Blogs
14/6/2023 in: GWCT News Blog under: Events , Farming , Waders
On 11 June, the Bisterne Estate held its annual Open Farm Sunday, welcoming around 1,300 visitors to learn about the estate’s activities over the last year. A tractor ride transported visitors around the farm to a dairy tour and a woodland walk featuring stalls and demonstrations from different trades. From beekeeping to fly-fishing and gun dog demonstrations, there was a lot to get involved in and learn about. Venison sausages and pheasant tasters from the BBQ stand were well received by many, and left people wanting more!
24/5/2023 in: GWCT News Blog under: Advice , Farming
Boots and sunnies on, sandwiches packed, clipboards at the ready… GWCT’s Advisors are out and about and busier than ever with biodiversity audits!
18/5/2023 in: GWCT News Blog under: Farming
The second round of Defra's Landscape Recovery fund is now open for applications. The initiative is aimed at promoting sustainable food production and conservation.
26/4/2023 in: GWCT News Blog under: Farming
“Good commercial farming can work hand in hand with nature”, reiterated The Earl of Caithness, as he challenged the idea of designating wild belts, the subject of an amendment to the Levelling-up and Regeneration Bill.
25/4/2023 in: GWCT News Blog under: Farming
It’s very welcome to see Defra develop the concept of Nature Markets in its recently released report Nature Markets Framework. As the Agricultural Transition Period progresses and direct support payments drop away, it’s vital for farms to assess alternative income streams.
6/3/2023 in: GWCT News Blog under: Advice , Farmland Ecology , Farming
Supplementary feeding has become a widespread management tool for declining farmland birds. In the countryside in late winter there is often not enough natural seed food, which causes a hungry gap between February and April when lots of birds die of starvation.
26/1/2023 in: GWCT News Blog under: Policy , Farming
It will come as a welcome relief to the farming industry that Defra’s announcement on the 26th of January finally puts a significant amount of detail into the Sustainable Farming Incentive (SFI) tier of the Environmental Land Management (ELM) scheme.
10/1/2023 in: GWCT News Blog under: Farming
There were some welcome announcements in Mark Spencer’s speech to the Oxford Farming Conference, primarily in Defra’s acknowledgement that many of the costs associated with Countryside Stewardship have increased dramatically in recent years. However, it remains incredibly frustrating that farmers were once again left with only promises for future clarity on the new Environmental Land Management Scheme.