During February the team at Herefordshire Meadows began visiting the Meadow Makers sites. Each one presents its own unique challenges and opportunities, but overall there is enormous potential to restore more pockets of flower-rich habitat across the county. The 2022 Countryside Stewardship scheme also opened for applications in February and, once again, there were plenty of fascinating webinars. The Meadow Makers Trainee position is open for applications until Sunday 7th March.
Find out about all this and more below:
Upcoming events:
Tuesday 9th March 5.00 – 6.00pm – ‘Utilising Native Breeds for Conservation and Regenerative Grazing’ with Tom Blunt
Tom Blunt has been Field Officer for the Rare Breeds Survival Trust since October 2015. His talk will cover:
- Breed traits and their values for different grazing systems.
- The economics of native breeds.
- Native breeds in grassland, scrub and wood pasture mosaics.
- The importance of native genetics in regenerative grazing systems.
To book your place, please email: bookings@herefordshireruralhub.co.uk
You will be sent the Zoom link shortly before the webinar.
For further details please visit our website.
Thursday 4th March 5-6pm and Tuesday 23rd March 1-2pm –
‘Agri-environment schemes and the future: How to get the best for your business’.
The Wye Valley Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB) Partnership will host a free online workshop providing details of a national workshop on the new Farming in Protected Landscapes Countryside Stewardship (CS) scheme and updating participants on the forthcoming Environmental Land Management (ELM) scheme. The workshop is aimed at farmers in AONBs and National Parks and will focus specifically on the current CS offer as a route into the ELMs scheme. The workshop will be repeated on both 4th and 23rd March. Register for either date here.
Listen / Watch / Read again
‘Creating a Meadow in the Conwy Valley’ with Dr Trevor Dines
Dr Trevor Dines talks about his personal experience of creating a wildflower meadow in North Wales. This uplifting, informative and inspirational talk will leave you marvelling at what can be achieved in a short space of time. Watch the full talk again here.
‘Biological Pathways to Carbon-Rich Soils Webinar’ with Dr Christine Jones
Watch Dr Christine Jones’ fascinating talk on the science behind building carbon in soil and why this is so important for efficient soil function again here. You will be left in no doubt of the important role of plant diversity in an healthy soil biome.
‘The Economics of Species Rich Meadows’ with Mattie Poochee, Chris Clark and Rob Harvard, chaired by Fidelity Weston
A webinar run by the Pasture-Fed Livestock Association discussing how species rich meadows can contribute economically to farmland. Topics covered include: “Hospital Fields”, upland farming and winter bale grazing among others. Watch the full event again here.
New Opportunities:
2022 Countryside Stewardship Scheme Open for Applications
Applications for the 2022 Countryside Stewardship scheme opened on 9th February. There are options for those who’ve never been, or are no longer in a scheme as well as new “Offers” for capital works too. If you want to read a summary of the changes in 2021 please see our colleagues at FWAG SW latest news message including broadening the options available and make these easier to apply for. Find out more information here. For help with an application in Herefordshire see our website
Severn Trent’s Boost for Biodiversity Fund
Open for Applications from 15th March – 23rd April – local farms created flower rich meadows with this funding last year. This is your chance to do the same in 2021.
Severn Trent’s second, annual Boost for Biodiversity grant window will open on 15th March. Farmers and landowners located within the Severn Trent region (that includes most of the Wye Catchment see link below) are encouraged to put forward collaborative project proposals that seek to improve, enhance and protect biodiversity on between 0.5 – 30ha of land. More specifically the fund supports the restoration / creation of wildflower meadows. Please note that Severn Trent cannot fund projects on land which is already under an existing grant or stewardship scheme. The full terms and conditions of the funding scheme can be found here. Find out more about the overall aims of the scheme here.
Severn Trent Water also have grants for farms in the Drinking Water Safe-Guarding Zone which follows the main rivers of the Wye, Lugg and Frome.
STEPS for Biodiversity application window opens on the 22nd February 2021 and will close on the 18th April 2021. Applications can be made by any landowners that have land within the DWSGZ and have previously applied for a priority item such as a pesticide handling areas, biobeds or biofilters or Arable Grassland Buffers to protect water courses.
Contact Abi Croshaw at WUF for more details Abi@wyeuskfoundation.org
Habitat and Landscape data available from Wye Valley AONB for farmers in the designated area
To help farmers in the Wye Valley AONB prepare for landscape, habitat and nature recovery schemes including ELMs, the Wye Valley AONB Partnership are also able to offer the following:
• Phase 1 Habitat maps showing semi-natural vegetation and wildlife habitats on your farm, or if the data doesn’t exist, a free survey.
• AONB Management Plan information, including Landscape Management Zones, features and Special Qualities relevant to your farm.
To request Wye Valley AONB data or for more information on this offer, please contact
Wye Valley AONB Development Officer, Nick Critchley at development@wyevalleyaonb.org.uk
or tel 07904 017982.
Meadow Makers Project:
‘Meadow Maker Trainee Position Open for Applications’
As part of their Meadow Makers project, Plantlife are seeking an enthusiastic, self-motivated individual with a strong interest in conservation to work as a Trainee Meadow Maker with Herefordshire Meadows. The position will be fully paid (based on the National Living Wage of £8.91/hr), is full-time and will last for six months, from April to September 2021. To find out more please visit our website. Deadline for applications is Sunday 7th March at 9pm.
For those of you who carried out a meadow restoration in 2020 now is the time to keep an eye out for those little seedlings. We hope to do a seedling safari or two in the field as soon as we can but meanwhile if you send photos we will have Zoom safaris if necessary. Spring is on the way!!
Best wishes,
Caroline, Sue, Catherine & Rory