5 ways your local farmer is supporting wildlife at Bere Mill

When we took over the farm at Bere Mill nearly 30 years ago, the land had either been managed in a very intensive way or not managed at all, which meant the land was very poor for wildlife of all kinds. One of our goals when restoring the land was to ensure it was as wildlife friendly as possible while still being productive as farmland. Keeping the land productive for farmland ensures we can produce an income from the land, which helps us to manage the land for wildlife and further supports our ecological restoration and management practices. Across the country, there is a growing number of farmers and landowners who are working extremely hard to support wildlife and manage your countryside so that it will be protected for future generations. So what are some of the things your local farmer is doing to support wildlife at Bere Mill?

1.   Wildflowers

It is well known that wildflowers are the basis for success of many wildlife conservation plans. But wildflowers and wild meadows are an extremely limited resource, particularly across Hampshire. Arable (crop) farming is very popular locally, and this means there is little room for wildflowers and meadows that support so many of our pollinators. But at Bere Mill, we have decided to return previously arable land to meadow and farm livestock instead, which has enabled us to reintroduce many wildflowers to the land. We have protected some areas of our land as sites of special scientific interest (SSSI). As such, these sites have to be very carefully managed, with limited grazing from animals and using grazing animals at the right times to reinvigorate the soil. We have also planted thousands of wildflower seeds in a mix that is specifically chosen to match what would have existed at Bere Mill a hundred years ago or more. This includes re-establishing two extensive wildflower meadows alongside the new footpath from Whitchurch to Wells in the Field with approximately 16 wildflower varieties. We now have extensive colonies of cowslips, snowdrops, early Marsh orchids and bluebells to name just a few. To help support the wildflower meadows we manage our land differently, including taking later hay cuts. This allows the wildflowers to seed themselves before we harvest the hay ensuring the return of the flowers next year. Removing the hay is important as this ensures the soil remains poor and stops the wildflowers from being outcompeted by grass. Most of our fields also support huge mushroom populations. Mushrooms help to support the soil, and they also have an interconnected relationship with trees and hedgerows by combining their mycelium with the tree's roots.

2.   Bees, Butterflies and Insects

Wildflowers help support a huge range of insects, including butterflies and bees. Last year during the Big Butterfly Count, we had at least 16 species of butterflies recorded at Bere Mill. This was fantastic news as the list included some rare butterflies that have been struggling across the UK, so it was wonderful to see them having a foothold at Bere Mill. We have also installed various insect boxes and created habitats for insects across the farm. This including bug hotels for solitary bumblebees. We make an effort to take part in studies to monitor various insects, for example, a recently completed project to improve habitats on the farm for damsel flies. As part of this we completed a study to assess the current population size on the farm, the number of species present on the farm, their preferred habitats and, where and how we could improve their habitats.

3.   Bats and Birds

Supporting insects has huge benefits for other wildlife on the farm, including providing food for birds, increased pollination and providing food for small mammals such as voles and bats. We have seen a massive increase in the number of birds on the farm since we began our ecology projects nearly 30 years ago. We now have many nesting boxes across the farm, including owl boxes that are used by many owl species. The way the land at Bere Mill is managed is particularly useful for barn owls, tawny owls and small owls. We also have bat boxes on the farm that attract a variety of bats including brown long-eared bats, common pipistrelles and Natterer's bats. We hope that our work at Bere Mill will attract some rarer bats, such as the grey long-eared bat and the whiskered bat.

4.   The River Test

The River Test runs almost straight through the middle of Bere Mill Farm. When we came to Bere Mill the river was in a sorry state; it was straight and ‘canalised’ for the Mill to work effectively. It has also been extensively stocked with farmed trout. Protecting and restoring the Test has been a passion project for our family, and in particular Rupert, for many years. The Test is a chalk stream: one of our rarest and most important river habitats that is known for its clarity and importance for many species of wildlife. We regularly monitor pollution levels in the river and work alongside The Rivers Trust to protect the Test as much as we can. We maintain wildflower margins along the whole of the river’s journey through Bere Mill. We have also worked on the banks to create breeding grounds and improved habitats for many species, including water voles and native brown trout. We do not stock farm-raised trout in the river as they outcompete native wild trout; instead, we have an exclusively wild trout regime. This is in line with a move to make all the upper stretches of the Test wild trout habitat alone. Wild trout is smaller than their farmed counterparts, but they contribute far more to the local habitat and ecosystem. Since we began restoring the river, wild trout populations have grown extensively. If you stand on any of our bridges over the River Test, you can now watch many trout swimming against the current. During the winter, you can also see them breeding and spawning throughout the river. If you are lucky, you may also spot the water voles scurrying along the bank. We ask dog walkers not to run their dogs in the river due to the detrimental effects of Fipronil, a chemical commonly found in most flea treatments.

5.   Livestock and Grazing

Our livestock at Bere Mill help us to manage the land effectively, and we have specifically chosen our breeds to ensure they benefit the landscape rather than negatively affect it. Our cows are Belted Galloways, which are a traditional British breed that cope well on traditional meadow grazing and can be kept out all year.  These cows are bred to our shorthorn bull, which is another traditional British breed. The combination produces slow-growing calves that will be ready for the butchery at around 2 years old. The animals spend their entire lives on the farm, from birth to butchery. Being slow grown, they can be pasture-fed which means that they are fed on grass or hay throughout their entire lives, reducing their impact on the environment. Our grazing includes land in and around the vineyards of Coates and Seeley, as well as our water meadows and unimproved wildflower-rich grassland. We use a traditional mix of grass varieties in all our fields that are supported by the DEFRA Environmentally Sensitive Areas scheme, which looks to support grazing in areas of high environmental value such as SSSI sites. As our animals are kept out as much as possible, we recognise that in the winter some fields will become poached due to the mud and rain. We work with this by using a management system of selective poaching. This means we allow the animals to graze (and poach) just two or three  ‘sacrificial fields’ heavily so that other fields are left with longer sward lengths and are protected for the year ahead. We try to choose ‘sacrificial fields’ that will have the lowest impact on the local ecosystem.

How can you help?

One of the best things you can do to help us continue to support your local countryside is to buy from our butchery. The Bere Mill butchery allows us to continue expanding our conservation efforts. You can also help us by being “good visitors” when you walk the footpaths or visit Bere Mill Farm. Check out this blog to find out more about how you can help us protect wildlife when walking at Bere Mill.