Biodiversity – an ongoing commitment

Over the last year, some of the focus on our farm has turned to improving biodiversity.   As farmers, we see first hand how climate is affecting our habitats with increased dry periods, warmer winters and prolonged wet spells.  We have been looking at ways we can make incremental changes on our farm to contribute to biodiversity.

One of the most important habitats on the farm is our native hedgerow and this year we planted over 1000 metres of native hedgerow including whitethorn, hazel, holly and oak to grow alongside our cereal crops.  They needed plenty of watering to get them established, which the children enjoyed getting involved in!  We plan to continue this planting next year.

Parts of the farm are already home to established native woodlands with wild bird cover, carpets of bluebells, wild garlic, a stream and a pond.  These woodlands and natural areas are already teeming with wildlife – deer, foxes, badgers, pheasants, ducks, jays, woodpeckers and a buzzard.  Recently, we’ve been delighted to discover newts on the pond.  We’ve also been busy replanting native oak trees.

Recognising the vital role that bees play in pollination, we have been working in partnership with local beekeepers to house their hives on our farm.  This helps to maintain our native Irish bee population.  Alongside the beehives we’ve also installed birdboxes throughout some of the woodlands.

One of the most exciting changes, for us anyway, was the introduction of a small fold of Highland cattle.  They have access to an area of mature woodland and a grazing paddock.  One of the reasons we chose the Highland breed is that they are smaller in stature, easy calvers and are able to winter outdoors.  We have been watching keenly other research projects which are examining the role smaller breeds, like Highlands, play in soil biodiversity.  They are also a joy to walk among!