On 5th May Tim Daniels gave an excellent presentation describing the methods and machinery he uses to manage his 5.5 acres of flower rich meadows near Longtown on the edge of the Black Mountains. Tim has also worked closely with Peter Tierney and together they have provided green hay for meadow restoration projects across Herefordshire.  Some of the meadows that have been created are now good enough quality to be seed and hay donors themselves; and the cycle continues to another generation of meadow makers.

Tim outlined some of the challenges and considerations that come with trying to manage a smallholding such as his including; weed control, equipment costs and grazing strategies.

The talk was particularly useful for any smallholder wanting to make well informed management decisions. such as whether to share, hire or own machinery.

The full webinar is available to watch again here.

Tim’s slides can be found here A Smallholders Experience of Machinery for Flower Rich Meadows

Group members also discussed weed control by hand and some recommended a traditional dock lifter or modern equivalent which is the lazy dog tool.