stressed crops or during the heat of the day. Get it on early enough – I recommend application when the smallest tuber you want to keep going is just 25mm in size.”

Finance to fit cropping cashflow

cCormick distributor AgriArgo UK has introduced a special time-limited offer in partnership with ARGO Finance that will help arable farmers in particular purchase a new McCormick X7 Series tractor. The new interest-free zeroplus-five scheme involves an initial payment on November 1 this year, followed by four subsequent annual payments that also fall due on the first day of November.

That in itself is an attractive approach as the payments coincide with arable farmer cash-flows from harvest receipts. Moreover, there is no interest to pay on the amount borrowed, which can be up to 50 per cent of the retail list price of the machine – so potentially a greater proportion of the amount paid after a deal is struck. AgriArgo UK Sales Director Ray Spinks said; “This time-limited offer is available now through to the end of September. So the sooner the deal

Philip Cosgrave, Grassland Agronomist

is done, the greater the financial benefit to the farm business because there’s nothing to pay until the beginning of November.” The same finance package can also cover a McCormick MClassic or MPower loader for the X7 Series tractors, which will be supplied from current stock held by dealers in Great Britain and Northern Ireland or by AgriArgo at its Harworth base in south Yorkshire. McCormick X7 semi-powershift tractors with a 24×24 or 40×40

creep transmission start with the 143hp X7.440 and extend to the six-cylinder X7.680 with 188hp for draft work, 212hp for pto and transport applications. All are available to Premium and simpler Efficient specifications. The stepless transmission McCormick X7 VT-Drive start at 136hp for draft work, boosting to 146hp for transport and pto implements with the X7.440, and stretch to the X7.670 with 180hp and 194hp outputs.

On Farm with Yara RESEEDING THIS AUTUMN

A new perennial ryegrass (PRG) sward can often be the most challenging crop to establish on a grassland farm. The main benefits of a new PRG sward are improved dry matter (DM) yield, which can be up to 3 tonnes of DM per hectare, and improved nutrient use efficiency. Permanent pasture can have a 25% poorer response to applied nutrients. STEPS These are the important steps in optimising your reseed: 1.Identify paddocks that are performing poorly and then assess their perennial ryegrasses content (perennial ryegrass species have red stem bases), if it’s less than 50% consider re-seeding as: annual meadow grass and other weed grasses produce lower yields, poorer feed quality and do not respond well to applied nutrients. 2. Choose only varieties from the recommended list and pick varieties that suit your particular farm and system, with a small range in heading dates.

Yara UK

3. A soil test should be taken beforehand so that action can be taken to correct soil pH. On mineral soils the optimum pH for grass is 6.3 and failing to correct pH will severely impact the success of your reseed. 4. New PRG swards require good levels of nutrition and the failure to provide the correct nutrients at sowing will hinder the short and long term success of the ley. Therefore a quality NPK compound fertilizer at the correct recommendation rates such as YaraMila ACTYVA S (16-15-15 + 6.5% SO3) will support the new plant, especially its Phosphorus and Nitrogen requirements which are critical for establishment. 5. Applying herbicide to control weeds 4 to 6 weeks post-emergence will prevent weeds from competing for nutrients and space. This combined with a light grazing when grass height is at 8 – 10 cm will promote new shoots and thus the long term productivity of your new sward.

@YaraUK

www,yara.co.uk

Contact mail@farmlandpress.com for a free event listing

@farmlanduk | FARMLAND MAGAZINE

Sheep & Lamb DAVID BURKE david@farmlanduk.com

Are you celebrating Love Lamb Week? Tweet us with your updates

@farmlandUK

Welcome back #LoveLambWeek "Sheep are very much part of our British identity" 12 young sheep farmers and shepherds champion lamb

ut lamb back on British plates is the message to shoppers from the next generation of sheep farmers as the third annual Love Lamb Week is approaching. Over the past 15 years, less and less people have opted for lamb as a staple to their Sunday roast and the majority of consumers are over the age of 55. With this in mind, 12 young sheep farmers and shepherds from across the country are championing Love Lamb Week, a celebration started by Cumbrian sheep farmer Rachel Lumley to inspire consumers

FARMLAND MAGAZINE | @farmlanduk

and demonstrate how tasty, healthy and easy it is to cook. Upland sheep farmer Thomas Vickers from County Durham, said: “We want to make sure that delicious lamb isn’t on its last leg with young consumers. He added: “Whether grazing our moorlands, maintaining our marshlands or looking after our lowlands, sheep are very much a part of our British identity. The different landscapes in which sheep are raised means that almost every time you buy lamb, you’re buying an artisan product packed with flavour and nourishment.”

While the campaign is championed by young sheep farmers and shepherds, there is also the opportunity for the country’s retailers, restauranteurs and butchers to remind consumers how lovely lamb is. Phil Stocker, NSA Chief Executive, said: “A strategically planned Love Lamb Week is a brilliant way to bring focus to many existing lamb promotional activities. NSA is pleased to be working with AHDB to drive activity on social media, encourage local and farmbased events and target media in the lead up and during

the week to point consumers in the direction of lamb during its peak season.” Love Lamb Week takes place from 1 - 7 September.

Upland sheep farmer Thomas Vickers

Improve productivity of upland flocks The North Yorkshire Moors Swaledale Breeders have secured funding to improve carcass traits of Swaledale sheep, develop a template for performance recording and improve hill lamb finishing.

Next time.. - Join us next time for our rare and native b breed special edition. - Preperation for tupping time - Celebrating British lamb with our autumn iirecipes

Scottish appetite for lamb in decline Demand for the meat is up to 24% lower than the UK average

amb is dropping off the menus in Scotland as shoppers lose their appetite for the food. Latest figures from Kantar World panel reveal that there has been a massive 25% decrease in number of Scottish shoppers buying lamb. Scottish lamb consumption has been steadily decreasing over the past few years. It is now estimated that Scottish consumers eat approximately 2-2.5 kg of lamb compared to 7.5kg in many other areas of the UK. For farmers this is bad news since sheep farming is essential to the Scottish environment.

Reasons for the drop reflect changing diets and the way people shop. There is also an age differential – older customers, aged 55 and over are shown to be the most likely to buy lamb. The figures reveal that demand for lamb in the South is up 2%, while the North East are 16% below the UK average. Londoners make up for 24% of the total lamb consumed. Attempts are being made to arouse greater interest in using lamb. September sees the third Love Lamb Week taking place throughout the UK demonstrating how tasty, healthy and easy it is to cook.

Raskelf Rare Heritage breed Boreray Lamb Sausage was awarded 3 star gold

Native lamb best in class

are Breeds Survival Trust (RBST) put the UK’s native breeds to the test with Jimmy’s Native Breed Sausage Awards. A huge number of entries were judged and star ratings were awarded to 29 different pedigree bred sausages. The competition was held at Jimmy’s Festival 2017, with each of the entries being blind tasted by a top chef and expert judges, making sure each sausage was judged thoroughly and fairly. Following the competition, the sausages were judged by a separate expert panel, to crown the overall champion.

CHAMPION - Raskelf Rare and Heritage Breeds Boreray Lamb Sausage *** Gold. Jimmy Doherty, RBST President said ‘Judging this competition proved to me that pedigree pork, beef and lamb are the best’. RBST CEO Tom Beeston said “The competition was so close, we didn’t have one entry that I wouldn’t be happy to serve to guests at home. It was a great showcase of native pedigree products and I urge the public to ask their local butcher if they have any rare or native breed meat.

Price cuts 'destabilising the market', says union

lster Farmers' Union, beef and lamb chairman, Crosby Cleland, says harsh and unfair tactics by processors to pull back lamb prices have gone too far. He says there is now a pressing need to inject stability back into the market. “Processors have wiped ten per cent off the value of a lamb in the last couple of weeks. These tactics are destabilising the market and undermining producer confidence,” he says. By contrast live-weight prices in marts in Great Britain have increased by at least 10 pence a kilo this week. “This has to raise questions as to why processors here have pulled quotes back to £4 a kilo,”

Mr Cleland warns: “Processors often claim they need more in-spec lambs to meet customer requirements, but they’re not sending out the right signals to achieve this. Price stability in June and early July gave producers the confidence to pick lambs at the right time. This has now been eroded by price cuts,” he warns. Mr Cleland says the result is greater uncertainty, which will undermine efforts to ensure consistent quality. “This can be reversed if processors take some responsibility and bring stability back into the market,” says the beef and lamb chairman. @farmlanduk | FARMLAND MAGAZINE

RURAL COPS

Name PCSO Tom Balchin Area Dorset Favourite Patrol Car Landrover Freelander Pet Hate Fly-tippers Guilty Pleasure Eastenders

"I spend my holidays tweeting about our police activity and engaging with the public"

s part of Dorset police rural crime team, 26 year old PCSO Tom Balchin is tasked with dealing with everything from poaching cases to livestock worrying.

Thanks for talking with me Tom, is there an increase of any particular cases in Dorset? The pleasure is all mine. The only rise is reports of suspicious vehicles, which is a great thing because people are reporting them. How do you aim to tackle it? We have a range of ways to deal with it. We have our â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;Dorset alert systemâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; which can broadcast a message to members. We can send out a description and part registration of the vehicle for example and send it simultaneously to each member so people can keep an eye out. We can share this through our social media profiles too.

Speaking of social media, how effective has this been in efforts? We've got a few channels that we use such as Farm Watch and Horse Watch as well as our regular twitter @RuralCrimeTeam and facebook pages - we've got over 22,000 members collectively and we're getting over 30,000 interactions each month. If I need to get a message out to people, I can do it very quickly. One time, we put a facebook post out about a suspicious vehicle and the owner commented on it! It's a great network and farmers do use it to keep alerted to local activity. Do you do this in your own time? I run this from my own home in my own time using my own internet. I'm dedicated enough to making a difference using social platforms that the last holiday we went on, I was tweeting police updates from the beach!

FARMLAND MAGAZINE | @farmlanduk

Do you think a joined-up approach with other forces is effective? It's a massive, you have to have something like this in place, everyone knows what everyone else is doing and we can all communicate quickly and effectively, we can go on joint agency visits and gain intelligence from other areas. It works both ways, not just for catching criminals, but if we meet a vulnerable farmer, one who is alone and struggling, we can make contact with the local council and other agencies who can offer support. We are very much community focussed as well. Your police branded tractor 'Robocrop' has been a huge hit, what do PR campaigns like this do for the force? We had the tractor donated to us, it's done a massive thing in highlighting rural crime to the general public in such a clever way. When we would go to a show or event normally with our Skoda Yeti, it doesn't have quite the same impact as the tractor. Children love it and it gets the parents coming over to find out more. We've had people come forward to report a crime as a result of having robocrop in our fleet. What do you say to victims who don't choose to report crimes if they deem them 'too small'? A crime is a crime whether you think it is small or not. Every piece of intelligence helps us so please get in touch. Finally Tom, this is important. Police interceptors or 24 hours in police custody? Haha. I have to say 24 hours, i like it because it shows the whole process of arrest to conviction. I spent time as custody officer so I enjoy seeing it on screen. I'd like to see a 'rural interceptors' type show. Our colleagues in North Wales did the morning show 'Countryside Cop's which was great.

Our Product Range for

Wild Boars Despite popular belief the number of wild boars has been steadily rising over the past years. This guide will prepare you should you encounter them on your property in the near future. The right accessories are required to ensure your electric fence is a reliable deterrent to wild boars. We have prepared a few tips and guides for you that will make building your defence against wild boars a bit easier. Fence height Permanent fence posts make up the framework for your fence system. Put solid wooden or metal posts at corners, access points and also moving points with particularly high tensile forces. Place the insulators (Art. 44812) on these for the wires at two or three heights. You should plan for the upper rows to be set at heights of about 45 cm and 70 cm and the lower row at 20 cm so that large wild boars, but also smaller young boars, cannot slip through the fence.

75 cm

70 cm 45 cm

45 cm

20 cm

To improve visibility of the electric fence, as well as the wire, use an additional stretch of 10 mm tape.

Fence posts Place posts, ideally lightweight plastic, fibreglass or metal posts, between the permanent fence posts to keep the wire insulated from the ground. Make sure the eyelets on these line posts are located at the right heights (Art. 44451, 44499 and 44111). To ensure the wire remains tensioned over long distances or you need to be able to reduce the tension, install additional metal Z-posts at around every 70â&#x20AC;&#x201C;100 m, (Art. 42220). Note: always ensure you have enough space around the posts to enable future maintenance. As well as using a scythe for removing vegetation, herbicides or burners are sometimes used. In this case, make sure that the necessary distance is kept with adjacent fields so as not to damage crops and similar. Conducting materials Wild boars have very poor vision. It is therefore necessary to make sure the conducting material is highly visible. Studies have shown that contrasting black / white is easiest for them to see. Very long fences are usually used for defence against wild boars. Conductors with high conductivity are therefore needed to ensure the electricity can travel the full length of these fences. Galvanised steel wire is a good choice for permanent fences. This has excellent conductivity even over long distances and is particularly robust (Art. 44558). If you are planning on putting up a mobile fence, you have a choice between steel stranded wire (Art. 44539) and polywire (Art. 42405). These can be rolled and unrolled more easily than plain steel wire and are therefore much more versatile.

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Wild Boars The steel stranded wire is highly tear-resistant with good conductivity at a low price. The downside is its relatively high weight when putting up and taking down the fence, difficultly to handle and susceptibility to rust. Polywire is significantly more lightweight, but less tough as a result. We recommend using wire polywire with at least 6, preferably 9, stainless steel wires and with at least 1 additional copper wire (Art. 44645). The resistance should not exceed 0.3 ohms/m. Additional UV-resistance increases the lifespan of the wire. Excellent visibility and very good conductivity is offered by the new black / white polywire with TLD technology (Art. 42405). Rolling out and tensioning the wire is made easier using a reel. Reels can generally hold between 500 and 2,000 m of wire. They can be mounted to permanent fence posts if necessary. If you discover breaks in the fence or your wire is too short and needs extending, do not tie knots! Knots create very high electrical resistance and impede the flow of electricity along your fence. Instead, use polywire connectors. These create a conductive connection between the ends of the polywire and are therefore the perfect choice for guaranteeing the required voltage along the fence (Art. 44684 and 44619). Tip: so that the boars notice the fence, allow for a 10 mm wide tape as a visual marker on the lower and / or middle row (Art. 44554)! Energisers Wild boars are very strong and resilient animals and are not used to electric fences. The fence therefore needs to be very powerful and very clear to see. It is important that when the animals touch the fence for the first time it remains so strongly in their memory they wonâ&#x20AC;&#x2DC;t go near it a second time! A more powerful energiser should be chosen than would normally be used for horse or cattle fences. A fence voltage of 2,000 V is not sufficient for wild boars. The fence voltage should be at least 4,000 V. The discharge energy should not be less than 2 joules and an energiser with 3â&#x20AC;&#x201C;5 joules discharge energy is preferred (Art. 44853.P.UK and 44687.P.UK). Wild boars will mostly investigate the fence and get a shock to their sensitive snouts. As such, shock energy above 5 joules is not necessary for successfully scaring away the animal. If you have a very long fence, however, or a fence with a lot of vegetation, then it makes sense to get an energiser with reserve capacity. These energisers have pulse energy of up to 14 joules and provide the highest functional security. (Art. 44875.UK). To get the required performance, use either a 12 V battery energiser or, ideally, a mains energiser. 12 V battery units are suitable for medium to long fences up to 10 km. To be a high-performance defence against wild boars, the 12 V energiser needs at least a 100 Ah battery (Art.34462). Keeping a spare battery has proven to be very useful in practice. There is also the additional option of connecting up a solar panel. This will save you a lot of work, time and money and also protect the environment. A mains energiser is recommended for defence against wild boars wherever possible. It will provide a higher performance at a reasonable price as well as allowing you to keep long stretches of fence at the right voltage (Art. 41830.UK, 44865.UK, 44875.UK). You should in any case ensure that you choose an energiser with enough power for your fence, taking into account any vegetation that will appear.

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Wild Boars Grounding No electric fence will work without proper grounding. Electricity can only flow when the circuit has been completed through the animal and the ground. To guarantee a good return current to the energiser, you should ideally use galvanised steel grounding stakes with T or L profiles. These have a large surface area and good conductivity. Insert the grounding stakes about 1–2 m into the ground (Art. 44219). Each grounding stake should be placed about 3 m apart and connected together using a high-voltage cable (Art. 32601). Round grounding stakes with a length of 0.75 m are often used for mobile fences (Art. 44375). Placing several stakes (3–7) will ensure sufficient conductivity. If other grounding systems are placed near to your fence system, such as those for houses, you should keep your grounding posts to a distance of at least 10 m from these. Field gates When protecting fields it is necessary to have access gates for farming machinery. For this reason you should allow for as many gates as necessary when planning your fence. However, gates always present a weak point for the flow of current around the system and should not be installed unless absolutely necessary. For building gates use gate handles and gate handle hooks with tension springs (Art. 44938, 44421, 44426). We also recommend installing an insulated high voltage cable below ground to bridge across the gate (Art. 32601). It is not uncommon for someone to forget to the close the gate after going through. The wires are then left lying on the ground which creates a short circuit and significantly reducing the fence voltage. In this case, the use of a flexible gate system is beneficial (Art. 44938). With these systems, the electric rope or tape rolls up into a drum when the gate is opened. Practical approach to assembly: • • • • • • •

drive in the permanent post and attach the insulators place line posts every 5–7 m (made from plastic, metal or fibreglass) unroll wire (and tape) and hang from the insulators tension the fence where necessary use gate handles with tension springs on gates set up the energiser and place grounding posts connect and link all electrical connections (fence connection wire to connect energiser with the fence; lead out cable to connect the energiser ground connection to the grounding stake; connect the 2–3 rows of fence wire to each other using fence connection cable (Art. 43220).

Tip: for an additional deterrent effect, it can be useful to attach repellents to a few fence components, such as the permanent fence posts, for example. The boar will associate the repellent with an unpleasant electric shock and avoid such areas in the future. A blinking warning light can have a similar deterrent effect (Art. 32380). The light warns the boar about the presence of the electric fence and prevents it from missing the fence and running into it. If curiosity gets the better of the animal and it decides to go near then fence, then it will get an electric shock that will scare it off. The boar will then avoid areas with warning lights in order to avoid any further shocks! Tips & tricks Using fence connection cables: Better conductivity, and therefore better supply of voltage to a long fence, can be achieved by cross-linking the upper and lower rows of wire at 200–300 m intervals. If your fence is circular, connect the beginning and end of it together. It is often just one side of a plot of land that is fenced off, in which case the beginning and end of the fence do not need to be connected. electric-fence.co.uk

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Wild Boars Avoid connections between copper wires and galvanised components: Connections with copper wires should not be put in direct contact with galvanised components (grounding stake, energiser, wire, etc). This can result in the build-up of galvanic elements and corrode the zinc coating. To avoid this problem on mobile fences you can use tin-plated cables (Art. 33615) or, on permanent fences, special connection cables (cable with a galvanised steel core) (Art. 32601). Checking for leakages: Vegetation on the fence, faulty insulators or damp wooden posts making direct contact with the wires and many other things may complete the fence circuit with the ground. The electricity then flows through the fence up to that point and leaks into the ground. This results in insufficient voltage on the fence to scare off wild boars that touch it. You should therefore regularly check that your fence is in full working order. Finding faults on the fence is made much easier by using practical fence testers (Art. 44700). Modern digital fence testers display the exact current and voltage on the fence. There are now even fence testers for steel wires that display arrows to direct you towards the location of a fault (Art. 44864). It is generally helpful to find several points along the fence and test these same points regularly. These values can then be easily compared with each other to simplify any necessary fault location. A particularly convenient way to monitor the fence is to use a fence alarm system with an SMS feature. You are informed via an SMS message as soon as the fence voltage drops below a certain value. Youâ&#x20AC;&#x2DC;ll no longer have to deal with unknown problems with your fence system and save having to constantly turn it on and off. Very long fences (longer than 6 miles): It is a good idea to divide the area to be fenced into several fence sections. Each fence section is powered by its own energiser. This has the advantage that the whole fence system will not go down if there is a fault. This will also make any faults easier to locate and resolve. When building multiple independent electric fence systems, a minimum distance of 2.5 m should be kept between them. Any gaps must then be filled with mechanical barriers such as wooden hoardings or another non-conducting material. Quality pays: The assumed high costs of an electric fence system for defence against wild animals are nothing compared to the frequently much higher costs and annoyance that can result from the damage caused by them. The following applies when making your choice: The higher the quality of the fence components, the more reliable the deterrent effect! Signage: It is a legal requirement that any electric fence systems placed near to public roads and pathways are clearly indicated by warning signs accordingly. Attach clearly visible warning signs at a recommended interval of 10m to 50m, but not exceeding 90m and at entrances to paths and locations where an electric fence may not be expected carrying the phrase â&#x20AC;&#x17E;Warning Electric Fenceâ&#x20AC;&#x153; (Art. 44842). Should you have any questions please contact us. See you in the next issue.

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Harvest & Holidays Amanda Cornwell. Scrutton Bland, Insurance Executive

unny days, ice cream, fish and chips and days out; or should that be children requiring endless snacks and entertainment, frazzled parents and drizzle – yes, the school summer holidays are here again. The school holidays coincide with harvest time meaning a heightened number of cars and caravans full of expectant holidaymakers hit the road at the same time as increased numbers of farming machinery are moved from field to store, inevitably this increased level of traffic on the regions roads leads to an increase in the number of traffic accidents. Farm businesses and anyone driving machinery on the roads during the summer need to be aware and consider the insurance cover they need to have in place to protect their liabilities in covering people, assets and income in the unfortunate event that an accident occurs. Here are just some of the key insurances which you should consider when working with vehicles >>>

Vehicle Insurance Whilst it might seem the most obvious of all your insurances, all too often it is easy to forget to notify your broker when you buy, sell, hire or swap a vehicle. It is crucial that you remember to consider who will be driving the vehicle, particularly around busy periods where you might be bringing in seasonal labour. A few key questions you will need to ask are: is the driver qualified under your policy? How are old are they? Temporary workers are a common addition to the workforce at harvest time and it is important to ensure that all of your drivers are covered before going out on the road. Trailer and Attachment Insurance Most agricultural vehicle insurance policies will cover trailers and attachments on the same basis as the vehicle that it is attached to. Make sure to check the limit as some policies have cover at £25,000 per item, others £500,000. Business Interruption (hired in plant) In the event of an accident which leaves you with a vehicle that needs repair and out of action you may be able to claim to hire in a replacement vehicle or a contractor to finish a job. However, each insurance policy is different so you should always get professional advice. Personal Accident Cover Don’t just think about the material assets, think about yourself and your staff. What would happen to your business if a key person was off from work due to an injury? Look to obtain cover that would at least enable you to cover the cost of hiring a replacement.

legal expenses for situations that are not clear cut accidents and may end up in the hands of the HSE and police. This list is of course not exhaustive but should hopefully get you thinking. Accidents happen so just make sure that you review your covers regularly with your broker or insurer so that you can farm confidently whilst those frazzled families making memories fill the roads on their summer trips.

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Amanda Cornwell

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If you would like to discuss any area of insurance including vehicle cover or specific agricultural issues contact Amanda Cornwell on 01473 267000 or email amanda.cornwell@scruttonbland.co.uk

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Smallholders Jack Smellie & David Chidgey

Contact... Jack@relaxed.org.uk or find us on facebook @relaxedsmallholding

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Smallholding in August Planning ahead and the importance of record keeping

n theory, life on the smallholding as July becomes August should be ticking along nicely with young stock growing well, adult stock regaining condition after breeding, grass and crops lush and healthy… and if we are really lucky, the weather should be great too. So our thoughts turn to the coming year: winter management, breeding programmes, sales, health planning and more. The importance of keeping records cannot be underestimated: good record keeping should inform your planning with the aim of keeping your productivity high and your losses low. And this is not just about money, in fact; it may not be about money at all. Productivity should be as much to do with the health and well-being of your stock (and you!!) as it is to do with the coins in your wallet. These are some examples of how our record keeping here on the Relaxed smallholding is helping us make decisions about the forthcoming months >>>

Breeding poultry. Getting the numbers right

Breeding poultry can be VERY addictive and by this time of year the numbers may be high. You should have a planned breeding programme which includes the fate of each and every chick you raise.

Our ram went in with our nine ewes on 11th October, lambing then took place over SIX weeks as some of our Shetlands did not cycle in those first 17 days. this year, we will put him in later in a hope to lamb over a shorter period.

☑ Half of what you hatch (or more) are going to be cockerels. Ideally, DON’T keep any that could breed with their mums!! Learn how to dispatch (legally) or find a licensed slaughter person.

2) Three of our Indian Game hens were hopeless broodies (crushing eggs, nest sharing and going walkabout) BUT they made great mums once they had chicks, they have consequently been ear-marked for ‘fostering’ next spring, rather than actual sitting!

☑ Breeding cross-breeds can be fun (and great for meat birds) BUT breeding pure can be more profitable (we do a mixture) so think carefully about the ‘types’ of birds you hatch and ‘plan’ their fate

3) Every time a sheep limped over the winter we made a record. Once the autumn starts, these persistent offenders will have feet checks more regularly than the rest. 4) Our hay and straw usage has been recorded on a week by week basis, the aim therefore is to get stocked up with what we need from November through to March by the end of October, so minimising winter deliveries (not good for the land..)

☑ Don’t keep hatching much beyond July otherwise the resulting chicks may not be feathered up/strong enough by winter ☑ Don’t ‘succumb’ to the broody or keep the incubator going just because ‘they are there’ ☑ Sort your numbers by winter: feeding/ bedding can be costly - especially if we have another avian flu lock-down.

Monthly musings 'Livestock / Deadstock'

here there’s livestock, there’s deadstock’ is a horribly obvious phrase. On your smallholding, livestock death is indeed inevitable but that does not mean you should get used to it or stop worrying it might happen or just simply accept it.

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We recently and very suddenly, lost an adult alpaca: she was ten years old and the probable cause was a gut torsion. She left us with a four day old cria to feed so we, and her cria from the previous year, all grieved together. What was crucial was having arrangements in place to legally

and safely remove the body via a certified ‘fallen stock’ company and ensure, through our vet, that there were no circumstances under which we might need to do a post mortem. A stressful situation was made slightly less stressful by being able to put a tick in both those boxes.

Coming up next time.. Males on the smallholding (of the livestock variety) – getting ready for tupping; Smallholding efficiency – maximising your time.

What's on this month? Smallholding courses for the new and aspiring smallholder from the Relaxed Smallholding (Devon) www.relaxedsmallholdingcourses.co.uk

Focus on... buildings The versatility of the humble field shelter

hen we moved to our current smallholding, we knew that our barn was not going to satisfy our needs. It was too small and the ventilation at the rear wasn’t good enough. So, our second major purchase (the first being fencing) was the addition of several field shelters. These have proved to be the best investment we have made so far: they enabled us to keep most of our stock outside all winter by providing cover from the worst of the weather; in early spring they became mini lambing and kidding pens, in June they became our shearing sheds and they have also proved perfect for temporarily housing pigs and ducklings. We have also used them as collecting areas for checking feet, giving vaccinations and for vet visits - which has saved a lot of hassle by not having to bring animals up to our barn: we are obviously talking small numbers here, our maximum for any one species being just over 20, in this case sheep and lambs. POSITION A field shelter shouldn't face into the prevailing wind and rain and nor should it face south otherwise it won’t be able to provide shade from the sun. Ours all face either north or east(ish). Positioning them near hedges helps to keep out the worst of the weather, but, access all the way around is very important for you, the quad and the animals.

Buildings like this make for a perfect shelter for the goats, in here they have everything they need

DESIGN Most of ours are three-sided with the fourth side open. All have solid walls up to the maximum animal head height (in our case Dexter cows) so that even when the animals stand up they are not in a draught and then we have 6 inch by 1 inch vertical boarding with 1 inch gaps up to the roof, usually on just two of the three sides to allow for maximum air flow and minimum weather impact. The roofs slope from front to back and have guttering and drainpipes leading to large water tanks, with provision for the overflow to go straight into nearby ditches or hedges. It is really important to avoid water collecting on the ground by the shelters and thus becoming a mud bath. SIZE We made ours tall enough for us to stand in all the way to the back (your comfort is important too). The overall size fitted the lengths of wood used, either wholes or halves, as there is

no point paying for wood that then has to be trimmed! In our case we used dung walling in 15 foot lengths. FLOORING & ENTRANCES At first the ‘flooring’ was a wonderful carpet of grass; this became bare soil quite quickly which then of course had the potential to become mud. We used woodchip to help stop this but even more successful was lining the shelter with ‘gate mats’ (rubber matting with holes) and then covering with straw. The straw absorbs wee and poo and the matting allows for some drainage as well as stopping the straw being trodden into the ground and becoming wet. All the field shelters have boarding across the entrance that the animals have to step over to get in – this on the whole helps keep most of the straw in and the mud out. We have also been very liberal with our use of woodchip in the entrances to help prevent poaching. →

Stress-free collecting - back outside after shearing

n wanting to use our field shelters as collecting places for our animals, we had to overcome a fairly obvious problem: getting each mini flock or herd to happily go into such a confined space. Our solution was to turn the inside of the shelters into places the animals would want to go to at any time. All our shelters were therefore fitted out with hay racks, platforms (for the goats), drinkers and feed troughs. They were

also fitted with gates. We then used hurdles to create a ‘welcome entrance’ in order to entice the animals in - with the rattle of the feed bucket naturally. As the shelter began to fill, we closed the gates so that no animals could escape whilst we waited for the last few to enter the hurdled area and so close the hurdles behind them. It didn't take long for our stock to cotton on. The yellow feeding bucket works every time! @farmlanduk | FARMLAND MAGAZINE

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Using a coldframe in the garden or the allotment can provide growers with endless practical benefits

Coldframes, simple yet very useful On the allotment with Martin Loach

old Frames are very simple but extremely useful, usually compact in size but with many practical benefits for growers. They could be described as either an accessory or an, albeit limited, alternative to a greenhouse. Whichever is true, a cold frame will earn its keep throughout the year. So why is this box with a glazed lid, and its close relative the mini-greenhouse, so useful? This depends on the time of the year. From February onwards, you can sow broad beans and sweet peas in a cold frame. Later, young plants, initially raised in the warmth of a greenhouse, can be hardened off before planting outside. To harden off, the plants need to be moved into the cold frame

about a week or ten days before planting out. On the second day, open slightly but close again in the evening. Repeat this procedure, slowly increasing the plants' exposure during the day and all but closing the lid in the evening. When completely open during the day, start increasing the amount left open at night until the lid is fully open at all times. If they are not acclimatised by using this method, the plants' growth rate and subsequent crop will suffer. The cold frame offers a halfway house, slowly lifting the lid on the tough realities of the outside world. Cold frames can also be useful when acting as a cloche, warming the soil in the spring prior to sowing seed . As the year progresses, tender vegetables such as aubergines can be kept warm so they ripen earlier

produce an improved crop. Later on in the year, cold frames can protect young plants and cuttings from frost and other elements. Late summer and autumn sowings can be made of winter lettuce, spinach, kale even carrots. Although you may have to keep your ambition in check, in theory vegetables can be grown throughout the winter. Use bubble wrap to provide extra insulation and act as a draught excluder. However, ventilation should not be neglected. Cold frames can become too hot during the summer or filled with stagnant air when closed in cold weather increasing the risk of disease. Open the lid now and again to freshen the air and reduce the risk of fungal problems. As with your greenhouse, the cold frame should be checked regularly, especially in hot weather

when watering is important and pests need to be spotted and eliminated. By extending the growing season and providing protection for a large selection of plants at different times of the year, a cold frame or mini greenhouse will be an invaluable servant to the gardener. Cold frames are not expensive either to build or buy. Sleepers and other pieces of timber, or bricks, are preferable to metal as they are better insulators and retain heat more efficiently. They can rest on bare earth but the ideal base would be level paving slabs, and they must be robust enough to resist adverse weather conditions, hence why sleepers are such a good idea. Panes of glass or rigid plastic should then be laid at an angle on top. Glass has the best light transmission but, if you have children running about, polycarbonate is a safer alternative to both glass and ordinary plastic.

"Bear in mind that cuttings may prefer a slightly shady position, locate your cold frame in a sunny position that's sheltered" During hot weather the cold frame lid can be fully opened but, as hardening off is a gradual process, you should be able to open the cold frame lid in stages to slowly prepare your plants for the great outdoors. Bearing in mind that cuttings may prefer a slightly shady position, locate your cold frame in a sunny position that's sheltered, so that it is warm and filled with light. Don't forget that, similar to a wall garden, if placed adjacent to your house, the frame will benefit from its warmth. @farmlanduk | FARMLAND MAGAZINE

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Farming + Kids = NO HOLIDAYS? It seems the animals get a better break than blogger, journalist, unsucessful baker and popular farmers wife Emma Lander.

W Mid-harvest pancakes Fiona Graham

elicious anytime of year, but these fluffy pancakes are an ideal at elevenses for the lads (and girls) out on harvest - when the weather allows anyway. 115g Self Raising flour 25g caster sugar I egg 150 ml milk 25g chocolate chips. Mix the flour and sugar in a large bowl. Make a well in the mixture, add the egg and half the milk. Whisk together, slowly and add the remaining milk. Once it's a smooth batter add chocolate chips . Lightly oil frying pan or hot plate . Drop tablespoons of the mixture onto the surface. Once you can see bubbles, flip the pancake over to finish. Keep warm in a clean tea towel. Serve and enjoy with butter.

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hen you live on a farm and can’t take holidays, you become very popular. Especially with people at your children’s school. You see, finding your nearest farmer's wife who has a problem with saying no, means everyone’s dog, cat or hamster can be sent for a fortnight’s holiday at the farm and have just as good a time as the owners sunning themselves in Mallorca. Our latest guests were two hens, amusingly named Hulk and Ironman who were hatched by my daughter’s class two years ago. We took some of the chicks too but we have so many hens that, unless they are a fancy breed, I can't tell the difference. Hulk and Ironman came to stay for just over a week which meant over a week of sleeplessness for me. You see in the week, despite not seeing a fox for months, one of my black pekins got carried off which, under normal circumstances I would have been quite upset about.

During the chicken 'boarding', I breathed a sigh of relief that the fox’s choice had not been one of the holidaying hens. For the whole week, I was constantly going to the field to seek out the two chickens with leg rings on. It was like head counting my kids one million times a day. The owners were clever to put the leg rings on, or so I thought. On the day they were due to collect the animals, Hubster caught the chickens in the morning as they came out of the coop. "The two with the leg rings", I said. I just put them straight into the carrier for the people. They did remark that one was lighter and I was a bit disgruntled, promising that I had fed them.

“If you need me, you’ll find me rocking in the corner of the coop” I then had a missed call about an hour later. Turns out one of my hens had a leg ring on too. Goodness knows where from but Ironman had been swapped for one of my ladies and the lightness mentioned was down to colour not weight. Another sprint to the field ensued to check that the holiday was just a delayed flight rather than a plane crash via Mr Fox...And breath. Ironman had just decided she liked our field too much. The moral of the story is 'Just say no'. If you need me, you’ll find me rocking in the corner of the coop.

Emma x www.farmerswifeandmummy.com

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Lorna's Corner

Competition Winners **** The winners of 'The Levelling' DVD and Blu-ray giveaway are Jonathan Sloan, Evan Placey and Kate Tuck. Congratulations! Stay tuned for our next comp.

WOES OF WELLIES

Hooked on twitter Katie Smith

W What type of farm wife are you? by Lorna Sixsmith

here are two types, which one are you? I don’t get jealous of other women. I’m not envious of things like perfectly shaped eyebrows, slim waists, manicured nails, spotless kitchen floors, not even the possession of an Aga. But the green-eyed monster does unleash itself occasionally. There is one type of woman who possesses something I covet and no matter what I do, I find it impossible to attain. It is the ability to keep a kitchen table clear. I recently walked into a farmhouse kitchen which was spotless. It had four freshly baked rhubarb tarts and a bowl of fruit at the end of the kitchen table. Nothing else. If I had just baked four tarts, there would still be a dusting of flour on the floor, half the washing up would be in the sink and a large slice of tart would be missing! Yes, I’d have eaten it. I can cope with keeping the worktops clear but the end of the table defeats me. Every few weeks, I tackle it when the four of us are struggling for elbow room at one end and the pile threatens to overcome us. I cleared it off today. This is what I removed >>> Irish Farmerette, serial author and blogger, Lorna Sixsmith farms in Co Laios with husband Brian.

@irishfarmerette

My kitchen table crap pile!

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• 6 unopened bills – I still haven’t opened them as I know exactly what’s inside • 4 farming newspapers, one was two months old • 2 animal passports • A teapot and half a packet of biscuits • A packet of painkillers • My “wellwoman” tablets that I keep forgetting to take 3 biros, one doesn’t work and this one is runnin running RUN OUT! •A pot of blackcurrant jam •Empty chocolate wrapper •Letters that should have been posted last week •A flyer about hidden hearing (none of us have hearing problems) A fruit bowl with pears and an overripe banana •An oven glove and rolling pin •A novel •A scrap of cardboard with cows’ tag numbers scrawled on it – if I throw it away, he’ll be looking for it tomorrow morning! Oh, and a roll of blue 'kitchen paper' that I “stole” from the farm.

ith the fields and country lanes a hive of activity at the moment it's a busy time of year for farmers all over the country. As we see the end of harvest season, there will inevitably be a surge of members back into Young Farmers clubs all over the country, so it's important to make use of the fabulous resources, such as social media, we have available to promote farming and get people interested. Young Farmers of the UK is a twitter account set up by young sheep farmer Georgina GaterMoore. The account is hosted by a different young farmer from anywhere in the country each week. I was lucky to be the first guest on the account after Georgina herself and it gave me a great opportunity to interact with farmers and non-farmers that wanted to find out about what it's like to be in the industry. It is great for young farmers to share their stories about how they got involved in the industry as they are often so different and interesting. The account has proved very popular after gaining over 1000 followers in its first month and the content is always well received by its followers, there have been a great mix of contributors so far and the line up for the future is fantastic. It's a great tool for young farmers to learn and interact with others and I'm really excited to see what's next. If you want to check it out and find out what the young farmers of the UK are up to, or if you have a story to tell, you can find it at @YoungFarmersUK @farmlanduk | FARMLAND MAGAZINE

'Hens taking shelt er'. Louise Thomps on

Wildflower hay meadow in uplands. David Cousins

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We love seeing your photos. If you've got a great shot, tag us on twitter @FarmlandUK and we'll print our favourites.

Shearing time! Caroline Fennel

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Picking up one yo the other! Jonathan Sloan

FARMLAND MAGAZINE | @farmlanduk

TRENDING

rowing up on a farm means you’re put in some very unique situations, so much so that when you try and explain to your non-farming friends, they do come across as rather bizarre. When I think back, there are so many moments when I think ‘yeah, I’m definitely a farmer’s daughter!’ Here are my top moments…

1. You can talk farming

8. Glam farming

Yes I know that sounds silly, but just bare with me on this one okay? I’ll set the scene… Imagine a group of 20 something year old females on a hen do in Cumbria, a small local pub, we’re all giggly and excited over the weekend ahead of us. I head to the bar to order a pint in a lovely oak beamed building, it must have been 300+ years old. I over hear two chaps talking about market prices, that morning I’d been to market with the calves so I was fairly well versed in pricing by this point. Me, Eric and Chris stood for the next two hours talking farming, much to the amusement of my friends, especially when a shot of tequila was passed my way, I couldn’t down it fast enough so I could carry on with my market chat.

This was only 12 months ago and still makes me chuckle when I think about it. My auntie was getting married at our local family church, we walked back to the farm and I knew it was around the time that my two cade lambs would be ready for their lunch. I whipped my dress off and slipped my overalls on proclaiming to mum ‘I’ve never worn just underwear with overalls’ to which she replied ‘oh I have plenty of times!’ with a grin on her face. Cheeky!

2. Sandwich choices I’m thinking right back now, but there was a moment when I opened my lunchbox to find a carefully wrapped sandwich which mum prepared that morning, I’d requested my favourite filling, knowing full well that when my friends ask what I had for lunch they’d give the ‘ewwwww gross!!’ and screwed up faces reaction. It was cows tongue, and my gosh it’s delicious!

3. “She can lift, bro” To fund my studies*, I worked in a local pub every weekend. The manager was a 5 ft2” blonde lady, she could get any of the punters to do as she wanted. One evening she shouted ‘barrel needs moving!’ a lad from the rugby team with broad shoulders was eager to help, until he was told ‘no, sorry, Cesca’s best for this job, she’s the strongest here’. The poor lad was red in the face when he watched me lift barrels around the cellar like they were made from foam. *Boozy nights out

12 things EVERY FARMER'S DAUGHTER

CAN RELATE TO A hilarious look at the life of a farmer's daughter by young farmer and 'This is dairy' ambassador Cesca Beswick

4.Farm sitting 6.Fashionista I’ve always been entrusted with the farm when my parents and little sister go on holiday. It was the summer of 2013, I had a couple friends over to visit when a thunderstorm broke out, the whole farm yard flooded under a foot of water. I had the two of them in flip flops unblocking drains, it’s safe to say they still laugh over the memory, even if they struggled to get rid of the slurry smell from their hands for weeks.

I’m not your typical girl as it were, I have a haircut once a year (it’s curly so you don’t even notice when it is chopped) and only recently had my nails and eyelashes done for the first time. I’m happiest in a pair of wellies, it’s to the point now where I receive a text message for a ‘swift one at the local?’ closely followed by ‘leave the wellies at home, you stank the place out last time!’ Pfft, they’ll never understand the comfort.

5. Unusual presents

7.Patience is a virtue

From an early age I’ve definitely received unusual gifts. A few Christmas’ ago my favourite present was my pen knife. For Christmas 2009 I bought my parents two Kune Kune pigs, they had literally NO idea, we walked into the kitchen with them and let the fun begin.

The tradition on Christmas day morning is to await for all milking, cow, sheep, and poultry jobs to be done before we open our presents. Explaining this to friends when I was growing up was always met with comments of ‘as if you wait until 10am! I wake up at 5am and open all my

9. Shopping Trips Last Sunday I was treated to a morning out shopping by my boyfriend. The idea of going to a supermarket or shopping centre gives me hives, but this g trip was literally the best thing ever. I was woken at 5:30am to drive the Defender for 2 hours to the top of the Peak District to buy no other than 4 piglets! It’s safe to say I was buzzing all day. You definitely know you’re a farmer’s daughter when a shopping trip for livestock gets you excited.

10. Mothering instinct The mothering instinct comes in really handy when you’re presented with a calf or lamb which just needs some extra TLC or feeding. Our instincts kick in and patience prevails! I’m 100% certain that I’m not the only farmers daughter who has experienced these situations in one way or another. We really are a special breed.

Cesca X tweet @Cesca_Beswick www.cescaonthefarm.com fb @Cesca Beswick

@farmlanduk | FARMLAND MAGAZINE

Your Say MIKE CRAWSHAW @MikeCrawshaw4

1. Illegal off-roading Mike Crawshaw farms 800ac at an elevation of 1,800ft in Llangollen, North Wales. He has 30 Welsh Black cows and 1,000 ewes. Now in his third year of organic conversion, Mike’s focus on farm is soil fertility and herd health.

e haven’t finished the whole crop just yet, there’s still 30ac of barley and oats and 20ac of grass left to do, but I’m hoping to get away for a few, long overdue, days this month. It’s really important to us as a family to enjoy some time off, I remember my son and I were repair some fencing and a family of hikers came past and after the usual chit chat, they said you may not realise how lucky you are to live in a place like this. It’s always stuck with me that, I like to keep the kids where I can see them. We're a close knit family.

It’s been a fairly decent Summer, but as usual, there's always something to dampen the mood. I’ve heard of and witnessed an increase in the number of illegal off-roading happening in this area, it is a huge problem that doesn't seem to be slowing down. The several occasions where I’ve approached the culprits, I’ve been met with attitude and it always results in arguments that can easily get out of hand. It very nearly came to blows last Winter with a particular group, I had to split one of my sons up from the ring leader or It could have resulted in more than just cross words. There’s 10 year old lads, some of whom are getting younger, driving round in Mitsubishi Shoguns, dirt bikes and quads – uninsured, wearing no safety gear at all and having absolutely no regard for their surroundings. These lads (and girls I might add) don’t realise the mess they leave behind them, the stress

it causes or indeed the dangers this hobby poses to them. It’s a very serious and growing problem. The police and local PCSO’s do their best, but with so few feet on the ground it’s becoming a more challenging issue. While it may seem like a 'harmless bit' of fun to these riders, I still have their tyre tracks visible from last year.

Moving into Autumn, we're really working on improving the efficiency, of course we want to be profitable but we don’t we don't want to get too much bigger, I'm a firm believer that we can make money in farming without chasing our tail (too much anyway). Mike

Being a new entrant, I see things from both a public view and that of a farmer so I hope I can showcase both sides from farm to fork. So far, I’ve had people comment that their kids love watching the videos and are excited for the next one which is really good to hear and a massive confidence booster so early on. There's lot’s of exciting things coming up on the channel

tool. I recently uploaded a milking demonstration and I will soon be putting together ‘What is a dry cow? I’d really love to get some feedback on my videos.

YOUNG FARMER TAKING TO EWE-TUBE

2. Dairy Vlogging Taking the 'Vlogoshphere' head on, new entrant young dairy farmer Luke Winton is passionate about sharing to the public, the ups and downs of life on a dairy farm. Giving viewers a chance to see learn the farm to fork message. I am very new to Farming but its certainly in my blood as my Grandad was a Farmer for over years, I have a huge passion and love for it and for me, there’s nothing better then waking up and going out on to the farm. Even on a cold morning – in fact, I actually quite like that.

FARMLAND MAGAZINE | @farmlanduk

I have started a YouTube channel and facebook page showcase my work at Gosland’s farm and give the public a good insight into the industry and what we do on a day to day basis. I’m looking to demonstrate milking, bedding down and feeding of the Cows in the hope I can make a difference to people’s views on dairy farming. I have seen alot of negative things mentioned in the media about the industry. Even though I see the herd every day, I take as many pictures as I can, as there is always something different going on which is great for sharing online.

Watch Luke's videos on facebook - search Young Farmer Luke Winton and a link to his Youtube channel is there.

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and show you how to utilise it. If you do not have a website then you can use free blogging platforms such as Blogger or WordPress. They are easy to set up and user friendly. ■ Keep your blog interesting by posting regularly and be honest and let your personality shine through. If life on the farm is being testing, talk about it! Give the reader an insight showing the animals on the farm together with their stories. Showcase the machinery you use and the work involved using them. Write about who works on the farm and the characters who keep your agriculture business running.

Starting your first farming blog? Farmers are increasingly recognising the importance of blogging

unning an agricultural business is very time demanding but marketing your product or service is vital within the social media world to keep ahead of your competition. Blogging is now an integral part of marketing which can be overlooked within the agriculture industry. So, what is a blog? A blog is an online journal using text, photos or videos which can be used by opening

conversation with the reader which leads to a more informal way of engaging customers. There are farmers who have now recognised the importance of blogging who are sharing their stories, photos and knowledge about agriculture with a growing audience following their news. This gives a fascinating insight into farming and an online open door to the public who may not appreciate or understand how tough the agriculture industry can be. By writing through the good times and the bad gives a personal touch to your business gaining loyal followers who can get to know you. It also gives you access to your clients and new customers too by showing the personality behind your farming business. If this is an area of marketing that you would like to start promoting your farming business but are a little reluctant about where to start, here are some tips to get you started: > If you already have a website for your farming business, then starting a blog is easy. Contact your web designer who will incorporate a blog page within your site

FARMLAND MAGAZINE | @farmlanduk

■ The largest cost when blogging about your farming business is your time. As every farmer knows adding in time to write is hard, so make your posts short but to the point. Writing long laborious text can be off putting to the reader. By making the post three to four paragraphs long is enough and will keep the reader entertained. ■ Use photos as much as you can. Newly born animals, sunsets over the fields, tractors wading through mud or seasonal images showing the sun to the snow are all well received with the public. Again, post these often to build your following. ■ Share your posts on your social media pages. The more you post for your audience to follow, the more your page will come up on the News Feed for new followers to come and like. Hashtags like #farming #farmers #farmlife #farm365 #buybritish are some of most popular used on social media and depending on which area of farming you are involved in, #teamdairy #sheep365 are particularly popular on twitter and Instagram too. Make it a habit to use these and others that relate to your blog. ■ If the thought of writing fills you with dread, then pass this marketing job to the younger generations of the family. With the internet being a main stay of our children and grandchildren’s life, they will be the ones to turn to for social media help. It also involves them within the farming business and gives them an insight into this working lifestyle, hopefully engaging them to carry on farming for generations to come. Remember, every farm has a story to tell… Samantha Hobden www.hay-net.co.uk

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SUBARU RANGE Fuel consumption in mpg (lit/100km): Urban 25.2-41.5 (11.2-6.8); Extra Urban 40.4-61.4 (7.0-4.6); Combined 33.2-52.3 (8.5-5.4). CO2 Emissions 197-141g/km. MPG figures are official EU test figures for comparative purposes and may not reflect real driving results. * Outback and Forester Lineartronic models only. Model shown is Outback 2.5i SE Premium Lineartronic priced at £32,995 plus special paint finish at £550.

DAIRY

Raw milk revolution "We were well aware, being born and bred on a dairy farm, that raw milk simply tastes better than pasteurised" Fed up with rock bottom prices, third-generation Suffolk farmers Jonnie and Dulcie Crickmore began with raw milk, their dairy produce now commands a premium price, holds multiple awards and the duo have been nominated for farm diversification of the year.

isenchantment with traditional milk marketing methods led third generation dairy farmer, Jonny Crickmore, to seek new opportunities. His entrepreneurial skills have led to Fen Farm being short-listed for farm diversification of the year, while Fen Farm products now command premium prices. “We decided to diversify as we had become disillusioned with the industry and being unable to decide what our milk should be sold at, having no control over our milk prices restricted what we could do with our business. We were well aware, being born and raised on a dairy farm, that raw milk simply tastes better than pasteurised and felt there was a niche in the market. At the time, back in 2011, very little quality milk products were available and milked looked and tasted cheap on the supermarket shelves. Selling raw milk via an honesty box gave us real enjoyment and helped us realize other routes a dairy farm could take, other than the industry norm, which ultimately gave us greater satisfaction,” explains Crickmore. Fen Farm started selling fresh raw milk from the farm gate, before linking to local and online deliveries.

Where it all began. Fen Farm Dairy RAW MILK

FARMLAND MAGAZINE | @farmlanduk

By selling the raw milk direct, the couple were able to achieve a much highter profit margin.

By selling raw milk direct, much higher profits per litre can be achieved. It introduced the UK’s first raw milk vending machine which allows customers to refill milk bottles. So successful has this been, that Fen Farm now act as UK representatives for DF Italia Milk Vending Machines, enabling other farms to benefit from the same system. “We looked into cheese making and visited different cheese makers around the country, and finally decided to contact Neal’s Yard Dairy. We simply asked them what they would like us to make and Neal’s Yard suggested an unpasteurised brie,” said Crickmore. Crickmore went off to France and sought the advice of French specialist Ivan Larcher, before setting up a herd of Montbeliarde cows. These chubby French red and white cows were ideally suited to the marshlands of the Waveney River Valley. It is this type of cow which produces milk for some of the finest cheeses in the world such as Vacherin Mont d’Or. Fen Farm now have a heard of 300 cows of which 40% are pure Montbeliard; 39% Montbeliard cross and 30% friesan/brown Swiss cross.

Baron Bigod scooped gold at the Britis h Cheese Awards

The resultant Baron Bigod cheese is full of flavour, with a silky texture and golden curd and is the only UK produced traditional raw milk Brie-de-Meux cheese. Hand made in small batches, it is aged 8 weeks in a cave like environment. Demand is high from top cheese makers like Neals Yard and Harrods, and Baron Bigod can be found on the menu at Wimbledon and Royal Ascot. In 2017, it gained a gold at the British Cheese Awards.

“We diversified as we had become disillusioned with the industry and being unable to decide what our milk should be sold at”

Fen farm now have a herd of over 300 cows “Cheese sales are already outperforming last year. Being the farmer who is producing the cheese gives us the potential to make a very high quality product, with control over the whole process from the grass the cows graze in the field to the eventual sale of the cheese. We can make a high quality product which demands a premium price. Our intention is use all the milk produced on the farm and not to wholesale any milk at all,” commented Jonnie.

"Cheese sales are outperforming on last year" Other opportunities are constantly being sought. Butter made from raw milk started production this year – the first such butter sold in the UK and the creamy, delicious texture is proving popular.

Buy Fen Farm cheese and butter from the farm, online at fenfarmdairy.co.uk or at selected delis. £4.50 / 250g

Recognising potential and being prepared to take action has enabled Fen Farm to adopt a very positive view on future prospects. Crickmore recommends that any farmer considering diversification should “take a deep breath and be prepared for your life to change. It opens up a whole new set of skills and learning curve.

If you’re feeling weak, the first 6 months are the worst. Visit and learn from others who have successfully diversified and try to have a five year plan on where you want to go with it.” Fen Farm. Flixton Rd, Bungay NR35 1PD ■

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www.bvl-group.de @farmlanduk | FARMLAND MAGAZINE

INTERVIEW

*Fun fact - the name Sizergh comes from a Norse word combining a first name and summer

Reading the land is part of the story Cumbrian dairy family using regenerative methods to make for a thriving, food producing, species-rich landscape.

ichard and sister Alison Park run Low Sizergh Farm in Kendal, Cumbria with parents John and Marjorie. The diversified 314 acre National Trust site has been a part of the Lake District National Park since 2016 and offers a farm shop, cafe and the iconic raw milk vending machine. Over 1.4 million litres of milk is produced by a herd of 170 Montbeliard, Swedish Red and Holstein cross dairy cows. The family also keep 200 mules and 700 laying hens. Two organic conversions have seen the family opt for a regenerative agriculture model to benefit both grazing stock and biodiversity.

Could you explain a little about what regenerative agriculture is? AP Regenerative agriculture is fundamentally about restoring rather than depleting. What it means day to day for us is using the decision-making framework of holistic management to improve our lives, finances and the ecosystem. Regenerative agriculture looks at the whole of life, from the tiniest microbe to the power of the sun and considers where people and communities fit in, where culture fits in. It encourages farmers to integrate their knowledge of land management, soil and livestock to rethink production systems in ways that utilise natural resources rather than being simply input driven. It also involves the consumer; think of Wendell Berryâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s assertion that eating is an agricultural act. We have opportunities through our farm shop & cafĂŠ to tell people what we are doing on the farm, and represent our interests & commitment through the products we produce and sell. We have a social enterprise based on the farm, Growing Well. Many of the volunteers working for the charity are recovering from mental health issues. They grow and supply organic veg to 100 crop share customers each week. Agriculture can be regenerative in all sorts of ways. What does holistic management mean? RP Holistic management is an all-encompassing practice; itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s quite different to anything we have come across before. You look in depth at your personal motivations and the context of your own life and your own

FARMLAND MAGAZINE | @farmlanduk

Photography by William J Shaw Sometimes, they get moved after only a few hours as we are looking at recovery time for the grass, using rest as a tool to allow the plant to absorb more nutrients from the sun and deepen its root structure thereby enhancing the microbial activity beneath the soil, which in turn increases fertility and enhances soil structure. We are diversifying the sward as a priority and there has been some discussion about how to do this. The aim is to have species-rich pasture with full ground coverage throughout the growing season and beyond. More variety will improve ground cover (protecting against soil erosion and water run off) and sustain more root systems below ground which improves soil health. Healthy soil cycles nutrients effectively and results in healthy cattle. The ideal would be to use of the local seed bank which pays out via field margins, hedges and underground in the soil. We will get a diverse sward by natural means given time. Impatience may get the better of us but rather than use soil ecosystem-disrupting ploughs or drills we will allow the sheep onto (cow) grazed seed-strewn fields and benefit from the job their hooves will do, trampling in the seed. You held a global field day in June to demonstrate that this works, what was Low Sizergh barn farm produces 1.4million litres of milk each year involved? RP Because we are undergoing a change in land management practices, we wantfarm. Beyond that you look at the interaction ed to share our earlier experiences with of the four ecological foundations of life: the others who are asking similar questions water cycle, the nutrient cycle, biodiversity and about how to work with nature to achieve the energy flow from the sun. a thriving, food producing, species-rich The techniques used vary across the speclandscape. There was a short filmed trum of human ingenuity but all are presentation from Alan Savory applied as they fit the particular who developed the holistic context of your own farm. "IT'S QUITE management framework. They can include DIFFERENT We first heard of him when concentrating the soil improvFROM ANYthe UK hub (3LM) that faing effect of a mass of hooves cilitates this kind of farmon the ground by dividing THING WE ing - hosted a conference grazing fields into paddocks. HAVE COME in north Cumbria late last Holistic planned grazing then ACROSS" year. We demonstrated how allows for short bursts of grazing to read land, looked at how sofollowed by rest, which results in lar energy, the mineral and water the accumulation of nutrients through cycles and biodiversity are functioning on livestock trampling & waste products. the fields here on the farm, and discussed We also look at increasing the diversity of grass what we will see in future years as we adopt species on the farm to ensure the soil is covholistic management practices. ered.

Family Farming, JB, wife Chloe and son Ace at the smallholding near Orpington

“

The techniques used vary across the spectrum of human ingenuity but all are applied as they fit the particular context of your own farm.

”

The Farm Were you always interested in the organic option over conventional? As a family, we were always interested in the organic process over conventional methods. Eleven years back we were lambing 250 -300 yowes but decided to sell the sheep and started really concentrating on dairy cows. Twelve months after that we looked at the organic route, I think it was the right decision, a big decision, but the right one. We had to make the choice and go with it and like everyone, make the best out of what we have got. What other key differences are there compared to before? At the time it was a big and difficult step to take, but in hindsight, it wasn't as big a deal as we thought. The whole idea with organic is that you're farming within your own scope, you can't buy in other muck, you're limited to the amount of nitrates that can be used, it's quite similar to being in a Nitrate Vulnerable Zone (NVZ) but when you start reaching the nitrogen limit allowance you see then that it's a nice cycle everything plateaus nicely. You’re not overproducing, your ground is healthy, the animals are happy and delivering quality produce, everything is…What’s the opposite of a vicious circle? [A happy circle?]

What sort of visitors do you get to the farm? AP Since we started selling raw milk we’ve noticed that more sports nutrition enthusiasts are shopping with us, but otherwise the raw milk has been a logical addition that appeals to existing customers. Besides visitors to the Lake District we have a lot of local people with rural roots that support keeping money in the local economy. The kind of customer we get does vary throughout the yearand we are busiest during school holidays. The farm is at the southern boundary of the lake district national park which has been listed as a UNESCO World Heritage site. Are there any plans to further diversify? AP There are always plans…Richard complains that his is surely the only farm that suffers from the disease shop creep (that’s where the diversification spreads into more & more areas of the farm). I'd also love some pigs! You've built a really strong brand, can you share any advice on marketing? AP Make the most of what you've got, which is what most farmers do! There are many considerations to take in selling direct to consumers. There is good advice from organisations like FARMA (farm & retail markets association) for our kind of business. What does the future hold? RP For us - further detachment from commodity farming; we’re in a fortunate position of having a market for our product. We’re very proud of our milk and the way it is produced and we want to have that value recognised. Finally, What single piece of advice could you give to any young farmers just starting out? AP Enlist the help of everyone you know. If you haven’t got a farm yet use the contacts of everyone you know and tell them about your ambition. You have to ask and people will do what they can to help. It’s amazing how everyone knows someone or something that fills exactly that gap you need to fill. Thank you both for your time It's been great, thank you. Low Sizergh Farm, Sizergh, Kendal LA8 8AE lowsizerghbarn.co.uk @lowsizerghbarn ■

Family business. Richard with Alison and parents John and Marjorie Park

Yes! Everything goes in a happy circle. @farmlanduk | FARMLAND MAGAZINE

Supporting women in dairy to achieve and celebrate success

Women in Dairy annual conference

What is Women in Dairy? • Women in Dairy is designed to bring women working in our industry together through regional discussion groups for training, networking and to promote dairy farming. The project is run by RABDF and Promar International (a Genus Company) and supported by AHDB Dairy. • Each group is run by a facilitator who ensures that the topics you cover are relevant to you and your business for example TB, calf rearing and succession planning. • Meetings are held approximately four times per year depending on the need of the group.

20 september 2017 Sixways Stadium, Worcester,

10:00am to 3:30pm

Speakers from across the industry covering topics including: • The retail market and how it affects your business • Succession planning

• Everyone is welcome to attend the meetings regardless of your background, experience or whether you work on a farm or not.

• Financing change • Balancing work and life • Communication on farm • Speaking to the public about dairy

How can I get involved? • Visit the website www.rabdf.co.uk/women-in-dairy to see where your nearest group is. If there isn’t one near you just contact us and we can see if one can be set up.

How do I join as a member? • Membership of Women in Dairy as part of RABDF costs just £45 per year and includes benefits such as 25% discount on tickets for the conference and free entry to Dairy-Tech.

• Tickets start from £37.50 +VAT for Women in Dairy

Members

Details and full programme available at:

www.rabdf.co.uk/women-in-dairy NEW FOR 2017 - PRESENTATION OF THE DAIRY WOMAN OF THE YEAR AWARD

• Visit the website to join.

Connect • Share • Inspire Organisers Contact Emily Egan, RABDF for more information: web: www.rabdf.co.uk/women-in-dairy tel: 02476 639317 email: womenindairy@rabdf.co.uk @WomeninDairy

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