Untidy and neglected?

 

Halls farm, Thick untidy hege full of berries and nuts

Halls farm, Thick untidy hege full of berries and nuts

Untidy and neglected is probably the reaction of some people seeing Halls and Little Haugh farms for the first time. Field margins are uncut, hedges large and unruly and some fields are un-cropped with long grass, thistles and nettles. This is particularly noticeable after harvest when many neighbouring farms closely trim their hedges and field margins before stubble is cultivated and next year’s crops are sown.

But the apparent untidiness is a deliberate management choice. Walking around the farm early September to take these photographs I saw dozens of swallows, house martins and dragonflies hunting insects over the un-cropped fields. Linnets and yellowhammers were feeding in the field margins, a large group of brown hares panicked when I appeared, and hundreds of partridges exploded into flight around my feet. Of course the management of both Halls and Little Haugh farms is partly influenced by the game bird shooting that takes place autumn and winter but whatever the motivation, the sheer quantity of wildlife living on these farms is striking.

Over-wintering birds need to be able to feed every day and find shelter at night. Uncut field margins contain seeds and insects and uncut hedges are heavy with berries. Farms where margins are cut back and sprayed and hedges tidily trimmed provide little food and shelter for overwintering wildlife. Public financial support for farms over recent years has shifted from supporting production to an environmental focus with most farms receiving payments depending on the level of environmental work they do. However the effectiveness of these environmental payments can be compromised by unsympathetic management, with field margins of non-native rye grass having a similar wildlife value as domestic lawns.

The very neat and tidy farm near my village is a complete contrast to Halls and Little Haugh farms. However, this comes at a cost that does not increase production and reduces profit. The contractor who cuts the field margins and puts neat corners on the edge of the few hedges presents an invoice of thousands pounds a year and the spray that kills the ”weeds” at the base of the trees and telegraph poles on the farm costs well over £100 litre. The result is a wildlife desert, and when the farmer does want a days shooting there are no game birds on his farm so he pays to shoot a few pheasants on “untidy” neighbouring land. Excessive tidiness is expensive whichever way you look at it; perhaps we should get more comfortable with the “neglected look”.