gone up the hill
Member
- Location
- Devon
What a fecking mess that land has become!
Rewilding at Knepp Castle- Daily Mail article
- Thread starter Red Fred
- Start date
Dead Rabbits
Member
- Location
- 'Merica
Very interesting. Maybe it's just who wrote the article, but the land hasn't been left to re wild its self. It is still being managed by the "evil" human hand. That should have been made more clear in my opinion. It is not conservation by abandonment. It is still a managed farm producing something. Just a bit different to most
Dead Rabbits
Member
- Location
- 'Merica
Who cares? Not how I would do it either but hey, works for them.
Dead Rabbits
Member
- Location
- 'Merica
CopperBeech
Member
- Location
- A Welsh man lost in England
It’s not overly productive to be fair, but by Christ it’s a good place to hunt foxes lol but shhhhhhh
Exfarmer
Member
- Location
- Bury St Edmunds
If you have a link to the Dutch experiment you will get a very different experience of re wilding
Red Fred
Member
- Location
- Hants/Dorset border
The whole project is simply propped up by lavish subsidies, though, so it is hardly a good model for a sustainable future.
Dead Rabbits
Member
- Location
- 'Merica
Definitely, everything is a game though. I think they are playing the game well with a low stress and enjoyable lifestyle thrown in.
ollie989898
Member
Which is why this subsidy crap needs to end.
SilliamWhale
Member
But they may be helping biodiversity. I bet it becomes a big tourist attraction
Dead Rabbits
Member
- Location
- 'Merica
Bird watching tours, wildlife tours, camping fees, giving tours to school children. Reconnecting people to the country side. Maybe figure out ways to harvest wildflower seed? Make rustic artwork and furniture from the trees and shrubs. Endless possibilities.
- Location
- Moreton-in-Marsh, Glos
I must admit that I envy them in many ways and wish them the best of luck.
There are many areas of this farm that don’t really suit arable farming and we have already taken out almost 30% and put it into Mid Tier Stewardship, because at least 2 out of every 5 years it simply could not produce anything like a profitable income.
Then we get a winter and spring like this one, which isn’t uncommon, and wish that we’d taken another 20% out!
I’m sure this isn’t the only farm in this situation in this part of the country, let alone many other parts of it too.
When you farm land that only performs well in dry years, why not take advantage of as much of the CS programs on offer as possible to maximum advantage?
The difference here is that I would not want to give up continuing to farm the decent land on this farm. But there comes a time when you realise that on many parts of it, we were simply banging our heads against the wall, hoping that we’d get a dry year, which of course doesn’t happen more than 1 in 3.
Fortunately for us, apart from replanting winter bird mix in May, we haven’t got any spring crops to plant. Many others around us, won’t be able to or will try, but so obviously will not be able to grow one profitably now.
So much of what we do on marginal land, is built on unjustifiable hope and not nearly enough reality.
There are many areas of this farm that don’t really suit arable farming and we have already taken out almost 30% and put it into Mid Tier Stewardship, because at least 2 out of every 5 years it simply could not produce anything like a profitable income.
Then we get a winter and spring like this one, which isn’t uncommon, and wish that we’d taken another 20% out!
I’m sure this isn’t the only farm in this situation in this part of the country, let alone many other parts of it too.
When you farm land that only performs well in dry years, why not take advantage of as much of the CS programs on offer as possible to maximum advantage?
The difference here is that I would not want to give up continuing to farm the decent land on this farm. But there comes a time when you realise that on many parts of it, we were simply banging our heads against the wall, hoping that we’d get a dry year, which of course doesn’t happen more than 1 in 3.
Fortunately for us, apart from replanting winter bird mix in May, we haven’t got any spring crops to plant. Many others around us, won’t be able to or will try, but so obviously will not be able to grow one profitably now.
So much of what we do on marginal land, is built on unjustifiable hope and not nearly enough reality.
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ollie989898
Member
I dont care a fudge. Stop wasting tax payers money.
glasshouse
Member
- Location
- lothians
If joe public knew how much of his money was being used to fund the lifestyle of these multi millionaires i dont think he would be so happy.
Steevo
Member
- Location
- Gloucestershire
Could say that about RSPCA, RSPB, National Trust etc. in some respects.
glasshouse
Member
- Location
- lothians
how many workers got flung on the dole?
- Location
- Cumbria
I
I envy them assuming they have inherited 3500 acres tax free. I pity them for being so bloody inept that they can't make a decent living farming it. I despise them for knocking those of us that can (make a living from farming) having inherited much less.
No better than champagne socialists, but an interesting take on land management none the less.
I envy them assuming they have inherited 3500 acres tax free. I pity them for being so bloody inept that they can't make a decent living farming it. I despise them for knocking those of us that can (make a living from farming) having inherited much less.
No better than champagne socialists, but an interesting take on land management none the less.
SilliamWhale
Member
It could yet be a fascinating project. Theyre only taking whats on offer and possibly delivering more biodiversity than a lot of others on hls agreements
Tha Ulsterscot
Member
- Location
- Greyabbey Co. Down.
Heard a whimper lately that the NT intent to do this with all their land, after some of the things they've done here lately it wouldn't surprise me one bit.
ollie989898
Member
They are all tossers on the tax payers purse as well.