Chess Valley Farmer wins Conservation Award
The Chess Valley Farmer Cluster has had a busy year, helped along by the leadership of Jonathan Chapman of Bailey Hill Farm. He grazes his Red Devon and Murray Grey cattle and Exlana sheep in Sarratt and the Chalfonts, and recently won the Best Beef Enterprise and Best Farm Conservation at the Royal South Bucks Agricultural Society awards. His farm is run on an entirely pasture-fed system which benefits the health of the cows, the health of the soil, the farm’s carbon footprint and local wildlife recovery.
Since moving to Bailey Hill Farm in September 2013 Jonathan has planted over 4km of mixed species hedges to extend habitat corridors between blocks of ancient woodland that is adjacent to his farm. He has also planted 15 acres of Heritage orchard, focussing on local varieties and ensuring the flowering periods of the trees are staggered to maximise pollen availability.
By dividing the pasture into smaller fields, and moving his livestock between paddocks frequently, he is able to give the pasture a long rest period which allows the plants to reach their flowering stage. This benefits the pollinators, increases the root depth of the pasture because it isn’t constantly stressed by being grazed short, and reduces the chances of parasites becoming a burden on the herd. Allowing the pasture to grow long also creates better habitat for small mammals. The Bucks Owl and Raptor Group visited his farm in October and were so impressed with the suitability of the grassland for vole populations and barn owl territories that they are building four nesting boxes to put up there this winter. Jonathan has also committed to spread bird food at two places on his farm this winter to help seed-eaters such as yellowhammers, linnets, chaffinches and goldfinches.
Under Jonathan’s leadership the 30+ farmers in the Chess Valley Farmer Cluster are looking to the future by gathering baseline data such as farm carbon audits, soil sampling, botanical surveys and bird surveys, and using this to guide their forward-planning. They are keen to find ways to improve soil health , create wildlife habitat on their farms, and improve water quality. Through the Smarter Water Catchment and Farming in Protected Landscapes schemes funding has been provided for hedge planting, hedge renovation, fencing to allow carefully managed grazing regimes, pond restoration and investment in farm machinery that allows precision-farming such as GPS-guided tractors, variable-rate fertiliser and cover-crop spreaders and a direct drill for planting without ploughing.
Pasture fed beef and lamb and apple juice are available directly from Bailey Hill Far or by mail order (see more at www.native-beef.co.uk).