Farming Nick Green

Spring is on the way

IN many people’s minds February is the start of spring. The days have started to get longer, daffodils, snowdrops and primroses have started flowering and lambs can be seen racing around the fields. It’s not always the case and many will remind me that February can also be very cold and very wet and if you are a sheep farmer with young lambs February can be evil.

For many lambing on top of Mendip that’s why they lamb their ewes in March and April. Sheep are interesting animals when it comes to breeding. They are in the same breeding category as cattle. They are polyestrous which means they have multiple breeding cycles so have more than one chance of becoming pregnant. Where sheep differ from cattle is they are “seasonally polyestrous” which means they are limited to becoming pregnant at a certain time of year.

Assuming a cow is fit and well, she can become pregnant any time of year. Although a sheep might be fit and well, she can only become pregnant in the autumn thus giving birth between January

and April. Sheep are known as short day breeders. This is why lamb is such a seasonal product and we need to With NICK import to satisfy our 12-month appetite. There is only one British GREEN breed of sheep that can be bred out of season. The Dorset breed can be bred so a ewe gives birth three times in two years. Whilst it is a system that works well, for many reasons it doesn’t suit all sheep farmers and not that many follow the practice. That said, I had the pleasure of walking along the Camel Trail in Cornwall just before Christmas and whilst there were birds of all descriptions on the river’s edge, on the other side of the trail was a field of young lambs with their proud mothers fussing over them. There was plenty of grass for the sheep to eat, it was well sheltered from the wind, and on that particular day the sun was shining like it was the middle of summer. Never mind February, spring had arrived in Cornwall that day in December.

Nick Green is Farms Director for Alvis Bros Ltd based at Lye Cross Farm. As well as the business, he is involved with a number of local and national farming charities.

Success story from farms in our unique landscape

WE’REdelighted to announce that Farming in Protected Landscape (FiPL) funding is available throughout 2023!

Over the last two years The Mendip Hills Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB) Service has been working with a wonderful array of farmers and landowners, all of whom have been keen to keep the Mendip Hills a place of beauty, heritage and wildlife. And not only this, these farmers and landowners have been helping people access and understand this unique landscape. All whilst continuing to produce the food we love and some distinctive products with a true local origin.

So, are you a farmer or landowner in the AONB with ideas for projects and need funding to help get them off the ground?

Are you thinking of hosting educational farm visits so that young people can learn about farming? FiPL could fund the hire of portable toilets so you wouldn’t have to have loads of feet going through your farmhouse.

Got a traditional orchard that needs some TLC? FiPL funding could help with pruning or re-stocking costs.

Want to do something for bees and pollinators on your farm? FiPL could look at ways of maybe having bee banks on your farm or perhaps advise you on where to ‘scalp’ patches of vegetation to leave small patches of bare ground that are so loved by nesting solitary bees. Maybe you could convert a nearby field margin to a wild-flower strip too, giving your nesting bees a rich source of pollen and nectar.

Maybe you simply want to enhance your historic field boundaries with some dry stone wall repairs or gapping-up of hedgerows. FiPL has already helped fund 0.75km of dry stone wall restoration and over 1km of hedgerow planting or laying within the Mendip Hills AONB. And there’s plenty more being done this winter.

Whatever your plans for your farm, perhaps Farming in Protected Landscape funding can play a part in making these plans a reality. It would be our privilege to be part of it.

Farming in Protected Landscapes funding can be there to help. Have a look at the Mendip Hills AONB website and follow the ‘Caring’ link to find out more, or simply give us a phone call and we can arrange a farm visit to talk through your ideas.

Farming in Protected Landscape funding is available to farmers and landowners in the Mendip Hills AONB. Our thanks go to the Department for the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs who have made this FiPL funding available.

Hopefully we may see you soon!

Contact the Mendip Hills AONB Farming in Protected Landscapes Team for more information

Celebrating 50 years of farming on the Mendip Hills

The Mendip Hills AONB Service is offering funding towards accessing specialist support and advice for Farm Carbon Auditing –ask us today for a pre-filled application pack. Or speak to us about applying for funding for other projects on your land.

Mendip Hills AONB Charterhouse Centre, BS40 7XR Office telephone: 01761 462338 Email: mendip@mendiphillsaonb.org.uk www.mendiphillsaonb.org.uk