Northmoor Trust's Conservation Farm
Northmoor Trust's Conservation Farm
Can profitable farming be compatible with wildlife conservation?
The Northmoor Trust began its farming activity in 1991 and introduced a Sustainable Farming Initiative in 1997.
The Northmoor Trust farms 164 hectares and produces arable crops and Little Wittenham Lamb.
The Northmoor Trust's policy is to make farming practices more sustainable balancing profit and biodiversity and encouraging the general public to understand the valuable role farmers have as custodians of the countryside.
The Northmoor Trust has implemented an integrated crop management system which has:
- reduced pesticide input (no insecticides have been applied to the cereal crops since 1997)
- minimised fertiliser application by analysing soils and targeting fertiliser application for actual nutrient requirements of the growing crops
- improved soil structure through minimum tillage rather than ploughing.
- created overwintering strips (beetle banks) within the arable system to encourage beneficial invertebrates.
- sown wild flower meadows and margins for nectar and pollen sources
- left over-winter stubbles and planted winter seed crops to support declining species of farmland birds
- created new hedges and ponds as habitats for wildlife
The Results
The impact shows a direct benefit to many birds and insects. Costs of farm inputs (fertilisers and pesticides) have been reduced whilst crop yields remain high.
- Several butterfly species increased (eg marbled white)
- Numbers of uncommon arable flowers (eg mousetail) improved
