Page 77 - Demo

S H O R T H O R N
Dairy
the other creatures that rely on them.
Dung beetles were the beginning of a
journey for me in understanding how
farming can benefit nature and vice
versa. From hedgerows and trees that
not only act as living, wildlife-filled farm
boundaries but act as shelter for
livestock during harsh conditions or
shade on hot days. A source of browse
for cattle, providing them with minerals
and tannic qualities that impede
parasites’ ability to reproduce. To
ancient hay meadows that provide a
diverse diet and allow cows the freedom
to express natural behaviour - an
important welfare consideration.
It was during this time that I came
across the Nature Friendly Farming
Network whilst helping one of my dairy
clients improve conditions for the
endangered Curlew. I was given the
telephone number of James Robinson,
the England Chair of the charity in
Cumbria and told to call him directly.
What I remember most about that
conversation was how much time James
gave me during what was clearly a busy
day. We spoke for about half an hour
where he imparted not only his own
knowledge but other resources that
would help. It was clear to me that
James understood this was important.
He knew the plight of the Curlew, he
understood there were farmers that
were doing their utmost to protect
wildlife on their farms and that it wasn’t
easy.
I was incredibly grateful and when I was
awarded my own Nuffield Scholarship to
look into whether regenerative
agriculture can improve the health and
welfare of livestock. It seemed that for
the UK leg of my travels - James was an
obvious choice for a visit.
From the moment I arrived at Strickley, I
was captivated. The farm, nestled in the
Drumlins of the beautiful Cumbrian
countryside was a stark difference to the
flat floodplains of Cheshire and
Shropshire where I spend my days
vetting. James and Michelle welcomed
me into the farmhouse with a smile and
a brew. You could feel the warmth
emanating from them and I knew from
the start, these were good people.
James took me on a farm tour and as we
stepped out into the sun - it was clear
that this was s special place. The farm
rolled out in front of us from the farm
track, the gently sloping hillsides
peppered with trees and bushy
hedgerows and dotted with the golden
red and white specks of his beloved
Dairy Shorthorns. Wildflowers bobbed
their colourful heads at us as we walked
past. Hares darted out in the fields and
Water Crowfoot bloomed bright white in
the beck - an indicator of a healthy river
ecosystem. James pointed out farmland
birds, turned over stones in the beck to
show me Caddis fly larvae, told me of the
White-clawed Crayfish he had seen and
Otter spraint on the riverbank. Rare
moths in his wildfIower meadows - the
persistent buzzing from these fields let
me know they were filled with life. I got
the feeling that nature was safe here. A
wildlife haven on a dairy farm of which I
had never known the like.
The afternoon quickly turned from
sparkling sunshine to driving rain, in true
Cumbrian style! But that didn’t deter us
from having a rummage around some of
the dung piles. As we walked into the
paddocks where his dry cows were, I was
delighted to see huge, almost dinosaur-
like pats, perfect for dung beetles - and
as I lifted the first one, I found myself
grinning as I spotted the thumb-sized
holes under it - a sure indication of
tunnelling dung beetles. The first I had
seen on a dairy farm. James was thrilled
when I placed one of the huge beetles
into his hands, enamoured with its
beautiful iridescent underbelly. As an
Organic farm, James does not use
Avermectins and this has allowed his
dung beetles to thrive. I was delighted!
As we trailed back towards the
farmhouse in the pouring rain, chatting
all things nature friendly farming, James
stooped to pick a few field mushrooms
from the grass, their pearly white fruits
glistening in the rain. He turned and said
‘Well, that’s breakfast sorted for
tomorrow.’ And that was the moment I
knew we were going to be friends. Any
friend of fungi is a friend of mine.
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