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EDITOR ’ S INTRO
Well , here we are , it is summertime and despite the moving of the goalposts , The Great Yorkshire Show is scheduled to go ahead on Tuesday 13th to Friday 16th of July . YAS had the foresight to organise the show to be COVID safe assuming current restrictions remained in place . It promises to be a welcome and enjoyable four days for all . This is followed by the Driffield Show , which is now a two-day show on the 21st and 22nd of July .
CONTINUING our focus on women in farming , we feature two prominent women in agriculture . I enjoyed a fascinating interview with Amanda Owen ( The Yorkshire Shepherdess ). Read all about Amanda , Clive , and family at Ravenseat Farm on page 64 .
Another well-known character in this issue is Julie Sedgewick of Ricknall Grange and Binchester Farm up at Bishop Auckland . As well as her many achievements ( including her years of sterling work with NSA North ) we learn all about how Julie and her family have developed these farms and their herds , starting from scratch in 1995 . See page 32 .
Chris Berry has been to see Steven Crabtree at Bolton Park Farm up above Bolton Abbey ( page 52 ). He is in the process of fully changing over from Swaledales to North Country Cheviots , and is convinced that grass is the way forward . Steven is committed to maximizing everything that he produces .
Chris also talks with Clive Rowland at Lord Halifax ’ s Garrowby Farm ( page 22 ) about his aim to produce perfect Limousin bulls . He discusses his considerable success in the development of this superb herd .
Another fascinating story in this issue is Chris ’ s conversation with Eric & Sue Varley of Stud Farm & Chestnut Dairies . Hear about this intriguing story of Dairy farming on the Holderness Coast on page 48 .
Get in touch As we return to normal and start to think about open days , shows and other events again , The Farmers Mart are happy to do features on machinery dealerships etc to help promote these important events .
We are also always looking to feature women in farming , from new ventures to well established farms and businesses . Please contact us if you know one of the many women blazing the agricultural trail .
Hope you enjoy this issue as we hopefully enjoy a good summer and finally see things return to normal .
Owner & Managing Editor Ian Wilkinson
JUN / JUL 2021 • farmers-mart . co . uk
NSA welcomes Natural England ’ s study reviewing carbon storage impact from England ’ s habitats
THE National Sheep Association ( NSA ) is today welcoming with interest the recently reported outcome of Natural England ’ s study portraying how UK landscapes can contribute to carbon management , while also offering landscape diversity and opportunities for nature .
The study identified peatlands and native woodlands as habitats with the greatest capacity to store carbon but also recognised that many other habitats , including grasslands can have a significant role to play towards achieving the UK net zero target by 2050 .
NSA Chief Executive Phil Stocker comments : “ Future land management schemes , such as Defra ’ s Environmental Land Management Scheme provide the opportunity for the vast majority of the UK ’ s farmland to be managed in ways that enhance soil and nature through the Sustainable Farming Incentive , but also to go further with Local Nature Recovery and Landscape Recovery to create and maintain habitats with related net zero benefits .
“ By rewarding farmers for protecting and sustaining important areas such as native woods and peatland , alongside other traditionally managed habitats such as grazed grasslands , waterways , hedgerows , hay meadows , orchards and heathlands allows the preservation of wildlife and biodiversity within a farmed landscape .”
Findings from the study highlight that with the right management hedgerows can increase carbon storage whilst being beneficial for wildlife and biodiversity as part of the farmed countryside . But the right management often brings additional costs and provides goods that aren ’ t rewarded for through the marketplace .
In the study woodlands are noted as having high rates of carbon sequestration – depending on the species , age
and location , and that old woodland can become substantial carbon stores . Protecting these old , established habitats is important for biodiversity , as well the carbon stocks they hold , as both may have taken centuries to accumulate . However , in the rush to meet tree planting targets it is crucial to remember the importance of suitable site selection . Mr Stocker continues : “ The right tree in the right place is what is crucial and that future needs will be a mix of climate control , nature recovery and a need to feed ourselves healthily and not ‘ offshore ’ our footprint to somewhere that is simply out of sight .
“ As the NSA some may feel we are biased but we are confident , and not alone , in believing that sheep farming across the UK plays an integral role in the delivery of sustainable land management policy that delivers for the UK ’ s landscapes , countryside and people . Native trees and shrubs , integrated with sheep and grazing animal systems , can support productivity and sheep health and welfare improvements , and provide wider environmental and nature benefits , helping to contribute to the UK meeting its carbon targets .”
Further information on the habitat benefits for sheep flocks can be found in the NSA and Woodland Trust booklet ‘ Sheep and Trees ’ available to download from the NSA website .
Northern Labels Ltd Riparian Court , Cross Hills , Keighley , BD20 7BW . www . northernlabels . co . uk Email : print @ northernlabels . co . uk
ISSUE 75 • JUN / JUL 2021
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