Silvopasture is the future of human and planet health. Taken on the family farm. Giving sheep a decent retirement. Silver for UK sheep farmer of the year ‘22
Probably in the wood.
Joined May 2011
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Very lucky to have had a few things written about what I’m up to. But I think this is my favourite. And on this wet Autumn night it’s a reminder Spring will return. Thank Charlie Holland of @Londnr magazine. Charlie really got it. That lad is going places. londnr.com/the-waiting-game-… – at South West, England
Bit of cull yaw activity. Love Kiln!
Working with a local vet on the masham/sweet chestnut idea. Picking nuts from the wood floor. Taking regular blood tests to mainly check effect of tannins. And increasing amounts fed if all ok. They do have access to nice grass but I have to say, they are looking good.
Beginning to believe. Just need to fence 10 acres of wood in the next 6 weeks (I think). sweet chestnut fruit have grown lots in 3 weeks. Decent sunshine and rain forecast. The longer they stay up the better. Lots of leaves on the ground but sweet chestnut trees looking green.
Advice taken from @HighFarndale - sheep removed from the Halwill 20 acre. They pushed how the grass so well to protect the soil. Decent bit of rain. Land collecting it all. Back at some point over Winter for deferred grazing and feeding worms.
Matt Chatfield retweeted
Warbler heaven on the farmyard while feeding this morning, 35 species could probably add another 10 if it was near water. Would it of been this many without some form of environmental support? No, would it have been more of the farm was rewild, absolutely not! #facts
Brilliant from @cat_frampton - so many people seem to have an opinion on Dartmoor. The land I farm is not far away but very different. So I try not to comment and let Cat do the talking. I’m not saying others dont but I know Cat genuinely cares about what’s best for Dartmoor.
Written a thing about pictures and the stories they illustrate…
And how we absorb those stories whether they are fully true or not because of the ‘scroll on by’ nature of this place.
sidecountry.co.uk/is-a-pictu…
Trying similar things as @HighFarndale - used sheep to push down grass and protect the soil during the drought. Caught any rain that landed. Shoots now beginning to appear. Creating a potential living mulch. Very important. But need sheep back in 10 days to help mulch break down.
Lots of sweet chestnuts in the trees. Need to fence off the wood before they drop. A few very unripe ones fell during a windy night. The shells contain small amounts of oelic acid. I’m convinced there’s a connection between that and the soft fat on the masham! Might be right.
So impressed with this.
The beef cattle have moved on to a fresh pasture paddock; they’re in good condition.
They leave soil improving poo, pee, saliva and some hair from their coat.
They’ve also trampled the plants they didn’t eat, making a protective heat shield and moisture trap.
Earthworms will feast on the decaying matter; fresh growth will follow.
This is land stewardship; recognising what needs to be done and selecting the best tools. In this case, increasing soil organic matter and plant variety.
Could you run sheep over this?
Yes, well managed sheep would fit the system. They don’t have to follow cattle religiously or go everywhere on the farm. They go where their behaviour makes a positive contribution to stewardship.
This doesn’t involve parking livestock on land; they have to move in groups. To move and avoid overgrazing, to go where their behaviour is beneficial. And keep moving.
The Halwill 20 acres has saved me this year. Bit of rain this morning. Taking a chance on being able to restock. Sheep looking so good. I take this bit of land so seriously, it’s taught me the importance of deferred Winter grazing with sheep. Family impressed I think.
Matt Chatfield retweeted
Beef cattle are eco-system engineers.
Well managed, their behaviour will provide wildlife habitat and the grazing required to produce food.
An orb weaver spider and one of the local barn owls today.
Eat real red meat and dripping; buy the best you can.
Matt Chatfield retweeted
Ah, @BenGoldsmith and @GeorgeMonbiot , a little bit of 'sheep dumping' for you to watch, newly sheared ewes going back to the fell with their lambs. (video from last year)
Oh, and by the way, those trees are real and sheep do graze that Parkland.
Matt Chatfield retweeted
Rewilding doesn’t offer the answers to that… and worse it implies that if you make the green bit wilder you solved the issues
You didn’t even come close - you just tinkered at the edges
And I’m not remotely against storing water in wilderness landscapes - we do loads
Like pretty well every farmer, had my mind on lots of other things this summer. Nearly forgot the main quest - getting Masham fat on sweet chestnuts. Trees and fruit bearing up! Just need to fence the wood and get pasture next to it firing before they fall - and buy some Masham.
Matt Chatfield retweeted
I’ve moved my writing to a new site, which may not be for everyone but… you get to read it without having to pay or sign up or give your email out.
Mind you, I don’t get paid…
Still.
Here is a older article about the ‘sheep wrecked upland’ stuff.
sidecountry.co.uk/should-ewe…
My latest guest on Rewilding the World, @GeorgeMonbiot, famously described Britain’s upland hills as ‘sheepwrecked’. By seeking out tree seedlings, sheep ensure that no trees grow at all. Only a few plant species are able to survive their onslaught.
Listen to the full episode wherever you get your podcasts.
The go to person for all things Dartmoor. Not shouty. Just facts.
Important stuff. Feed worms in Autumn/Winter! Get land holding water. I’d love some rain but hoping lots old sheep with decent fat cover - all grass fed - shows resilience in the system.
Resilience isn’t a handout from Government.
For over ten years it’s been clear that land can be managed to cope with extremes of heat or water.
Holistic management practice, or stewardship, is the essential long term determinant.
That includes local/regional markets
Regardless of views on ‘climate change’; improve soil, ditch chemical crutches, store water, improve habitat, realise welfare benefits, reduce costs and aim for the highest margin possible.
Some of Mr Burnham’s redirected money may help. Though Government has largely missed a massive opportunity.
This is, in part, because many inside the system believe livestock have no place in our eco-system or diet.
Failure to organise well managed grazing on a national scale is coming home to roost.
The clip shows a beast enjoying a rub on the protection for a tree planted in winter 23/24. This area was historically ‘wood pasture’.
The electric fence is used to group and move the animals over the land, to mimic the beneficial behaviour of wild ruminant animals.
