Farm Walks Programme 2014
This programme of walks has been put together by and for the nibblers community to share practice. We hope these walks will stimulate critical debate to help in the development of the projects on view, and provide participants with ideas and knowledge to take away. The walks are also an opportunity to put faces to the names of forum members and help build personal and professional networks to help us go further and achieve more for nature conservation.
The walks programme has been put together for free with, in most cases, the farmers claiming a small fee through their HLS stewardship scheme under educational access payment. Jonathan and Mel Brunyee at Conygree Farm will be proving lunch for a small contribution of £7.50, for all other cases, of please bring lunch and a drink.
I have tried to organise walks across the country and with a diverse range of themes. If a subject or theme that you are interested in is not covered, or you feel that you would like to host a walk to both share what you are doing and to get some critical feedback from peers, please let me know and I can start putting together a programme for 2015.
Booking is required. Please use the contact details for each of the walks to book a place or for further information. Please note that to book on the Brighton event, please contact me using the email
A more detailed programme including meeting points, timings will be posted nearer the time of each event.
As with all site visits, please remember that these are working farms and the usual health and safety requirements apply as will sensible biosecurity precautions so please turn up with clean boots and appropriate clothing for the weather.
The farm or I will collect feedback after the event to help build on a 2015 programme.
I hope that you enjoy participating.
Mark Cleaver
0777 585 0480
Personal contact details
www.houseofcleaver.com
@randomdoorbell
City Farm contact details
www.rootedinhull.org.uk
@rootedinhull
Date / Theme / Contact and Booking / Cost pp16th May 2014 / Anglesey Grazing Animals Partnership manage a local grazing scheme that has around 30 sites including commons in private and NGO ownership. The scheme covers in excess of 500 Ha. Grazing is carried out by cattle, sheep (close shepherded) and ponies. The scheme runs a local marketing initiative that has been in operation for 5 years.
Key topics of discussion for the day will include
· Multiple grazing sites in multiple ownership including privately owned.
· Grazing Commons
· Marketing / Hilary Kehoe
Anglesey Grazing Animals Partnership
Local Grazing Scheme Coordinator
c/o North Wales Wildlife Trust,
376, High Street,
Bangor,
Gwynedd.
LL57 1YE
07726 358228
www.agap-ynysmon.co.uk
www.wildlifefriendlyproduce.com / Free
25 June 2014 / Tom Chapman is a commercial beef farmer running 125 sucker cows, grazing a mixture of improved grassland through to HLS parkland.
Tom is operating a mob grazing system enabling him to stop using inorganic inputs and is seeing improvements to the species diversity of the improved grassland.
The farm is also experimenting with a 7-acre block of arable land which has been planted with a diverse mix of plants (Lucerne, sainfoin, chicory, red and white clovers, trefoil, cocksfoot, timothy etc).to improve the soil conditions.
Tom was the recipient of a Nuffield Scholarship that allowed him to investigate and report on mob grazing systems putting him a good position to answer questions on this very topical issue
Key topics of discussion for the day will include
· Mob grazing
· Ecological farming
· Getting more out from but putting less in. / Tom Chapman
Hitchin
N Hertfordshire
07717 505287
http://www.nuffieldinternational.org/rep_pdf/1348746792Tom-Chapman-2011-report_.pdf
http://mobgrazing.blogspot.co.uk / Free
4th July 2014 / Conygree Farm is a 75ha (180 acre) mixed farm in the heart of the Cotswolds and is part of the National Trust’s Sherborne Park Estate and the historic landscape of Lodge Park.
The farm is run as a commercial enterprise producing Traditional Hereford cattle and Cotswold sheep. Farm habitats include flower rich meadows, grass margins, dry stone walls, hedges and fields of wild bird seed for farmland birds such as corn bunting, lapwing and skylark.
Lunch will be provided so please let the farm know any dietary requirements on booking
Key topics of discussion for the day will include
· Arable reversion/limestone grassland restoration
· Herbal ley grasslands (for insects, sheep grazing and soil health)
· Farmland bird habitat – wild bird cover, fallows, arable and enhanced grass margins
There may also be time to see the National Trusts water meadow restoration project / Jonathan and Mel Brunyee
Conygree Farm
Aldsworth
Cheltenham
Gloucestershire
GL54 3PW
07886 305508
www.conygreefarm.co.uk/ / £7.50
19th July
2014 / The Grange is a former dairy farm that has converted to traditional breed beef and diversified to remain economically viable. The Rowlands family now actively engage in developing wildlife and sustainable management practices and are carrying out extensive habitat restoration including the establishment of wet alder woodland. The farm rear pedigree redpoll cattle as part of their conservation grazing supported by HLS and are using green composts to restore soil structure.
Key topics of discussion for the day will include
· Conservation grazing from a farmers point of view
· Marketing
· Pedigree management / Huw Rolands
The Grange,
Warrington Road,
Mickle Trafford,
Chester CH2 4EB.
07950 963526
01244 300655
www.rowlandsredpolls.co.nr
@redpollbeef / Free
28th August 2014 / Norfolk Wildlife Trust mange extensive heathland and mire sites using Dartmoor Ponies. As registered Common Land, SSSI, SAC and candidate SPA for ground nesting birds, notably Nightjar and Woodlark, the Trust has faced a number of challenges, not least in permissions to install fences to enable grazing to take place. Part of the site was clear felled of mature conifer plantation recently and the reversion to heathland is an interesting and stunning success story, helped in no small way by the Dartmoors. The site is now managed in line with an HLS agreement.
Key topics of discussion for the day will include
Common land
Grazing with ponies / Jonathon Preston
Norfolk Wildlife Trust
07748654901
@norfolkwarden / Free
16th Sep 2014 / Brighton and Hove Council manage a conservation grazing scheme on the urban fringe comprising circa 12 sites covering 100+ha. Sites are within the new National Park and are treated as Open access.
To manage the stock, the council pay a shepherd and use volunteers stock checkers. To enable grazing to take place, the council have carried out extensive consultation.
Key topics of discussion for the day will include
· Livestock on the urban fringe
· Volunteer shepherding
· Re-introduction of grazing/ consultation / Booking:
Please contact Mark via to book
Event organiser:
David Larkin
Countryside Ranger
Cityparks,Brighton & HoveCityCouncil,
01273 292141.
07774 646761
www.brighton-hove.gov.uk / Free