Herefordshire Meadows members helped Tony Norman of The Leen, Pembridge spread green hay from Moseley Common SSSI on a small adjacent improved ryegrass / clover ley in summer 2017. This was a challenging site that has been part of the dairy grazing rotation for years and the ground was also very dry and hard to harrow. But we can report… Read more →
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Countryside Stewardship now open for new applications
Applications for Countryside Stewardship Schemes including Mid-Tier, Higher Tier, Wildlife Offers, Hedgerows & Boundaries, all opened on 18th February 2019. Because options for flower rich grassland such as GS6 need endorsement and these fields must be on the priority habitat maps we have written a guidance note for Herefordshire Meadows members. Please ask for advice on how to get the… Read more →
Hedge laying weekend course in the sun
February 23 and 24 saw Herefordshire Meadows members learning the art of hedge laying under instruction from Martin Hales at Sollers Hope. Fiona Fyshe was having a hedge laid on the farm and kindly arranged this training weekend. The weather was unseasonably warm for hedge laying – but great fun was had by all. Everyone learned to pleach having received… Read more →
Healthy grassland soils at Upper Pengethley
Herefordshire Meadows first discussion meeting about soil health was held at Upper Pengethley Farm on 16 October courtesy of Julian and Sue Partridge with Kate Speke Adams leading the session. A Grassland soil health Resources Sheet is available with links to the materials available on the day including how / when to dig spade spits to look for worms and… Read more →
Late summer activity enhancing grassland in Herefordshire
After a packed summer of meadow events, discussions, training in grassland assessment and wild plant ID many members have gone home and cracked on with great work to restore, enhance and create meadows in Herefordshire. So far we’ve had photos of hay making and hay strewing and would love to have any more photos of Herefordshire Meadows projects in action.… Read more →
Now’s the season to start looking for grassland waxcaps
Waxcap fungi are an important part of the grassland ecosystem and if you want to work out what you are seeing in your grassland this autumn please see below for links to help with ID and detailed information about waxcaps Jo Weightman, Herefordshire’s fungus Recorder led us on a walk at the Sturts in October 2017 ; click on the… Read more →
Healthy Soil for healthy grassland and healthy livestock – WAITING LIST ONLY
Bring a spade and wear stout footwear for the walk. Introduction with sandwiches and drinks at 12.30 Julian Partridge hosts Kate Speke-Adams of the Wye and Usk Foundation to discuss soil health in permanent, flower rich and created grassland scenarios on the farm. A chance to discover the science behind healthy soils and practical tips on how your grassland can… Read more →
Monitoring marathon at Hurstans Coronation Meadows
Herefordshire Meadows Group spent 22 June at Hurstans Coronation Meadows in Sollers Hope hosted by Fiona and Chips Fyshe learning a detailed monitoring technique with Stuart Hedley as their trainer and in collaboration with Joe Costley of Plantlife. We used a 1 x 1 m quadrat subdivided into 9 smaller squares We did the first quadrat together, refreshing ID skills… Read more →
Careful preparation of receptor field is key to successful meadow enhancement
Herefordshire’s Coronation Meadows at Hurstans were seeded in 2015 with local provenance seed from Plantlife’s reserve at nearby Joan’s Hill Farm (donor site) The project is a collaboration between Plantlife and hosts Fiona and Chips Fyshe. This is a simple photographic record of the work as a starting point for anyone considering enhancing meadows with seed ( or green hay… Read more →
Help us press for changes to Mid Tier Countryside Stewardship grassland option prescriptions for GS2 and GS6
Please be aware that the GS2 and GS6 options in Countryside Stewardship currently don’t permit enhancement by hay strewing, seeding or wildflower plugs. Having more flowering plants in grassland is something many Herefordshire Meadows members are working on and it is very frustrating that Mid Tier works against one of our Group’s core objectives. This is because the prescriptions make… Read more →