Knepp castle before Groundswell?

[ZXR17]

I used to do the contract spraying for Knepp . There was nothing wrong with the capabilities of the ground both arable and dairy .
The position and layout of the estate with small fields ,lots of river meadows and woodland meant it was already very wildlife friendly. With a bit of tweaking they could of made more of various conservation schemes without doing what they have done which is basically to totally trash what was a very beautiful estate !
Still , each to their own ideas .

 

[J 1177]

I used to do the contract spraying for Knepp . There was nothing wrong with the capabilities of the ground both arable and dairy .
The position and layout of the estate with small fields ,lots of river meadows and woodland meant it was already very wildlife friendly. With a bit of tweaking they could of made more of various conservation schemes without doing what they have done which is basically to totally trash what was a very beautiful estate !
Still , each to their own ideas .

All done for money

 

[Farmer 83563]

I may be keen. (From Scottish Borders)

Mee too (from N.Wales)

 

[CopperBeech]

you have more money than sense if you can waste it on that and at those prices .

Crikey, not a fan of Mr C then!

It’s not at all personal. I’m just being honest. I wouldn’t say he got the job because of his experience or past record.

Same as most things to be fair - I am currently dealing with the European large herbivore expert that is linked with knepp. She is the pony and cattle expert and advising on farming matters etc. Nice woman but didn’t know what a holding number was, or a herd number, has no clue about how much animals need to eat of their management and is scared of large herbivores .....

Same as the no predator control at knepp aye right.

Lovely place but a magnet for those who believe in style over substance

 

[CopperBeech]

Pat has done a great job with the Longhorns and they're well adapted to the land.

If you're going there with a farming hat on remember that what they're doing isn't farming, it's using livestock to manage the land in that respect. The place is teeming with life.

Interestingly the most life ever one the place was in the early days of the rewilding when they stopped large scale farming but still had a full time keeper putting hoppers out and keeping on top of the predators. It’s now becoming a fox haven which impacts on a lot of other species

 

[CopperBeech]

Just out of curiosity - while we are on the topic of groundswell and rewilding etc. Is that monumental c*ck Womble mr Gow going to be there this year ?

 

[SilliamWhale]

All done for money

Everything is done for money.

 

[Samcowman]

Just out of curiosity - while we are on the topic of groundswell and rewilding etc. Is that monumental c*ck Womble mr Gow going to be there this year ?

Him with the beaver on his face?

 

[CopperBeech]

Him with the beaver on his face?

That’s the one. He’s one of the chief advisors at the estate which I’ve just lost to a really poorly executed rewilding scheme. I’d quite like a word with him after listening to him slag off regenerative agriculture, and do quite a few ‘naughty / illegal’ things here. Oh and after enduring him slagging me and my stock off on social media. Charming chap.

 

[Danllan]

That’s the one. He’s one of the chief advisors at the estate which I’ve just lost to a really poorly executed rewilding scheme. I’d quite like a word with him after listening to him slag off regenerative agriculture, and do quite a few ‘naughty / illegal’ things here. Oh and after enduring him slagging me and my stock off on social media. Charming chap.

Sounds like an utter tw@ to me; being perceptive, I sense that you may just think the same...

 

[deleted user 837354]

I bet there are many estates which are farming perfectly adequately, wipe their faces financially and put plenty into their environmental piggy bank each year with zero fanfare. In fact, I suspect I've been on more than a few that the public would happily pay £50 for a ride around on a tractor and trailer for half a day and they'd get plenty of value for money out of it. I know plenty of shooters who will tell you that they have had days where the environment they are in is more than half the pleasure involved.

Agriculture is a form of land use where the environment is impacted to a lesser or greater extent in the name of food (and energy or fibre) production. People from all walks of life need to make their peace with this fact really. Land not so used for agriculture or timber production and the like should be left the fudge alone and never be touched by so much as a footprint from man.

 

[Inky]

Interestingly the most life ever one the place was in the early days of the rewilding when they stopped large scale farming but still had a full time keeper putting hoppers out and keeping on top of the predators. It’s now becoming a fox haven which impacts on a lot of other species

An increase in predators would suggest an increase in food sources. Seeing as Knepp is probably one of the most studied and recorded sites in the UK it would be interesting to see what the data shows.

 

[CopperBeech]

An increase in predators would suggest an increase in food sources. Seeing as Knepp is probably one of the most studied and recorded sites in the UK it would be interesting to see what the data shows.

Are you being serious ?

When you are near large population centres and surrounded by keepered estates but don’t have a keeper, you will become a haven and breeding ground for predators.

Yea there is deffo an increase in prey species, ie the stork introduction project meant the foxes had storks to eat to (they were getting into the stork enclosure). But to be fair there are a lot of rabbits so that does contribute.

With regard to the ‘most studied’ place it depends who’s doing the studying. The one ecologists idea of a fox count - was to take Dan’s (the ex keeper) lamp and drive around one night in the Polaris counting how many foxes they saw and that was apparently the population the original ecologists who helped set it up were great (one is my best mates wife and still lives on site), but the ones who have followed after are just a bit starry eyed and wet.

As you can probably tell I’ve spent a fair bit of time there day and night over the last decade.

 

[paul&mandy]

Prices - Knepp

PRICES Safaris Autumn Safari £65 Join one of our expert ecologists to head out into the rewilding project to search for red stags and their harems, , Tamworth pigs gorging on acorns and seasonal wildlife such as winter thrushes arriving to spend the colder months at Knepp. Bat and Moth Safari...

www.kneppsafaris.co.uk

Just up the road, I think I'll pass ever going there.

 

[CopperBeech]

Prices - Knepp

PRICES Safaris Autumn Safari £65 Join one of our expert ecologists to head out into the rewilding project to search for red stags and their harems, , Tamworth pigs gorging on acorns and seasonal wildlife such as winter thrushes arriving to spend the colder months at Knepp. Bat and Moth Safari...

www.kneppsafaris.co.uk

Just up the road, I think I'll pass ever going there.

Deffo worth a wander round to see.

 

[ZXR17]

At those prices it would be best to just use the footpaths .

 

[SteveHants]

Weirdly, I almost contacted them for a visit on my "sustainable ag" field course/farm tour.

I just couldn't do it.

We are going to see the New Forest Verderers instead as a better example.

 

[unlacedgecko]

Question to ask before that is: how could an estate of X thousand acres not afford to run?

A lethal combination of laziness, ego, ignorance and BPS.

 

[CopperBeech]

More like very large European Union grant pot. Charlie is a shrewd man when it comes to making money

A lethal combination of laziness, ego and BPS.

 

[ZXR17]

Out of interest , how many family farms what ever the size who make a living from farming have rewilded their farms ?
Compared to the very wealthy estate owners like the Burrells or charities who have huge income from other sources , have many thousands of acres and no real interest in farming .