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No bees, no peas, no trees, no-one
Looking to the future
Mill Farm is in entry-level stewardship and higher-level stewardship. We have headlands which are managed for nutrient run off next to ditches and footpaths. They also are beneficial for ground nesting birds and other creatures that require the cover they provide such as reptiles and insects.
As part of the stewardship schemes operated we establish 10 ha or 25 acres of land for lapwings each year to allow them to find a suitable nesting place to nest. This is a rotational option and also allows a field to rest before being re-cropped the following year.
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There are 17,500 metres of hedgerows that are rotationally cut, rarely cutting all three sides at a time. We cut around all new oak trees that may be establishing themselves within the hedgerow. This is to encourage new trees within the farm and become replacements for some of the more established trees.
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The farm has areas of wildflower mixes, nectar mixes and the farms own natural flora and fauna,this helps the bees and other insects to have many different areas and sources of food.
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The lake has a large variety of fish and wetland birds and is a great source of water for migrating birds such as swifts and swallows. We have marshland and wetland that again has its own environment and is great for snipe, woodcock and teal. The river itself runs through the east part of the farm in a meandering fashion that has steep banks and deep pools occasionally.
Bat and bird surveys are carried out looking to find the types and species that are available around the farm.
To minimise the effects of farming we look at the protection of the soil and how microbial action can benefit not only the crop but also the capturing of carbon. This is one of the main reasons we are not keen on ploughing and releasing vast amounts of nutrients and carbon back into the atmosphere. With the increasing cost of inputs such as pesticides and fertilisers we carry out soil sampling to determine the best use of inputs. The use of insecticides is minimised to prevent detrimental impacts on insects and particularly our foraging bees.
We have a number of nocturnal birds, particularly owls that we try and encourage and are actively looking to provide more habitats. We are also particularly blessed with the amount of nightingales that inhabit the farm when returning from their winter migration.
