Natural Regeneration - Does it fit anything?

puppet

Member
Livestock Farmer
Location
sw scotland
My concern with livestock next to the wstercourse is that it flies in the face of soil erosion and reduction of nutrient flow into the watercourse. Fencing would be very expensive and makes ditching work difficult.
Don’t they want impenetrable scrub? Isn’t that what rewilding is? I thought impenetrable scrub was the holy grail to Mr Monbiot and the carbon capture lot?! No?😆
They probably do but I don't believe a mix of gorse, thorn trees and briars captures as much carbon as grass. It also kills out all the ground cover a bit like dense conifers.
 

DrWazzock

Member
Arable Farmer
Location
Lincolnshire
stewardship is 'work' for a 'customer' who 'pays'....if you don't accept that concept tis better to stay away IMO
Depends what people really want. If they want a herbaceous border and are willing to pay you for it then crack on. But in some ways I’d be happy to accept a “rent” from those who merely wish to see it rewilded by natural regeneration which burns no diesel, doesn’t require the importation of expensive seed into our area with all the carbon footprint that entails, doesn’t need topping or any intervention yet arguably will store carbon and sort itself out all on its own. I’d be wanting a rent though as any landlord would.
 

DrWazzock

Member
Arable Farmer
Location
Lincolnshire
Actually that might be a way forward. Let all the crap to wildlife experts for £100 per acre and let them pee about with seed mixes, forms and toppers and I’ll just get on with farming.
 

DrWazzock

Member
Arable Farmer
Location
Lincolnshire
It’s dawned on me, ELMS won’t replace BPS. It will only be an alternative “crop”. Spring barley stacks up as well any mid tier option here, so other than doing a bit of something for my own satisfaction that will double up as a shooting strip or some horse hay I really can’t see any point on bogging myself down in an scheme.
 

Lincsman

Member
Arable Farmer
Location
Lincolnshire
It’s dawned on me, ELMS won’t replace BPS. It will only be an alternative “crop”. Spring barley stacks up as well any mid tier option here, so other than doing a bit of something for my own satisfaction that will double up as a shooting strip or some horse hay I really can’t see any point on bogging myself down in an scheme.
You sure? crystal ball says barley will be £105 in 2 years time.
 

DrWazzock

Member
Arable Farmer
Location
Lincolnshire
You sure? crystal ball says barley will be £105 in 2 years time.
That might change things. I was thinking spring barley at 2.5 t per acre, £120 per tonne would pay just as well as £200 per acre for nectar mix and would be more reliable. First year seed for nectar mix would be £160 per acre, so first years payment is gone on establishment. After that it’s just topping now and again so granted not much cost. But if it didn’t establish to their satisfaction it would be a bit of a disaster. Then there is the messing about factor. I can just drill another 10 acres spring barley in no time.
I’m not convinced at the moment.
 

DRC

Member
@DrWazzock you mention watercourses. Are you in the catchment of a water company.
We are in Severn Trent catchment, and they operate a scheme (Steps), which would pay you as much as mid tier and pay the full 5 yrs in one go on some options. We have done a few awkward corners and headlands and were paid within weeks of sowing .
 

DrWazzock

Member
Arable Farmer
Location
Lincolnshire
@DrWazzock you mention watercourses. Are you in the catchment of a water company.
We are in Severn Trent catchment, and they operate a scheme (Steps), which would pay you as much as mid tier and pay the full 5 yrs in one go on some options. We have done a few awkward corners and headlands and were paid within weeks of sowing .
Thanks for that. Yes we are. I’ll enquire.
 

DrWazzock

Member
Arable Farmer
Location
Lincolnshire
In fact immediately down stream of us they have just put in a planning application to effectively partially dam up the watercourses by felling trees into them as part of the chalk stream management initiative or something like that. The idea is to hold back sediment by making flow wider and slower and buffer the town down stream. Basically turn it back into a swamp. I’m not that worried about it as there is considerable fall from here so t shouldn’t back up our system. I do wonder though if somebody bought this place they would probably revert it to wet meadows for want of a better description and allow the watercourses to spread out. Would seem a shame but there again it’s not the best land either. Times of turmoil.
 

DrWazzock

Member
Arable Farmer
Location
Lincolnshire
I’m not convinced that cyclical flooding of these soils will reduce soil loss either. I’d imagine as the water runs off a big area in spring summer it will take a fair bit of soil and organic matter with it unless its well established grasses and other vegetation that can retain the solids.
 

NLF

Member
Thanks for that. Yes we are. I’ll enquire.
Or what about SW4 - “12 to 24m watercourse buffer strips on cultivated land”?

Like you I’m pondering a scheme. We’ve got a lot of features left over from a HLS scheme and looking to see if we can get paid for things we’d like to keep like buffers. You are correct that there is no direct replacement for natural regeneration which is a shame.
 

SFI - What % were you taking out of production?

  • 0 %

    Votes: 75 43.6%
  • Up to 25%

    Votes: 61 35.5%
  • 25-50%

    Votes: 27 15.7%
  • 50-75%

    Votes: 3 1.7%
  • 75-100%

    Votes: 3 1.7%
  • 100% I’ve had enough of farming!

    Votes: 3 1.7%

Red Tractor drops launch of green farming scheme amid anger from farmers

  • 1,283
  • 1
As reported in Independent


quote: “Red Tractor has confirmed it is dropping plans to launch its green farming assurance standard in April“

read the TFF thread here: https://thefarmingforum.co.uk/index.php?threads/gfc-was-to-go-ahead-now-not-going-ahead.405234/
Top