Followers of our farm website and social media will know that farming, conservation and localism are close to our hearts. We try to make a living from the land, provide local jobs and of course, lets not forget that we are primarily food producers!
The Wilding Weekend at Hooke Farm offers the chance view a large area that has been sympathetically landscaped to increase wildlife. There are lots of ideas to take home for gardeners and environmentalists from all backgrounds and talks from different groups that are specialists in their areas of conservation.
It is not unusual for farmers to refer to themselves as “custodians of the land for future generations”. This claim is often refuted by environmentalists, claiming loss of habitat and poor farming practices. The reality is that the causes and consequences are far more complex than is usually explained on either side. It is clear that markets are driven by demand and so importantly, consumers have the power to change the way food is produced. Ultimately, this means understanding where your food comes from, how it is produced and purchasing using informed choices. There can be no mass move to organic farming without starvation, and so education and constant improvement is the key. Farmers must be encouraged to provide more habitat for indigenous species and consumers need to understand why saving the ecosystem will ultimately mean food will cost more. Current wastage in the system also needs to be addressed, but that is a massive topic in itself!
Although we do not farm organically, we use integrated crop production to help manage our pests and diseases and this leads to reduced inputs and lowers the impact of our business on the environment. As apart of our whole farm approach, our membership of LEAF encourages us to ensure, even where we farm intensively, that there are lots of wild life areas and corridors to provide as much natural habitat as possible for indigenous flora and fauna.
This includes about 15 acres of woodland and cider orchards, that we ask the public to leave undisturbed (for conservation reasons), while welcoming well behaved neighbours and their dogs to stretch their legs on the tracks and footpaths over the rest of the farm (please see the website for permissions and conditions).
We also have an area of wild flower meadow, where over the last 20 years we have gradually seen native species recolonise part of a field that records suggest has been ploughed for at least the last 1,000 years.
While the meadow contains a rich diversity of species that are relatively common in surrounding pastures, there are a few that are not so commonly spotted other than in ancient grassland. Orobanche minor, commonly called Hellroot or Broomrape, is a holoparasitic flowering plant belonging to the family Orobanchaceae. It contains no chlorophyll and is wholly parasitic on its host plant, relying on it for both water and energy. In our meadow it appears to be parasitic on the red clover and is therefore sometimes referred to as Clover Broomrape as one of its common names.
Hopefully, later in June we will see our Common Spotted Orchid and the rather more wonderful Pyramidal Orchid. Neither are particularly rare but is is wonderful that they have manged to recolonise an area that they have not been seen in for many many years.
The meadow will be cut for hay in July, to allow natural reseeding and if time and the weather allow, I will run a few accompanied walks around the wild flowers and our neighbouring vegetable garden before then.