News from the Farm
From The Ground Up – Farmers are leading the way on agroforestry
Picture by Jim Wileman – Agroforestry at Elston Farm, Copplestone, Devon with Andy Gray By Luke Dale-Harris Agroforestry is a new word for an old idea. All it really means is trees in fields, with farming – from livestock to horticulture – continuing around and amongst them. And like so many aspects of regenerative farming,…
Read MoreRewilding – Is it Time to Ditch this Divisive Idea?
Rewilding – Is it Time to Ditch this Divisive Idea? By Tim Martin When I first heard about rewilding I was entranced. Abandoned farmland in Europe was being restored to a wilder state, complete with reintroduced lynx, wolves, bison and other lost species. After decades of relentless impoverishment of the planet, here was evidence that…
Read MoreAutumn Wildlife to Watch Out For
By Tim Martin, Farm Wilder Founder Autumn is a spectacular season for wildlife, with an alluring showcase of the last of the summer swallows, the arriving winter migrants, and an abundance of fungi and forage. When you step into the woods and countryside this autumn look out for… Redwings The smallest of the true thrushes, Redwings…
Read MoreThe Future of Organic – from Revolution to Evolution
By Tim Martin, Farm Wilder Founder Every year Organic September champions the benefits of this way of farming. There is much to celebrate, but it’s also a good time to ask why organic hasn’t taken off in the UK as much as in some other countries, what we could do to change that, and to…
Read MoreSex, Slippers and Monkeys – The Wonder of Orchids
Sex, Slippers and Monkeys – The Wonder of Orchids By Tim Martin, Farm Wilder Founder Of all the flowering plants in Britain, the orchids are the most glamorous, the most revered, and often the rarest – these are the supermodels of Britain’s flora. And, whilst the flowers of our orchids are smaller than those you…
Read MoreBee Hawk-Moths
Photo courtesy of Jack Oughton Bee Hawk-Moths By Joseph Attfield, Farm Wilder The narrow-bordered bee hawk-moth is a once widespread species of day-flying moth that is on the wing in late spring and early summer. It has undergone a substantial decline within the last 50 years largely due to the draining of wet pastures. Although…
Read MoreAre family farms heading for extinction?
Are family farms heading for extinction? By Luke Dale-Harris, Farm Wilder Founder Farmers occupy a strange place in our collective imagination – sometimes hardened heroes, working tirelessly to feed the world and steward our countryside; other times mercantile destroyers of the environment, grubbing out trees and demanding more money from the taxpayer. The pendulum of…
Read MoreMay on our Farms
May on our Farms By Tim Martin, Farm Wilder Founder There’s no better month to be out on our farms than May. The birdsong is overwhelming, the hedgerows are white with hawthorn blossom, the meadows are beginning to flower, and some very special butterflies are on the wing. SPRING ARRIVES LATER UP ON DARTMOOR On…
Read MoreGlow-worms
Glow-worms By Joseph Attfield, Farm Wilder Farm Wilder founder Tim Martin spent the morning in a Forestry England woodland, photographing and filming rare butterflies and managed to snap the elusive Pearl-bordered fritillary which can be seen throughout this blog. During his shoot, Tim also spotted a glow-worm feeding on a snail! The glow-worm is not…
Read MoreSilvopasture at Elston Farm
Silvopasture at Elston Farm What is silvopasture? Silvo-pasture, also known as wood-pasture, is the combination of grazed grassland and trees in the same field or space. This system can increase the overall productivity of the land area by producing both the grazing and the products from the trees; such as nuts, fruit, wood, extra livestock…
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