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Farming News
Supporting farming and land mangers on Dartmoor
If you are a farmer or land manager on Dartmoor you can apply for funding to support conservation and socialeconomic projects. The programme is called ‘Farming in Protected Landscapes’ (FiPL) and was launched in July 2021 and will run until March 2024. FiPL is a DEFRA funded programme which awards grants of between £2,000 to over £100,000 awarded through a farmer-led local panel; people who understand the challenges and the opportunities. Grants are awarded for projects that: • Support nature-friendly, sustainable farm businesses
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• Support nature enhancement • Tackle climate change • Provide opportunities for people to discover, enjoy and understand the landscape and its cultural heritage There is around £1-million to award for projects delivered on Dartmoor in the next two years. Dartmoor National Park Authority has been working to make it simpler for people to share their ideas and apply for funding, it now has a very short ‘expression of interest’ form and the team is keen to have no obligation chats about project ideas. The team can advise on what makes a successful application and help you develop your proposal. FiPL is designed to sit alongside and complement existing funding agreements.
Farm for the Future
The Dartmoor Hill Farm Project (DHFP) is one of eleven organisations around the UK delivering the Farm for the Future programme, on behalf of the Prince’s Countryside Fund. This aims to support farmers through the current transitional phase of Agricultural Policy, to understand the scale of financial impacts from the withdrawal of Basic Payment Scheme (BPS) and how to adapt or benefit from these changes eg. identifying how to add value to produce, consider diversification, or incentives for the delivery of environmental goods which Dartmoor is well placed to enhance.
Across Dartmoor more than 50 farm businesses have taken part in this programme since the autumn, starting with introductory meetings followed by specific events delivered by Farm Business and Environmental consultants. These aim to highlight steps that are relevant to the predominantly upland, livestock farmers which can help them to assess their own enterprise, consider how to make efficiencies or reshape their family business, and capitalise on new emerging schemes. Ultimately the programme supports farmers to review their farm business, identify and address any potential weaknesses which may be exacerbated from a reduced BPS income, and take proactive steps for a stronger, more resilient future. This free programme has worked with the farmers to develop a series of next stage workshops based on their chosen interests.
Across the UK the ambition is to work with 1,000 farm businesses via this programme, and demonstrate the potential for further future work. The Dartmoor Hill Farm Project has been running since 2003, designed to provide support, advice and training opportunities which reinvest into the local farming community for long term sustainability. Following Covid restrictions, there is a drive to reengage in the coming months with a number of activities and a refresh of resources – the aim being to expand coverage and representation across Dartmoor, into and well beyond its 20th Anniversary. Please contact hfp@dartmoor.gov.uk for any enquiries or visit the website: Dartmoor Hill Farm Project | Support for Dartmoor farmers
Hello again everyone. This month something different, I hope. On the farm we have some great bulls doing a good job and haven’t needed to buy a new one for a while, but because the bulls we have all have daughters that are old enough for breeding we have identified the need for new blood.
The next problem is where to source the new bull. There are different options but every February in Stirling, Scotland, is the premier annual bull sale. Because we are after a high performer to improve our herd I took the decision to go to this sale looking for a bull. The first time I have been by myself.
I worked at Farmer Luxtons shop on Saturday morning and flew from Bristol to Glasgow in the evening. Sunday morning I had a lovely time watching the best bulls in the country being prinked, preened and paraded in front of a judge and many potential purchasers and spectators. When looking for a bull everyone has their own check list. In my opinion the most important is the physical form of the animal, namely height, length and muscularity. In theory that is easy to select but when 150 animals go by its not as easy as you think. They also need good ‘locomotion’, if an animal doesn’t move correctly in time his feet or joints will play up and he will not be fit for his job.
Animal health is a major consideration. Breeders are usually enrolled in a health scheme, tests are carrier out on the herd at home and a level of risk is displayed at the point of sale. You do not want to import disease into your prized animals at home. Fertility might also be an issue, some bulls are tested and sold with a fertility certificate.
So to recap we need eye candy, physical form, good movement good health and fertility. Now things start to get complicated. Every bull offered for sale has a full family tree, verified by genetic testing, you don’t want the same genetics that you already have. Whilst this is being done they are also tested for undesirable genes (which are displayed in the sale catalogue). Every bull also has published a list of predictions on how he or his daughters should perform compared to the breed average. Calf size is very important, if the offspring is too big the cow wont be able to give birth naturally, there are figures for growth rate of the offspring, how much milk the daughters might give and the meat quality any yield. When all this information has been assimilated a purchaser will have a short list of bulls. As I am writing this on Sunday evening I have a short list. I might not sleep much tonight due to the excitement of what tomorrow might hold. I keep trying to tell myself that I will be happy with any bull on my list, which I will, but the truth is I like one or two more than the others. That brings us to budget, will I be able to afford my first choice, or my second for that matter.
Will it be Dean Martin, Will it be Jacobite, will it be Ebony? I’m so sorry but my deadline is tonight and the sale is tomorrow so I will let you all know next time…. If you cant wait pop into the shop, I would love to tell you all how it ended up.
Stuart Luxton
