On the third week of May when the farm was looking glorious, green and lushness everywhere, we played host to the BBC Countryfile team for three days of filming. Everything went according to plan, the sun came out at last, the lambs looked super cute and gambled for the cameras, the bi-cropped cereals looked terrific and the veggies in the market...
During a farm visit to FarmEd in the summer we were shown a plot of Heritage wheat and it was explained to us the all round benefits of growing these ancient grains and its importance in a regenerative system of production. At Lower Hampen Farm we have been growing modern single varieties of wheat as part of our eight year...
The benefits of planting winter cover crops are wide ranging and very important for the health of the soil, water quality, wildlife and crops. This is a quick list of those benefits. For Soil: Cover crops help to prevent soil erosion and run-off, keeping soil in the field Deep-rooting crops will help to improve soil structure in compacted soils Cover crops...
At the beginning of April the water courses on the farm were surveyed by Holly Williams and Pascale Nicolet from the Newt Conservation Partnership with a view to creating ponds for the endangered Greater Crested Newt. There is evidence of these newts in the area so the conservation charity is keen to establish a network of suitable habitats to encourage the...
Heritage Orchard sponsored by the Environment Agency In November 2019 we were supplied with 25 fruit trees to plant two new orchards on the farm. The scheme was organised by Carly Kimber, the local Biodiversity Technical Officer for the Environment Agency as part of the ‘Pollinators in Gloucestershire’ project. The scheme aimed to off-set the damage to wildlife habitats (following necessary...
Back from the Brink ‘Colour in the Margins’ project is to save threatened arable habitats and the species that depend on them Cultivated farmland is vital for many wildflowers and animals. Cornfield flowers were once a familiar sight but sadly in the last 200 years these plants have declined by 96%. This in turn has affected other wildlife including beetles, bats and birds...
In the 1930’s, 40%of the Cotswolds AONB was covered in wildflower-rich grassland. Due to agricultural intensification and changing land management practices, less than 1.5% remains and many of the plants and animals associated with this habitat have suffered major declines. ‘Glorious Cotswold Grasslands’ is a three year project set to reverse these declines by restoring and creating wildflower grasslands throughout the...