Put away the bushwacker and draining buckets

[johnspeehs]

Well here's the start of our new role as Park rangers

 

[7610 super q]

Oh well, I could never afford a hedgecutter nor digger anyway.

 

[holwellcourtfarm]

Ideal for the big non-farming NGO's like, for example, the National Trust, looking to ensure their continued flow of "agricultural subsidy".

I wonder if it'll include a "genuine farmer" test?

 

[Derrick Hughes]

Im in mountain hideaway

 

[Jackov Altraids]

Make sure you they are well oiled and greased when you put them away, it won't be that many years before they see the results of some of these stupid ideas and will be paying you to dig them out again.

 

[Billboy1]

Massive backward step !!

 

[beefandsleep]

If the land is not suitable for grazing livestock or cropping as mentioned in the article then why do they need to give payments for it? What’s it doing now? Have we got the wrong end of the stick and they are actually proposing area payments on car parks and roads??[emoji23]

 

[johnspeehs]

If the land is not suitable for grazing livestock or cropping as mentioned in the article then why do they need to give payments for it? What’s it doing now? Have we got the wrong end of the stick and they are actually proposing area payments on car parks and roads??[emoji23]

No I think what they are saying is that trees, shrub and bogland are all good at storing carbon, great for lazy farmers I guess but I will stick to my line, someday there will be a shortage of food, might not be in our time but someday they will need to reclaim this land again.

 

[ARW]

I think there’s quite a few that are already doing it!

 

[pgk]

Afraid having bought a new flail topper I intend to use it to the full. I used it when i took on some land which had thorn a good 20 foot into the field, cleared the lot and accompanying bramble, regrowth of grass, clover, vetches etc was incredible and landowner has now had hedges trimmed back so place starting to look good, in my eyes anyway.

 

[ARW]

Afraid having bought a new flail topper I intend to use it to the full. I used it when i took on some land which had thorn a good 20 foot into the field, cleared the lot and accompanying bramble, regrowth of grass, clover, vetches etc was incredible and landowner has now had hedges trimmed back so place starting to look good, in my eyes anyway.

Our forefathers panted hedges to keep stock and dug drains and ditches to improve land to grow food, somehow they have become “natural” so we must leave them to become unfit for purpose.

 

[Exfarmer]

It was only a 15 years ago the Forestry commission were clearing land so it could return to " the Blasted Heath" of Shakespearian times. This was in response to the " Re nature " type people decrying conifer plantations .
Now it seems they want to replant the trees for carbon capture

 

[Sonoftheheir]

Trouble is I don’t think acres and acres of conifers do much for carbon capture?

 

[Steevo]

Best thing to do is clear scrub, clean out ditches etc while you still can. It’ll only get more difficult in years to come if they aren’t maintained and showing as already well established.

We live in a managed environment whether folk like it or not.....the green fields aren’t natural, nor are the clear roads that have neatly trimmed hedges enabling traffic to pass along.

 

[manhill]

Trouble is I don’t think acres and acres of conifers do much for carbon capture?

No, give the money to Brazilian Indians to plant rainforest.

 

[johnspeehs]

No, give the money to Brazilian Indians to plant rainforest.

You might not be far off the mark there.

 

[Yale]

Be careful not to look backwards,the world is changing rapidly.

If renewable energy and battery storage is cracked fully then food will be grown in warehouses not fields.

Fields will be for fun and carbon capture.

Its coming and there’s no way farmers can stop it.

 

[Ffermer Bach]

No I think what they are saying is that trees, shrub and bogland are all good at storing carbon, great for lazy farmers I guess but I will stick to my line, someday there will be a shortage of food, might not be in our time but someday they will need to reclaim this land again.

I think, mob grazed grassland is at least as good, but probably better at storing/catching carbon plus it gives us food to eat, having said that, there is always the odd corner that can be left, but I agree, I think it is idiocy to allow good farm land to get taken out of productive use. That is one of the things I disliked about Sarah Beany's programme on TV, taking a lovely flat field and digging a pond in the middle of it, vandalism I recon. Those of us in the uplands have fields that are not half as productive as that, and we are striving to make it better, while she is happily destroying hers!

 

[Ali_Maxxum]

Do any of these lunatics ever actually go out into the countryside to see what is going on through every season throughout the year?

Forgive me for stating the obvious, just want to make sure I've got this right.... Taking farm land out of production and being paid to do so, i.e. you get 10k of 'environmental payment' to create a pond, you put it in for 7k. Do you then get to pocket the remaining 3 to live on or help support you because of the land that isn't there to help generate your income?

Then what happens the next year? You plant 5 acres of trees? Then after 10 years of this and that you start running out of places to keep putting these wildlife havens and you cant pay the bills cos you've had to cut your cattle numbers because you've sacrificed so much grazing or you don't have enough crops to sell, etc.... then what?

It's alright though because you've got 1000 rabbits running around causing a riot around the crops you've got planted, oh and the squirrels have stripped the bark off the tops of the trees you've planted.... The ditch that helped your field drainage is now covered over and you can't get to it because you've let the hedge grow up and over it and so it goes on.

The amount of ground that is about round here that's on a 45degree+ angle with totally crap access but still has a few sheep chucked on it to keep it down or someone risks life and limb to make hay on it or sends a bloody robo-mower on it once a year for god knows what benefit. Areas that are stony and undulating, wet, whatever, why can't these areas be planted with trees or turned into wetlands or whatever else?

Of course, it's easier to plant trees in a nice big open flat field that has been cultivated every year till now so you can get your spade in a bit easier.

Oh and the verges! Why do we need to mess around (or not maybe) the edges on the highway?! More traffic on the roads than ever but we need to let the edges of the roads go wild and then somehow cut and collect them up?! Can't someone sacrifice some crap land to make up for it instead?! The council are quick enough to kick out tenant farmers and sell off their land to highest bidding developer, can't they do their bit and create their own mini wildlife sanctuary themselves and just let farmers do what their job title suggests and farm!

Is anyone really going to stop cleaning their ditches and cutting their hedges? I highly doubt it, certainly can't see it round here. Who's gonna physically stop you? Or will they arrest you and send you to jail?