Know How / Wildlife

News for farmers on how wildlife can have an impact on farms, both positively and negatively. See how to improve biodiversity on your farm to encourage pollinators and farmland birds. Find out about the developments in the rewilding debate and on releasing animals, such as lynx into the countryside.

Advice and tips

ARABLE

How 'mega-cluster' project benefits farming and nature

A project linking farmers and private investors across a 12,500ha area of Sussex is aiming to support nature recovery and food production on a landscape scale.  The Weald to Waves…

ARABLE

How to restore 'forgotten' farm ponds for wildlife

As many as two-thirds of farmland ponds in England and Wales have been lost though drainage and in-filling, while those that remain are often shaded and tree-covered and do very…

ARABLE

How Britain's bee farmers can help raise crop yields

Britain’s bee farmers could have a key role in helping growers increase arable and fruit crop yields, by providing a targeted pollination service. There are about 400 professional bee farmers in…

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Case studies

ARABLE

Food production remains key on nature-friendly arable farm

All three of the distinct land types at Somerleyton Estate, near Lowestoft, are being put to best use, generating a diversified income for the business and supporting both people and…

ARABLE

Video: Why cows and trees are part of Essex arable business

George Young is making big changes to his arable business with nature at its heart. Read the full report and watch the videos for more detail on his tree planting…

GRASSLAND MANAGEMENT

How mixed low-input farming can help grassland biodiversity

Gloucestershire farmer Ian Boyd has turned his intensively farmed arable land into wildflower meadows and introduced herbal leys into the cropping rotation. This has enabled him to tap into environmental…

PIGS

Suffolk pig producers see multiple benefits from pollinators

Combining outdoor pig rearing with planting pollinator strips has helped Suffolk-based Dingley Dell Pork raise sow performance, help the environment and provide a marketing boost for their direct sales business.…

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Community

Quiz: Can you spot 6 common farmland birds?

This Saturday sees the start of the Big Farmland Bird Count (6-14 February) and farmers are being encouraged to go out and tally up the species on their farms. The…

Big farmland bird count: how you can make a difference

Farming has changed the landscape of the UK and the way wildlife interacts with it massively since the Second World War. Before the 1940s weeds largely grew uninhibited from hedgerows…

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Insights

ARABLE

How arable farms can support farmland bird populations

A good, varied arable rotation, along with winter bird food stewardship options and a variety of hedges, will provide most of what farmland birds need to survive and thrive. Adding…

ARABLE

The network nature reserve built by farmers on arable land

Supporting nature in a productive farmed landscape is the goal for a like-minded group of farmers in East Anglia, having come together to protect and enhance the biodiversity that surrounds…

ARABLE

How a coastal group's audit is focusing biodiversity effort

The North Norfolk Coastal Group came together with the aim of collaborating to bring nature back to the farmed environment. The group represents more than 55,000ha of coastal habitat –…

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News

WILDLIFE

Are wolves the solution to booming deer population?

A video of deer blocking traffic as they hurtle across a road in Lincolnshire has sparked a lively debate over whether wolves should be reintroduced as their top predators. The…

NEWS

Defra to restore rules to protect hedgerows on farmland

Defra has vowed to maintain the six-month hedgecutting ban and related rules around buffer strips on farms in England to protect wildlife. Conservationists had raised concerns over a lapsed ban…

NUTRITION AND FERTILISER

Farmers urged to get ready for Big Farmland Bird Count

Farmers, crofters and gamekeepers are being encouraged to sign up for the Big Farmland Bird Count (BFBC), which gets under way later this week. Organised by the Game and Wildlife…

ENVIRONMENT

Scots rural workers hold demo against rewilding policies

Scottish farmers, crofters and gamekeepers are staging a peaceful demonstration to express their concerns and anger at the policies being driven by Scottish government against their rural way of life.…

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Video

ARABLE

Video: Why cows and trees are part of Essex arable business

George Young is making big changes to his arable business with nature at its heart. Read the full report and watch the videos for more detail on his tree planting…

ARABLE

Video: Grower reacts to planned ban for chlorothalonil

As a conventional farmer, David Butler is trying to find the right balance between productive agriculture and looking after wildlife on his farm. A fourth-generation farmer, Mr Butler farms East…

SHEEP

Row erupts over calls for raven cull to protect sheep

An online petition launched by farmers calling for greater control of ravens on farmland to protect newborn lambs and calves is gaining momentum. Britain’s largest species of crow has been…

Video: Birds found nesting in tractor engine

Grass-cutting at a nature reserve has been put on hold after birds were found nesting in the engine of a tractor. A pair of pied wagtails and their four chicks…

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