Watercourse Wildlife at Turnastone Court Farm - Autumn 2014

THE LARK

THE COUNTRYSIDE RESTORATION TRUST

NEWSLETTER Autumn/Winter 2014 | ISSUE No. 52

Watercourse Wildlife at Turnastone Court Farm Plus: The Tresco Squirrels & Ratty Returns

THE CAIRNGORM REINDEER HERD Living freely in their natural habitat…

The Country Store Whatever your size, there's something for you at The Country Store

Animal feeds, bedding and accessories, shooting requirements, country clothing for big, medium and small!

Come and visit Scotland’s reindeer. Walk out onto the lower mountain slopes with one of our experienced herders who will introduce you to the famous Cairngorm reindeer.

Visitors will be able to feed and walk amongst these amazing animals.

To help support the herd, why not adopt your very own reindeer. You will receive an adoption pack and unlimited free visits to the herd all year round.

To find out about us please visit us online or just give us a call: 01479 861 228

www.cairngormreindeer.co.uk

Christmas Reindeer Evening Tuesday 2nd December 2014 6pm - 8pm Enjoy a magical evening including Cairngorm Reindeer, Father Christmas, music, children’s entertainer & festive shopping Ticket prices:Adults £5, Children £3, Under 3s Free, Family ticket £15*

Charity Reg No. 1142122

Bury Lane Farm Shop, A10 Bypass, Melbourn, Royston, Herts, SG8 6DF

www.burylanefarmshop.co.uk www.CountrysideRestorationTrust.com *Family ticket consists of 2 adults, 3 children

www.thecountrystore.co.uk Unit 12a, Sawston Trade Park, Pampisford, Cambridge CB22 3EE. 01223 837977

Contents Features The Lark is published three times a year by the Countryside Restoration Trust.

The Countryside Restoration Trust is the UK’s leading charity promoting wildlifefriendly farming and campaigning for a living, working countryside.

We believe that wildlife is integral to good farming.

That philosophy is put into practice on over 1,500 acres of working farms, small-holdings and woodland across the country – where, alongside our tenants, we are demonstrating how farming and other sustainable land uses can co-exist with and benefit from a countryside rich in wildlife.

Our mission is to protect the farmed countryside, its wildlife, and the people with the knowledge and skills to look after it – and to communicate that together these represent a strategic resource vital for our future food security.

Patron: David Shepherd CBE Wildlife Patron: David Bellamy Environment Patron: Jonathan Porritt Patron for Dorset: Brian Jackman Red Squirrel Patron: Dr. Craig Shuttleworth

The Tresco Squirrels Ratty’s Return Rusty Red Click Beetle Watercourse Wildlife at Turnastone Court Farm The Answer lies in the soil Trust News

5 6 7 8 10 13 & 16

Regulars Chairman’s Thoughts Director’s Report Fundraising News Education Farm Diaries Merchandise

4 12 15 17 18 20

Joining the Trust Please help us continue our work by becoming a Friend of the Trust If you are already a Friend, subscription renewals will be sent to you automatically.

So please pass this on to anyone you think would like to join.

Title: _________ Surname: ______________________________________________________ Forename(s): __________________________________________________________________

Trustees: Robin Page - Chairman, Andrew West - Vice Chairman, Ken Gifford - Treasurer, Chris Knights, Zac Goldsmith, Robin Maynard, Tilly Smith, Annabelle Evans, Nicholas Watts MBE

Address: ______________________________________________________________________

Editor of The Lark: Sally Bain

E-mail: _______________________________________________________________________

Photographs and drawings courtesy of Caroline Aldersey, Julian Eales, Sarah Jenkins, Ian Ward, Anita Page, Annika Rees, Viv Geen, Chris Knights, Gareth Boaz, Laure Tordjmann Front cover picture: Spindle Tree courtesy of Caroline Aldersey The Countryside Restoration Trust, Bird’s Farm, Haslingfield Rd, Barton, Cambridgeshire CB23 7AG Tel: 01223 262999 E-mail: info@countrysiderestorationtrust.com www.countrysiderestorationtrust.com Registered charity no: 1142122 A company limited by guarantee registered in England and Wales No. 7320026.

Registered office: as above.

Paper sourced from FSC® compliant, responsibly managed, sustainable sources.

______________________________________________________________________________ Postcode: _____________________________________________________________________ Telephone: ____________________________________________________________________ If you add your email address then you will be sent our monthly e-newsletters

Friend category (see box below) __________________________________________________ Subscription Rates: Individual - £20 Joint - £30 Family - £35 Concessionary (over 70) Life Member - £250

Life - £500

MAKING A DONATION Whatever you can afford will help us continue to build on the work of the CRT. I enclose a donation of £_________ I attach a cheque payable to: The Countryside Restoration Trust for the total amount of £ ________ You can also pay over the phone by credit card (01223 262999) or via the website www.countrysiderestorationtrust.com

Gift Aid Declaration Please treat all donations that I have made in the past 4 years and all future donations that I make from the date of this declaration as Gift Aid donations.

I understand that I must pay an amount of Income Tax/and or Capital Gains Tax for each tax year that is at least equal to the amount of tax that all the charities that I donate to will reclaim on my donations for that year. I am aware that other taxes such as VAT and Council Tax do not qualify.

Signature: ______________________________________________________ Date: ________________ Please return to: The Countryside Restoration Trust, Haslingfield Rd, Barton, Cambridge CB23 7AG

THE COUNTRYSIDE RESTORATION TRUST NEWSLETTER

3

News

The Chairman’s Thoughts What will the winter bring us this year? There are many signs, but I don’t understand what they mean – global warming or global cooling?

We will have to wait and see.

My farmyard swallows, after a very good summer, left a good fortnight early. Did they know something that we didn’t? After visiting London for the 25th Anniversary event of the George Adamson Wildlife Preservation Trust (GAWP) celebrating GAWP’s involvement with the Mokamazi Game Reserve in Tanzania I got a nasty chest infection, six weeks earlier than usual – probably due to travelling on the underground. Then we had our first frost in early October, three weeks earlier than usual, and still only half way through October the first redwings appeared. Does all this indicate a cold winter? I have found my long-Johns already just in case. And incidentally – even more farmers than usual appear to have cut their hedges early this year, destroying all that potential food for the redwings, fieldfares, thrushes, blackbirds etc. What a tragedy; what irresponsibility. When will they ever learn?

It has been a busy but a frustrating time since the last issue of The Lark. Building and development is creeping ever nearer to Lark Rise Farm, but we seem to be one of the few charities who warn of the consequences of over-population, which will see the increased intensification of agriculture and even more pressure on our wildlife. With more traffic, more pollution and queues for everything our increasing population is an environmental problem but because of political correctness few politicians or organisations will say so.

One of those organisations is, regrettably, the large and powerful RSPB. Astonishingly the RSPB is running a huge publicity campaign based on “Bob” the red squirrel at the moment. Unfortunately the Society in fact does very little for red squirrel conservation – more about our red squirrel efforts elsewhere in this issue.

The current buzz words in farming are “sustainable intensification” which seem to justify the current growth of industrial farming. The simple question that few people seem to ask is how can greater “intensification” be “sustainable”. How can the new machines, growing in power and size be aware of our skylarks, leverets (young hares) and partridge chicks?

The aim of contract farming is to finish the job as quickly as possible. Farmers like Tim Scott at Lark Rise are more concerned with doing the job properly and encouraging the wildlife around them.

At Pierrepont Farm, Mike Clear has a similar problem. Milk prices have again plunged dramatically and the growing trend is to house huge herds of dairy cows indoors 365 days a year while cutting the grass fields regularly for silage. It is a system that turns cows into machines and wildlife has no chance.

4

THE COUNTRYSIDE RESTORATION TRUST NEWSLETTER

We must fight for a fairer way of financing milk – one which rewards farmers for treating both their animals and their land with respect.

The renovation work on the farmhouse at Twyford Farm in Sussex has taken longer than expected. This is important as our tenants, Bob Felton and Liz Wallis hope to run a comfortable bed and breakfast business as part of the farm. It has been very frustrating for them, but we hope they can start cooking “full English breakfasts” in the near future. It is a fantastic part of the country and the farm itself has some wonderful walks. It is also near The British Wildlife Centre – so important in the Tresco Squirrel project; it is well worth a visit! Lulu and I hope to be one of Liz and Bob’s first customers.

At the end of June the BBC Trust Impartiality Review on the BBC’s coverage of Rural Affairs was published. It seemed to fully vindicate the CRT’s criticism of the BBC. It said that the BBC’s news and current affairs programmes had a strong metropolitan bias despite the fact that 12 million people live in rural Britain.

It criticised the BBC’s poor and biased coverage of the floods and badger cull. It felt a disproportionate amount of time was given over to the views of celebrities , instead of experts and also that the BBC limited itself to a far too small range of voices – usually the RSPB, the National Trust and the NFU. The document said many important things. Now we will have to see if the BBC Trust actually does anything about it. I won’t be holding my breath.

For the sake of CRT Impartiality I also have to report that the Chairman – yes me – spoke a lot of nonsense on the prospects for the Lark Rise Farm Festival of Farming, Food & Wildlife in late September. I had my doubts; I thought it was too late and I was completely wrong. With beautiful warm weather we had about a thousand visitors and we all had a very enjoyable time and the CRT’s message of wildlife friendly farming was clear to see.

Now one more thing. For the last few years The Lark has been edited by Laure Tordjmann who commuted to the office from the Fens, north of Cambridge. With a young family Laure has now decided to work nearer home and I would like to thank her for all her efforts. In her place we now welcome Sally Bain who lives just a few villages away. Her background is farming and countryside and I would like to welcome her into the team as she prepares her first copy of The Lark.

Robin Page Chairman

Photographs © Anita Page

News

The Tresco Squirrels In October Lulu and I made another visit to Tresco Island in the Isles of Scilly to check up on the red squirrels the CRT helped to get there.

The news is still very good, but nothing can be taken for granted.

The squirrels appear to have settled in, they are building their own dreys, and they are breeding. Just as important – they are doing no damage – causing no “adverse impact” to the rest of the island’s fauna and flora and Mike Nelhams, the Curator of the world famous Tresco Abbey Garden is extremely pleased.

Tourists are pleased too. With “supplementary feeding stations” (boxes full of hazel nuts) placed strategically near the Garden’s Tea Room, as visitors eat their coffee cake and sip tea, red squirrels run from one feeder to another or bury nuts in the flowering border – it is wonderful.

Furthermore Professor Tim Coulson – Professor of Zoology, Jesus College, Oxford, who spoke at our London celebration last year has praised the project. He says: “Establishing populations of species on offshore islands where they are free from the alien species that have driven their populations close to extinction has proven a remarkably successful conservation tool. Consider, for example, the stitchbird: a New Zealand honeycreeper that was driven to extinction on the mainland. Following a breeding programme followed by managed releases, there are now populations established on three island sanctuaries as well as two sites on the North Island.”

The red squirrel has been driven to extinction in much of England by the invasive grey squirrel – a pest species that damages trees and frequently predates on bird nests. Without intervention it is likely that the English red squirrel population will continue to decline. While we search for a humane way to halt, and reverse, the spread of the invasive grey squirrel from our shores we should ensure we have healthy, viable populations of red squirrels that are not at threat from the grey. Establishing populations on offshore islands is an important tool in achieving this aim. I am delighted to see the population of red squirrels on Tresco doing so well – it is an important demonstration of the potential of offshore islands in establishing viable populations of one of our most charismatic mammal species. A mammal species that is in trouble on the mainland”.

Wouldn’t it be good if we could now help to get red squirrels onto Mull and the Isle of Man? The odd thing about this is that the CRT has been criticised by some employees of the RSPB for helping with the squirrel introduction. It is odd. The RSPB is now using a red squirrel, “Bob”, in a major campaign, yet red squirrel volunteers tell us that the RSPB does virtually nothing for red squirrel conservation and certainly gives them no money. I will ask the RSPB about this strange situation before the next issue of The Lark.

Robin Page

THE COUNTRYSIDE RESTORATION TRUST NEWSLETTER

5

Wildlife

Ratty’s Return In the last Lark, Robin mentioned in his introductory thoughts, the discovery of a Water Vole prey item in one of the Barn Owl nestboxes at Lark Rise Farm, and how this might be a sign that the species is making a comeback on our bit of the Bourn Brook.

As I haven’t updated friends on the progress of the mink control programme and water vole rescue plan for 3 years, I thought it was about time that I did, especially as we have some new information.

For those new to this, water voles (Ratty in Wind in the Willows) are in rapid decline, primarily due to predation by American mink, a ferret-sized predator which is able to follow water voles into what used to be their refuge. Underwater burrow entrances work against stoats and weasels but not mink and the females in particular are small enough to go in and kill water voles and can quickly wipe out colonies. Water voles cope with high levels of predation but if all the breeding females go then inevitably the colony collapses. A mink with a litter of kits will hunt every inch of riverbank for a mile or more around the den, so can quickly eradicate water voles over a large stretch of river; unlike co-evolved predator/prey combinations there is no natural regulation of this relationship, because once the water voles go the mink switch to other food such as fish, crayfish, other mammals and waterbirds.

There are no native predators to control mink numbers; otters occasionally kill them, but do not have much impact on the total mink population because they occur at a much lower density. Otter and polecat recoveries have put ecological pressure on mink forcing them to hunt more during the day, but this does not offer any hope of recovery for water voles. The only solution is to remove mink from the equation, and we do this by trapping.

Thanks to the Game and Wildlife Conservation Trust, mink control methods have been established, but it is still a big undertaking. Because mink travel widely and breed prolifically, trapping on your own patch does not solve the problem; mink quickly re-occupy a stretch of river when you take out the local residents. We operate over the whole of the Bourn Brook, and also all the rivers which it is connected to; in total about 75 km of river is in the ‘Upper Cam Catchment’ mink control area including the Rivers Granta (new this year), Cam, Rhee and several smaller tributaries. And we are not alone! There are similar large-scale operations in other parts of East Anglia, the Monnow catchment in Herefordshire where GWCT developed the method, including CRT’s Turnastone, and elsewhere. In the Upper Cam we operate 70 mink rafts. Many of these have been checked by volunteers over the years, either looking for footprints of the mink (the rafts can have a clay footprint trap) or checking traps if we think there are mink in the area and need to set a trap. For much of the time rafts go unchecked

6

THE COUNTRYSIDE RESTORATION TRUST NEWSLETTER

with clay and no trap - there aren’t enough of us to check all rafts all the time - but by focussing on single stretches of river, we can clear mink out and then move on to another stretch.

Unfortunately mink can cross overland so there will always be new mink arriving, but it is now down to the odd one per year rather than the dozens we were starting with; over the 4 years of the programme, 170 mink have been caught. This autumn, just 1 has been trapped on the Bourn Brook, and another trap-shy male has been found dead on the road after giving us footprint signs over a long period! A new piece of kit helps this period of catching the very occasional visiting mink; a box which attaches to the trap and sends a phone message when the trap is activated. This means we can leave traps in place for a long time without daily checks. At the moment these units are quite expensive to buy and operate, but in terms of time-saving they are a game changer and hopefully will become more widely available; at the moment we have to import them from Denmark.

What about the water voles? Right from the start we have worked in collaboration with the local Wildlife Trust, who have organised thorough surveys of the Bourn Brook (and other rivers in the area) by wading the entire length looking for signs of water voles.

They divided the brook into 11 sections, each of which requires a day to survey with a small team (usually 2 in the brook and one on the bank). In 2010 at the start of the project, water voles were found in five sections, mostly in the upper reaches; colony sizes were generally small and fragmented.

Interestingly the vast majority of mink have been trapped in the lower reaches. The survey was repeated again in 2014 and there were signs of water vole on nine of the eleven sections, some of which were quite large, extensive colonies. One of these colonies was right underneath the nestbox where our Barn Owl had it’s cached Water Vole prey. While it may seem a bit of a shame that one rare species is eating another, it actually shows that Water voles are now forming part of the natural food chain; one female water vole can have 4 litters of 6 in a year, and the young from the first litters will be breeding by late summer, so they are well capable of taking some losses; the discovery came a few days after a period of flooding which the brook is susceptible to and which probably forced the individual out of it’s burrow and into the danger zone. It has also benefited moorhens on the farm ponds and brook, which had several successful nests this year - in the past most were predated at the egg stage probably by mink. As the CRT holds most of the lower reaches of the Bourn Brook, we have the two sections which remain unoccupied by water voles but it seems only a matter of time before the whole of the brook is once again a safe haven for Ratty!

Vince Lea

Wildlife

One of Britain’s Rarest Beetles is Discovered at the CRT’s Lark Rise Farm One of Britain’s rarest beetles, the Rusty Red Click Beetle, Elater ferrugineus, has been discovered at Lark Rise Farm.

The discovery was part scientific and part comic. Two of the National Trust’s leading scientists, Dr David Bullock and Dr Stuart Warrington had arrived at Lark Rise Farm to discuss various conservation issues. The day before, Stuart had been searching for the elusive beetle at the NT’s nearby Wimpole Hall, using a lure to mimic the pheromone (the sexual scent) of the female Rusty Red Click Beetle.

Although Stuart Warrington’s daily ablutions are excellent, they are not good enough to extinguish the magical scent of the lure. As he entered the CRT’s office, an amorous male Rusty Red Click Beetle followed him in looking for love.

Our Chairman said: “Although I feel desperately sorry for our love-lorne visitor, and can imagine his disappointment at finding a scientist, rather than a Rusty Red love match, I am delighted that we have such a rarity at Lark Rise Farm. The beetle needs old, decaying wood in which to hunt for food and thrive. We try to keep a complete age range of trees and shrubs and so we are very pleased to have this rare beetle. The discovery teaches us two things – that we need to maintain a wide range of conditions and habitats, and that we can take nothing for granted.”

THE COUNTRYSIDE RESTORATION TRUST NEWSLETTER

7

Photographs © Viv Geen

Watercourse Wildlife

at Turnastone Court Farm

Turnastone Court Farm is bounded by the River Dore, which is a tributary of the River Monnow, which is tributary of the River Wye. The River Dore is an important watercourse with excellent water quality and provides a habitat for many important species.

The Slough Brook and Trennant Brook flow from Turnastone Court Farm into the River Dore.

The aquatic insect life present includes different species of mayfly, stonefly, caddis fly, and damselfly. These in turn provide food for Atlantic Salmon and Brown Trout. Brown trout are regularly seen on the River Dore, and Salmon are now present since the removal of a weir downstream; an obstruction to their migration. Salmon are anadromous; they migrate from the sea (salt water) to rivers (freshwater) to breed. A redd (a depression in the gravel where salmon lay their eggs) was recorded on the Dore at Turnastone by the Monnow Rivers Association.

Night torch surveys have recorded good numbers of salmon and trout parr in the Slough Brook, particularly in the large pool area which forms part of the Rowland’s ‘drownings’ system. The Slough Brook is an important nursery site and fish refuge for

8

THE COUNTRYSIDE RESTORATION TRUST NEWSLETTER

salmonids and other species such as the Bullhead or Miller’s Thumb, and Stone loach. Young fish use fish refuge sites when the main river is in spate, to prevent them from being washed downstream and also to find niches away from larger predatory fish. Bullheads, Brown Trout and Atlantic Salmon are all priority species in the UK. Birds such as the Dipper also depend on a healthy aquatic macro-invertebrate population.

Although, not recorded on the Dore near Turnastone in 2013, a dipper was recorded by the old stone bridge over the River Dore this year. I am liaising with Herefordshire Council about installing a dipper nest box under this bridge. I have already sourced a dipper box, but the Council need to assess the bridge before they install it. If it is a listed monument then I will need to find another site. I have spoken with Dr Stephanie Tyler, ‘the dipper lady’ about help with the monitoring of the box in 2015.

A pair of Grey Wagtail are also regularly seen feeding on the River Dore at Turnastone, identified by their characteristic

Mink paw prints Photographs © Viv Green

dipping tails. They have nested in the old barns at Turnastone Court Farm. The bright azure flash of a kingfisher is also occasionally seen.

The riparian mammals on the River Dore and its tributaries are also very exciting. Water voles were introduced into the River Dore in the 1980s by the Monnow Rivers Association (MRA), and are still present and monitored regularly by the Trust. The fact that the water voles are still present after all these years is because of the hard work of the MRA in controlling the American Mink in the catchment, and the habitat management work that they carry out. Robert Denny and Nick Longman of the Trust have installed two mink traps at Turnastone which are monitored by CRT. Work to clear bank side scrub to allow more light onto the river banks is required on the Dore at Turnastone this autumn/winter, and the MRA have offered their help. Possible mink footprints have been recorded on the mink raft on the Slough Brook, and a trap was deployed, however, no mink has been caught. Otters are very active along this watercourse, and spraint is often found on top of the mink raft. Another mink raft has recently been installed on the River Dore and is being monitored by the tenants Gareth and Madeline Boaz. Nothing found so far, except the dropping of a Daubenton’s bat! Several mink have been trapped in the catchment this year, and it looks like the mild winter has ensured a good breeding year for mink in 2014.

There have been no signs of water vole (‘ratty’) on the Slough Brook or Trennant Brook, however, the MRA who survey the Dore have found feeding signs on the Turnastone banks of the Dore in 2013 and 2014. Water vole burrows are also present but these could be old burrows and are not a reliable field sign.

Turnastone Court Farm supports a very interesting population of bats including some of the rarer species.

Daubenton’s bats have been recorded feeding along the River Dore, and because of the improvement in the quality of the rivers in the UK is a species of bat that is not in decline.

Daunbenton’s bats roost in trees and structures along the river such as bridges and culverts, it feeds by scooping insects off the surface of the water with its huge feet. Soprano Pipistrelle, another bat associated with wetland habitats is also present, and is roosting in the farm buildings at Turnastone.

Even though the River Dore supports a high level of biodiversity, it still has its problems.

During my surveys I have noticed a high level of silt deposition

in the gravels on the Slough Brook and Trennant Brook. This is caused by run-off from potato fields in the area where there are no buffer strips or margins. Livestock also have access to the river bank; causing erosion of the soil, and deposition in the rivers. Fencing can reduce this problem at Turnastone, however, if the adjacent riparian landowners still allow livestock access this problem still occurs. Kate Adams, Head of Land Use with the Wye and Usk Foundation, gave a talk at the MRA AGM on ‘Water quality in Herefordshire’ and highlighted the problem of diffuse pollution from agricultural practice. This included the problem of increased phosphate loading on rivers, causing algal blooms.

Although we may have plenty of grumbles about EU rules and regulations, they have done a lot to improve the quality of river water under the banner of the ‘Water Framework Directive’. The UK government has signed up to this agreement which requires all rivers to achieve ‘good ecological status’ by 2015; there are a number of criteria by which rivers are judged to have achieved this status. The current situation in Herefordshire is that only one third of the river bodies have reached this standard. The cause of 23 out of 25 rivers which are currently failing to meet the standard is the lack of fish diversity; in most cases only three of the required five species (minnow, grayling, brown trout, bullhead and eel) were found in rivers.

Diffuse pollution from silt and phosphate was the next problem in the Wye catchment.

Both silt and phosphates have an impact on the wildlife of a watercourse. An increase in phosphates causes the formation of algal blooms which cause oxygen levels to crash during the night leading to the suffocation of fish and aquatic invertebrates. Silt can also coat the gills of fish, and compact the important gravels in which salmonids lay their eggs; it can also smother the eggs which then fail to hatch.

Native White-clawed crayfish have been recorded on the Slough Brook and Trennant Brook; however there has been no sign of this species at Turnastone in 2013 and 2014.

Crayfish do not like high levels of silt; and the introduction of the alien Soprano Pipistrelle Bats Photographs © Viv Green species of Signal Crayfish upstream may have caused crayfish plaque to enter the catchment; causing the loss of a low population of native crayfish in the Dore catchment.

The spread of the invasive alien species of plants Himalayan Balsam, Japanese Knotweed, and Giant Hogweed is being controlled by the MRA, and it was only recently when it was mentioned that there was no Himalayan Balsam present along the Dore, that I realised that this was indeed true. Although this plant is a valuable nectar source for bees, it has begun to dominate our river banks lowering the diversity of bank side plants eaten by water voles.

The continued survival of important species such as ‘ratty’ on the River Dore depends on everyone working together to carry out the appropriate management of this valuable wildlife habitat.

Viv Geen Monitoring Officer (Herefordshire)

THE COUNTRYSIDE RESTORATION TRUST NEWSLETTER

9

The answer lies in the soil In 1900 wheat yields averaged 2.0 tonnes per ha. in the UK. The figure gradually improved until the ‘70s and ‘80s when there was a period of dramatic increases, year on year, due to wheat varieties developed using more advanced plant breeding techniques. Maximum yields were achieved by accurate timing of applications of fertiliser. Improved soil testing allowed more tailored nutrient provision; coupled with a reduction in the relative cost of the fertilisers, growing plants were supplied with everything they needed to reach their full potential.

Improvements were also made in herbicide and pesticide science, such that wheat was able to be grown in fields with no competition from other plants and no losses to fungi, insects or other pests. By 1988 the average yield was 6.2 tonnes per ha.

These increases have not continued at such a rapid rate, however, despite the development of precision farming techniques such as GPS mapping to target the application of fertiliser and pesticide to the parts of the field that need it, and keeping tractors on the same tramlines; these developments have helped improve the efficiency of farming (so inputs are not wasted by being applied where they are not needed) but crop yields have reached a plateau in the last twenty years.

We must be missing some key factor. Could this factor be the management and care of a very vital growing resource?

Could the way we are now managing soil be a major part of the problem?

Because we have run down our labour, do we travel and work the land when it is too wet and with machines that are too heavy ? There is good evidence that this is causing soil structure problems including compaction but also that we have forgotten how to care for the biodiversity in the soil that is so important to its structure and the way it works. Many soil scientists and field advisers are beginning to take this view.

Can we continue to take soil for granted?

Soil is a very misunderstood and under-rated resource.

It hosts 25% of the planet’s bio-diversity, is the second most important carbon sink (after the oceans which cover twice the area of our land mass), is largely responsible for the management of our water quality and quantity, helps to mitigate climate change, provides us with food, fuel, fibre,

10

THE COUNTRYSIDE RESTORATION TRUST NEWSLETTER

building materials and medicines and provides a surface for the construction of buildings and roads? No, it is certainly not just a surface to run over, plant seeds in and build on; it is a living resource but are we treating it well?

According to speakers at a European Commission Conference in September 2010, many soils in Europe are under threat. Speakers agreed that we need a new approach to the way we think about soil and how we manage this vital resource.

The key messages are that intensive farming is encouraging compaction and erosion; is harming some soil organisms; reducing organic matter in soil and lowering the soil’s capacity to be a carbon sink. It is recognised that it is better to keep carbon in the soil than to lose it and then to try to recapture it. There is also concern about land lost to urban development (Robin will recognise this danger). As you know it takes millions of years to make soil and it seems it is taking us only decades to destroy it. As Mark Twain wrote, ‘buy land, they’re not making it any more’.

What is the justification for this new approach?

More food is needed for an expanding world population but there is little chance of more land being available: indeed the land available is reducing because of demands for more buildings and transport systems so we must grow more food (and fuel) on a declining land area. It is common sense that better long term soil structure and health must be part of this approach rather than intensive short term approaches. Many also argue that healthy soil produces healthier crops, providing us with produce that is better for our bodies, requiring less chemical inputs (for soils and our bodies). It is worth noting that the early supporters of organic production focused also exclusively on achieving healthier soils.

There have been dramatic demonstrations of degrees of over-exploitation of soil. The dust bowls of USA in the thirties were frightening and there are also clear signs from research in Sweden and Germany that the intensification of agriculture is damaging soil structure and soil organisms and reducing humus (organic matter) and its capacity to make and store nutrients and hold water. Soil ecological diversity is vital to ensure effective air and water cycling, the provision of nutrients

and carbon exchange.

Climate change is already exaggerating these problems and they are likely to become worse, especially with greater and more frequent storm events, leading to more soil compaction, erosion and flooding. The loss of carbon stored in soil is part of this cycle of poor management with carbon dioxide released and the plants in the impoverished soil, less capable of resisting drought or storms.

Do we need any more justification than this?

Soil formation 3 Billion years ago, the Earth probably had no soil, no plants and no oxygen. Life may have started from simple chemicals or arrived from space but since those beginnings, rocks have been weathered by water, sun, frost, glacial movements and with the help of decaying plants, these rocks have changed into a range of soil types. In the UK, we categorise soils by texture; sands, silts and clays. Our agricultural soils generally contain a mix of at least two of these perhaps with gravel plus degrees of humus (OM) depending on past topography, vegetation and management. Although some well structured clays seem to hold up quite well even with continuous wheat, the underlying position is a levelling of yields and a gradual loss of organic matter which suggests the approach is unsustainable. Harvesting of potatoes and sugar beet under wet conditions can also seriously damage soil structure, as can over grazing grassland in wet conditions.

Soil organisms In addition soils contain large numbers of organisms which help make it operate as a living, growing medium, helping to feed and sustain vegetation including crops and grass. These include algae, fungi, bacteria, protozoa, nematodes, arthropods (spiders and insects), analids (earthworms) as well as the roots and litter of higher plants. There is little doubt that the healthy populations of these organisms reflects in healthier crops but we still need to know more about this considerably diverse range of

organisms, what they do to improve the sustainability of soil and how we can encourage them. As well as recording crop yields we must measure the biodiversity of our soils. We could start with earthworms.

Ways forward The loss of soil to urbanisation must be stemmed. Where possible soil must be free to be a carbon sink and to grow vegetation.

Intensive farming has been shown to reduce carbon content in soils with a decline in soil structure/health. More grass (as on all CRT farms) and minimal cultivation should be encouraged (as by Tim at Lark Rise). Straw, and other organic wastes should be put back to the soil.

Policy from the EU and the UK. Soil has rarely been considered in ‘green’ initiatives but the latest Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) includes a demand for a three crop rotation. This should help soil health as well as wildlife diversity.

We must put more time and effort into understanding how to sustain healthy soils and change our thinking to long term and sustainable management viewing soil as a living resource full of life.

We must research alternative agricultural systems to sustain yields, soil structure and fertility. Currently the intensive agriculture of Western Europe is very dependent on energy hungry fertilizers and chemicals and it is no longer providing increases in production.

We can no longer take soil for granted.

John Terry

THE COUNTRYSIDE RESTORATION TRUST NEWSLETTER

11

Trust News

Director’s Report It’s been a busy few months during the Summer, and it is time to look back and reflect on the events we have attended.

For the first time for a number of years we had a stand at the Game Fair which was held at Blenheim Palace. Robin took part in a lively debate which highlighted our presence at the Fair and resulted in us signing up a number of new friends. Each of our Farms have held Open Days, some under the guise of a Festival of Farming, Food and Wildlife which have all been successful. It was good to re-establish links with many of the locals at Turnastone, with the first Open Day there for a number of years. The first Open Day at Twyford also gave us the opportunity to meet the local community, and introduce them to the Countryside Restoration Trust. The season of events was rounded off by our own Festival of Farming, Food and Wildlife which grows in popularity each year with over 1000 people attending. This year we had an increased number of stallholders selling local produce etc, a crumble making competition which was judged by Jeremy Sallis of BBC Radio Cambridgeshire and a host of other attractions. The tractor and trailer rides proved ever popular with both trailers full throughout the day non-stop.

We rounded the day off with our annual Harvest Festival Service at the local church with guest speaker Tony Juniper giving an excellent talk. We are already planning our event programme for 2015 with the dates soon to be finalised. Once confirmed they will be put on the website and listed in the next edition of The Lark.

It was with much sadness that we said goodbye to Laure Tordjmann at the end of August after 9 years sterling service as our Marketing & Communications Manager. Over those 9 years Laure has been responsible for producing each copy of The Lark that you have received and more recently managing the website. We welcome Sally Bain as the new Marketing & Communications Manager, and we will introduce her to you in the next edition of The Lark.

The Education Programme continues to grow at Awnells, Lark Rise, Mayfields and Pierrepont. In July the four Education Officers met together for the first time and were able to share ideas and pool resources. The Education Room at Awnells has had a makeover and the new building at Mayfields will shortly be complete and ready for use. Work is about to commence on installing a pond dipping platform at Pierrepont and they recently held an evening for teachers with a view to encouraging more visits to the farm by schools. Here at Lark Rise we are working in particular with two local schools with a view to building a close long term relationship.

I am delighted to announce that our Fundraising Manager, Hayley Newton has recently won the Charity Times Award for Fundraising Team of the year. Admittedly, she was nominated for her work before starting at the CRT, but we are now claiming her as our very own Award Winning Fundraiser.

Well done Hayley and the VoiceAbility Development Team.

12

THE COUNTRYSIDE RESTORATION TRUST NEWSLETTER

A big thank you to all of you that donated to the Letter ‘B’ appeal. To date you have raised just under £13,000.

THANKYOU !!

There is good news on the Red Squirrels at Mayfields. You may remember that in the last edition of The Lark we broke the devastating news that Widgeon our female red squirrel and her 3 kittens had died. I am pleased to inform you that we now have 2 new female red squirrels so the breeding programme can recommence.

I have just returned from a Tenant Farmers Meeting held at Awnells. This group was formed about eighteen months ago and it has been good to see the bond forming between our farmers.

It is a forum where they can air their views and share their concerns, which I am then able to report back to the Trustees.

Despite the inclement weather we were also able to enjoy a tour of the farm walking through the orchard and viewing David Powell’s rare breed Hereford cattle.

Some of you that volunteer will recently have received a questionnaire to complete. In attempting to attract new volunteers I am trying to establish what it is that appeals to you as a volunteer, and what you get out of it. I will publish the findings in my next report. I am pleased to report that a new volunteer group has begun meeting on a monthly basis at Green Farm and we are in the process of forming a new volunteer group at Mayfields. If you are interested in joining either of these groups or any of the other existing groups please let me know.

In the New Year I hope to be able to get another one under way at Turnastone, so again, if you live in that area and would like to volunteer please get in touch. Our volunteers at Lark Rise have also been busy working on a Bird Hide, - funded by the letter ‘B’ appeal.

Plans are in full swing for our annual Reindeer Evening which has a new venue this year at Bury Lane Farm Shop, Melbourn.

Admission will be by ticket and full details are available on the web site.

Tickets are also available from the office or via the website for the fundraising concert with Steve Knightly (Show of Hands) at Comberton Arts Centre on Friday 6 March 2015.

By the time this drops through your letterbox the festive season will be ever nearer, so may I take this opportunity to wish you a Very Happy Christmas and a Peaceful New Year. Thank you once again for your continuing support and generosity.

Martin Carter Director

Trust News

Countryside Restoration Trust (CRT) joins the Farming & Countryside Education (FACE) The Countryside Restoration Trust joined FACE (Farming and Countryside Education) this year and we are looking forward to working in partnership to delivering education on food and farming in a sustainable countryside. We share FACE’s concerns about the way children, young people, and their families, have become disassociated from where their food comes. The Countryside Restoration Trust is dedicated to restoring and protecting the wider countryside and its wildlife.

Our aim is for conservation improvements to be carried out

alongside practical farming and land management and to spread these aims by example and education. We believe that farming and wildlife conservation shouldn’t be two separate issues but can be achieved on the same piece of land and that the management put in place is beneficial to both aspects.

Kenny MacKay

CRT Tenant Farmers Meeting The CRT tenant farmers all come together 3 times a year to share knowledge, learning and experiences. Here is a picture of our tenant farmers on a recent trip to Awnells Farm, Much Marcle, Herefordshire, hosted by David Powell who runs the farm. This 220 acre grassland farm has an abundance of wildlife habitat and is situated amongst some of Herefordshire’s most beautiful countryside. Though it was rather a wet, grey rainy day, a good time was had by all. The farm has a closed herd of traditional Hereford cattle with an ancestry that dates back over 170 years. A wonderful orchard includes many old cider apple trees, some of which are 300 years old, making this an especially important farm.

Capture the Colour Winner Congratulations to Ian Ward for winning our Facebook Butterfly photo competition called ‘Capture the Colour’ back in the summer. The winning photo is a Small Pearl-bordered Fritillary. Photography is a hobby for Ian, who loves taking pictures of wildlife in general but particularly likes butterflies and dragonflies. Ian was born on an arable farm on the Sandringham Estate, Norfolk, and much of his youth was spent being fascinated by nature. Ian received a signed copy of the ‘The Great British Butterfly Safari’ from Robin Page and a £25 gift voucher.

THE COUNTRYSIDE RESTORATION TRUST NEWSLETTER

13

Trust News

Come and visit Kenya with Robin and Lulu Robin and Lulu have now been given the all clear to get this on/off trip organised.

It will be for a fortnight in January 2015 taking in the Masai Mara, Amboseli , Tsavo West (to see a huge “tusker” it is hoped) and the coast – AVOIDING Mombassa and keeping well south of Lamu. It will be organised on a first come first served basis and all those going will be asked to make an additonal donation of £25 to the CRT for Robin’s organisational time.

Please contact Robin for details: robin.page@btinternet.com or write to, The Countryside Restoration Trust, Haslingfield Road, Barton, Cambridge, CB23 7AG

The Spindle Tree

The hedgerow berries this autumn have been an absolute picture on most of our farms. “Beauty is in the eye of the beholder”, but surely the tree with the most beautiful berries is the Spindle Tree. In most cases it cannot really be called “a tree”, it is usually quite a delicate hedgerow shrub. For most of the year it is hardly noticed, but in the autumn its berries turn a stunning, vibrant pink. When the berries ripen and burst they reveal vivid orange seeds – a striking colour combination.

The tree got its name from the fact that the wood is very hard and smooth and was once used to make spindles for hand-spinning wool. It was also used for tooth-picks, skewers, knitting needles and pegs.

The seeds of the spindle berries had another use too. They could be baked, powdered and then rubbed into the scalp to get rid of head lice.

Although the tree is beautiful – it has got a downside; it harbours the Black Bean aphid or “blackfly”.

The females lay their eggs on spindle where they overwinter. You know the rest – the aphids then emerge in the summer and try to eat your broad bean plants before they have time to produce beans.

Robin Page

14

THE COUNTRYSIDE RESTORATION TRUST NEWSLETTER

Fundraising

Thank You!

Fundraising for us

Thank you to everyone who contributed to the ‘Letter B’ appeal, providing donations for the Bees, Birds, Bats and Butterflies around the farms. A fabulous £12,913.62 has been raised so far including Gift Aid.

Have you ever thought about putting on a fundraising event for the CRT but weren’t really sure where to start or what to do?

I am pleased to let you know we have already put some bird and bat boxes up on several of our farms and our volunteers at Lark Rise Farm have been very busy turning an old disused trailer into a bird hide. It will shortly be moved from its current home next to the office onto the farm and we shall arrange for bird feeders to be put around it. Keep an eye out for an update in future Lark magazines as we shall let you know when it is in place and open for visitors.

Thank you to everyone who popped jewellery into the envelopes we sent with the last edition of The Lark. We have recently had a large cheque from the recycling company, showing how generous all our Friends are.

I have had some lovely feedback from people who had a letter from me promoting the CRT Christmas Cards and 2015 Calendar.

I am delighted to report, excluding sales, this letter has raised nearly £500 from donations. The letter was sent to help you, not me, so thank you to everyone who sent in a donation.

Don’t worry, we are here to help!

We have an information pack called ‘Volunteers guide to fundraising activities’ which has everything in it you could ever need. It has an A-Z of ideas for fundraising events, a checklist of what you need to do and when, health and safety things you will need to consider and template posters.

Having a fundraising event is not at all scary and it does not have to be big, you could just have all your friends around for a cup of tea and charge them for their cake! As long as you involve your friends it can be a very fun and rewarding experience.

Fundraising events are also not just about raising money. We can provide you with information leaflets on the CRT, if you were to find one new Friend for the trust it will help us out in more ways than you realise and could be an income for us for many years to come.

If you would like a copy of ‘Volunteers guide to fundraising activities’ please contact the office on 01223 262 999 or email hayley@countrysiderestorationtrust.com

Did you know we have a CRT e-newsletter? It is something I email on the first day of every month to let you know highlights from the farms and exciting upcoming events. Due to Data Protection law we are not able to automatically sign our members up, but if you wanted to receive it there is a link on our website

Special thanks must go to the following Charitable Trusts who have supported our work recently:

www.countrysiderestorationtrust.com

• The D’Oyly Carte Charitable Trust

Many Thanks once again

• Scott (Eredine) Charitable Trust

Hayley Newton Fundraising Manager

• Aslackby Trust • The Smith and Pinching Charitable Trust

• The D S Smith Charitable Foundation • Cambridgeshire Community Foundation - Microsoft Research fund • Geoffrey Watling Charity • Bernard Sunley Charitable Trust

Legacies Have you considered leaving a Legacy to the Countryside Restoration Trust?

Shopping List Here are a few items I am currently contacting Charitable Trusts for donations towards: • Education Officer at Margaret Wood: £5,000 • Monitoring equipment for Herefordshire: £1,000

The CRT has a free information pack explaining everything you ever needed to know about legacies and writing a Will. If you would like a copy please contact Hayley on 01223 262999.

• Educational equipment for Pierrepont Farm: £900 • Restoring the Clay Pits at Mayfields Farm: £20,000 • Pond Dipping Platform in Herefordshire: £10,000

THE COUNTRYSIDE RESTORATION TRUST NEWSLETTER

15

Trust News

Festival of Farming, Food and Wildlife Record numbers flock to the Festival of Farming, Food and Wildlife in Barton, Cambs Over 1000 people attended The Countryside Restorations Trust’s annual event, The Festival of Farming, Food & Wildlife at Birds Farm, Barton on Sunday 28th September 2014 which was a beautiful sunny day.

The aim of the event was to reconnect people with the countryside, and CRT certainly did that! The day was packed with activities such as sheep dog demos, tractor and trailer rides, farm walks, children’s activities as well as food demos by foraging expert Jacky SuttonAdams, a guided farm walk by herbalist Julie Dore and a crumble making competition judged by BBC Radio Cambs Jeremy Sallis.

Photographs © xxx

Thanks must go to all the volunteers and staff who helped in the preparation and on the day. Plans are already underway to build on the success for 2015.

Sally Bain

16

THE COUNTRYSIDE RESTORATION TRUST NEWSLETTER

Education

Lark Rise Farm, Cambridgeshire This summer we have had Kings’s School, Cambridge and Icknield Primary, Sawston to visit the Farm. Both schools followed a similar program of making scarecrows, grinding wheat and dough rolling, pond dipping, meadow sweeping and a tractor and trailer rides round the farm. One parent on the visit to our farm said “It was the best school trip I’ve ever been on”. We are also working with Hatton Park Primary School, Longstanton to help them develop their Horticultural Project, where they will be growing vegetables and herbs`.

They also have a pond which we are looking to help tidy up and they already have a pond dipping platform which will be a great learning resource for the children but will also provide for the needs of local wildlife. On my last visit to the school we discussed adding an insect hotel, some bird and bat boxes and there might be an opportunity for a hedgehog release program at the school, we need some experts to come and survey the site first to see whether it is suitable.

We have also been working with Comberton Beaver and Scout groups taking them on evening tractor and trailer rides round the farm to spot wildlife. They also came one evening to do some pond dipping. Our volunteers at Lark Rise have nearly completed work on the bird hide, you can read more about the Bird Hide in the Volunteer news. We plan to invite schools and other groups to the Farm to learn about Bird life cycles, bird ID skills, population ecology and some of the reasons behind the decline in farmland birds. We also plan to roll out a winter feeding program and hope to attract large flocks of birds for visitors to enjoy. Over the next few months we hope to have the local beaver and scout groups come to the farm for an evening of making things with osier coppice. We plan to have a bat and moth evening, with the early winter nights approaching what better to do than go out searching for bats and putting out moth traps!

Kenny MacKay Education Officer: Lark Rise

Pierrepont Farm, Surrey A busy summer of Activity Mornings For three weeks in the month of August, Pierrepont Farm hosted a number of families each Thursday morning for a range of activities. Each morning began with a tour of the dairy, where the robotic milking parlour fascinated the children and adults alike, and the calves were as ever the star of the show!

The second part of the morning involved an activity that would get the families exploring the farm’s natural areas managed for wildlife.

The first activity morning encouraged children to look for signs of animals as we went on a wildlife safari through the woodland. By looking at tracks, nibbled nuts, holes and homes and the boy’s favorite…poo! We were soon able to identify many animals that lived in that habitat. Mini-beast hunting got them on the ground looking for those small creatures so often overlooked.

The second morning was themed ‘woodland crafts’. The families spent some time in the woodland collecting natural

objects to make a number of different craft projects. Leaves of varying shapes and colours, twigs and moss were all on the list.

Back in the farm’s classroom, the objects were put to good use as the children (and more often than not the adults) made leaf pictures, maple seed dragonflies and bug hotels.

‘Night time Neighbours’ was the final activity. The aim here was to show the families nocturnal animals that are rarely seen up close. The night before the activity I put 8 mammal traps out around the woodland and a moth light trap. The next morning the children helped me to find all the traps, and seemed to love the anticipation over whether the next trap would be open or closed. In total we found 3 voles and a wood mouse, which the children were all fascinated to see. Some of the adults weren’t quite as keen! Back in the classroom we looked at a few of the 61 moths that were caught in the light trap before the families went home for a well-earned lunch.

Annika Rees Education Officer: Pierrepont

Mayfields Farm, Norfolk

Awnells Farm, Herefordshire

We continue to work hard at our plans for education facilities here at Mayfields. Very excitingly, our new education building is being erected at the moment. Once completed, it will make such a huge difference to the quality of educational experience that we can offer. We are hoping to create a natural garden behind the building where parties can relax during the summer months.

Sarah Jenkins

It has been a busy time over the summer at Awnells Farm, sorting out the education room, laying carpet, putting up boards for displaying posters. It doesn’t look so cold and uninviting now!

I have contacted over 80 primary schools in Herefordshire now and am in talks with some, of them coming to the farm for educational visits over the coming year.

We now have the use of a traditional cider press at the farm for beginners to use, this goes in hand with the cider apple orchards at Awnells Farm.

We have also started a spinning group for local ladies (and gentlemen if they wish) to come and learn the traditional craft of spinning wool. We will also add knitting, felt-making and peg-weaving lessons for adults and children to learn.

Hazel Andrew Education Officer: Awnells THE COUNTRYSIDE RESTORATION TRUST NEWSLETTER

17

Farm Diaries Twyford Farm, West Sussex Progress is being made on the farm house and we are looking forward to moving in during the next month!

On the farming front, the rams are in with the charollais ewes so we will be lambing these in February. The commercial flock will have the rams put in on bonfire night which will mean they start lambing on April fools day.

We are preparing the barns ready to get the cattle in as it

has been quite wet down here recently, They are looking well on their diet of brewers grains and grass. We have also taken delivery of 20 Aberdeen Angus calves to rear for next year.

Out and about in the woods the autumn colours are now well in place, and quite spectacular with the many different species of trees we have here. After dark there is an on-going chorus from the stags and bucks as we are in the middle of the rutting season.

Bob Felton and Liz Wallis

Lark Rise Farm, Cambridgeshire

Pierrepont Farm, Surrey

Harvest at Lark Rise Farm - Well another farming year has been and gone, and there have been many highs and some lows. At harvest I was reading in the media about all of these massive yields across the country and was eagerly awaiting my (our) harvest. Before I sow a crop I fix in my head 3 potential yield scenarios for that crop, the first being above expectations, the second being acceptable and the 3rd, well let’s not go there.

Overall harvest was slightly better than planned, but woeful prices actually mean about £50/acre less income than 2013. My oilseed rape was, shall we say interesting!! There were plenty of gaps in 2 of the 3 fields thus allowing space for wildlife. Joking a side, where a neighbours rape failed, he was lucky enough to have breeding lapwings take over the bare patch. My barren areas of rape I left weedy, but with hindsight had I sprayed them off and left bare soil, then maybe I could now claim breeding lapwings?

This would have been the best compensation for crop failure.

The main low for me is the amount of ergot in my wheat making it at present largely unsaleable. Hopefully in time, homes can be found for it where it will not end up in the food chain, if not it will all have to be dressed out thus losing yet another £10/tonne and with wheat at £100/t that will further eat into any profit.

Finally the big positive is one covey of English Partridge at Barton of 19 and a further one of 17 at Westfield. Now that does put a smile on this Farmer’s face.

What goes up, must, it seems come down. After 12 months of climbing milk prices, they seem to have taken a sharp turn downwards, now getting close to the levels that started the milk price protests of 2012. The cause of the drop is down to over production, both in the UK (up 10%) and globally (up 5%). We are having to start tightening our belts to survive some tough times ahead. This could last for some time as milk quotas, which have been restricting European milk output for the last 30 years, are due to come to an end in March, with the likely outcome of yet more surplus milk holding the price down.

On a brighter note the weather has been on our side this year, with bumper crops of grass, maize and fodder beet, giving us plenty of cheap forage for this winter, coupled with lower feed and fuel costs, this should ease the tough winter ahead.

Our show team continue to bring home the silverware.

Our daughter, showed Money Penny to Jersey Champion at New Forest and Bucks County Show and Zoe’s calf Jellybean is unbeaten in Jersey calf classes this year and is heading with a team of 6 calves to the National All Breeds All Britain calf show in mid October. Zoe is also having a very successful season in Young Handlers classes with our Jerseys and with Holsteins for a fellow dairy farmer.

Mike and Bev Clear

Tim Scott

18

THE COUNTRYSIDE RESTORATION TRUST NEWSLETTER

It’s been a busy few months, the Rams have gone out with the second lot of ewes, and we are currently flushing the second lot on fresh grass to assist with fertility. Our first lot of ewes are due to lamb the end of January 2015. Along with this, all our breeding sheep have been dosed to help with liver fluke and our turnips are all ready for the lambs to fatten them up nicely! On the wildlife front, coppicing work started along water courses to allow more light in to encourage more wildlife such as water voles. Lastly, there is a pat on our back for winning the 2nd prize with our pedigree Texel ram lamb at a local show!

Gareth and Madeleine Boaz

Photographs © Caroline Aldersey

Photographs © Gareth Boaz

Turnastone Court Farm, Herefordshire

Photographs © Sarah Jenkins

Farm Diaries

Mayfields Farm, Norfolk The beautiful summer and subsequent Indian summer that we enjoyed have resulted in a late flush of grass for us, always welcome at this time when the shepherd’s year begins again shortly.

Our tups will go in to their ewes very soon and it is always now that I begin to worry about the condition of the breeding ewes, not long weaned from last season’s lambs. I need to ensure that they are on a rising plane of nutrition in order to achieve high conception rates.

This winter, we intend to run on our lambs having acquired more grazing. This will enable me to sell more “boxed” lamb straight from the farm which should mean a better return on our lambs hopefully.

As I write, a small black kitten called Ed is curled on my knee purring loudly. His brother, a ginger male called Rìcky has just joined us. We have had a slight rise in cat numbers.

Their mother, a small and sickly stray in return for being nursed back to health, produced 8 kittens. The mother and remaining

two kittens have been neutered and are proving to be good rat catchers, a much needed job skill here during a mild autumn.

The kittens are enchanting and entertain visitors with their mischievousness.

Our annual sheepdog training clinic took place in October.

International Supreme Champion Julie Hill came from Scotland to take the clinic, which is always well supported. We had one more sheepdog demonstration to do for the Gressenhall Museum of Rural Life, which is part of their “Apple Day”. In the future I hope that we may hold our own Apple Day, when our orchard is in production.

We continue to work hard at our plans for education facilities here at Mayfields. Very excitingly, our new education building is being erected at the moment. Once completed, it will make such a huge difference to the quality of educational experience that we can offer. We are hoping to create a natural garden behind the building where parties can relax during the summer months.

Also, we continue with our plans for the claypits. The Trust is currently fund-raising for this small area of wet woodland habitat, which has been rescued from fly tipping. We are clearing ditches and water filled pits, opening up the overhead canopy a little to let some light in, improving the flow of water between the pits and hoping to establish a board walk through the area to protect flora and fauna, so that the community can use this area as an educational resource. For stage two of the project, I would like to see a platform out over one of the pits to examine pond life, and possibly an area enclosed for our red squirrel kittens.

Good news here too. We are expecting the arrival of two young female squirrels to pair with our male Briar. If the trio are successful we would hope for kittens around February time.

Mayfields has much to look forward to.

Sarah Jenkins

Diary Dates

GREEN FARM, Churt, Surrey

LARK RISE FARM, Barton, Cambridgeshire

MARGARET WOOD, Upper Denby, West Yorkshire

REINDEER EVENING at Bury Lane Farm Shop, Melbourn, Cambs - 2nd December 2014, 6pm - 8pm, Adults £5, Children £3, under 3s FREE, £15 family ticket.

Book online at www.countrysiderestorationtrust.com or call 01223 262999

Volunteer Conservation Days – please contact Phil Opie on 07762 642814 or jpo.92@live.co.uk for more information.

Volunteer Conservation Days – Usually held on the first Saturday of every month. Please call the office on 01223 262999 for more information.

Volunteer Work Days – please contact Kenny MacKay on 01223 262999 for more information.

TURNASTONE COURT FARM, Vowchurch, Herefordshire Volunteer Conservation Days – please contact the CRT office on 01223 262999 for more information.

PIERREPONT FARM, Frensham, Surrey

AWNELLS FARM, Much Marcle, Herefordshire

Volunteer Monitoring Group – Please call Bill Young on 01243 811563 or email bill@parmelia.me.uk for more information.

Volunteer Conservation Days – please contact Donald Davis on 01989 565097 for more information.

Volunteer Conservation Days – Held every 2 weeks on Saturdays. For more information, contact Brian Lavers on 01276 471870 or brian.lavers@btopenworld.com or visit www.crtinsurrey.org.uk

MAYFIELDS, Themelthorpe, Norfolk Please call Sarah Jenkins on 01362 683337 or visit www.mayfieldsfarm.co.uk for more information.

THE COUNTRYSIDE RESTORATION TRUST NEWSLETTER

19

Merchandise A. CRT DVD The first 20 years.

E. A5 Activity Books

The remarkable & inspiring story of the CRTs first 20 years presented

by Robin Page. Running time approximately 60 minutes.

Includes stickers, dot-to-dot, word searches, puzzles and colouring pages. £3.50 (incl P&P)

£11.00 (incl P&P)

B. CRT Pen

F. Fun Stickers

Silver triple function pen (pen, LED light and stylus). Comes in its own gift box.

12 cartoon farm animal stickers. £1.00 (incl P&P)

£4.00 (incl P&P)

C. 2014 Christmas Cards

G. Small Farm Puzzles

The cards come in a pack of 10 with white envelopes. Wording ‘Seasons Greetings’

Set of 3, £1.00 (incl P&P)

£6.50 (incl P&P)

D. Farm Pencil Set A set of 6 pencils with erasers featuring farm animals. £3.00 (incl P&P)

Regretfully we have found it necessary, after several years, to increase our prices on various clothing items due to the rise in production costs. New prices will be shown shortly on our website. Alternatively, please call the office for updates.

Merchandise Order Form

Item

Quantity

Name: ____________________________________________________ Address: __________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________ Postcode: _________________________ Telephone: _____________ Email: ____________________________________________________ I enclose a cheque for £ _____________________________________ (Please make payable to The Countryside Restoration Trust) You can also pay over the phone by credit card (01223 262999).

Or order on the website www.countrysiderestorationtrust.com Please return to: The Countryside Restoration Trust, Bird’s Farm, Haslingfield Rd, Barton, Cambridge CB23 7AG

Donation Total

Price