Hillmount Farm

Lessons learnt from NFFN soil/biodiversity/carbon audit

We have been working on a project with the Nature Friendly Farming Network and Ulster Wildlife Trust to provide a farm baseline audit for soils, biodiversity and carbon. This included a whole farm biodiversity assessment, soil analysis and carbon footprinting using Agrecalc. Below is a summary of what we’ve learned so far and what we intend to do as a result. Still processing much of it and the inter-relationships at play, but below is what I've mulled over so far...

1. Our hedgerows are in generally poor condition and need a change in management away from annual flailing towards more rotational cutting. Many also need regeneration through coppicing and gapping up. We intend to start on this straight away with reduced flailing this year and coppicing a number of escaped hedges. We will also start a process of boundary improvement fencing off hedges…

Hi, thanks for joining the group. I'm a new entrant farmer and have recently taken on the management of the family farm just outside Cullybackey in County Antrim. The last year has already been quite a journey, but will look to share the ups and downs and thought processes of what we are trying to acheive here in this group in the hope that those who have already been there and done it will be able to offer some words of wisdom... thanks! Will

A couple of spring observations...

The sheep are absolutely loving the docks! Having had slurry and cattle on the place for a long time we have built up a huge dock burden in our pastures which has always been tackled with a herbicide, treating the symptom not the cause. While we are still working on the cause its good the sheep are replacing the need for sprays, tucking into the docks and cycling all those nutrients from deeper down in the soil profile. Apparently docks are hyper accumulators of minerals, especially sodium so for the sheep its probably like having a pack of salt&vinegar crisps after a winter eating ready salted.

The grass is starting to get going which is great to see but have definitely noticed (now that I am looking for it) that the grass response rate in the field edges near trees is far greater than out…

One of the main questions which gets levelled at me about the desire to farm here at Hillmount is why? Dad’s perception of the farm here has always been its heavy land and hard to earn a living from. From his point of view and experience he is bang on, but my take thinking ahead to our life as a family here is different. Here is a bit of my why:

· Providing for the physical and mental health and wellbeing of our family through being connected to the land, working amongst nature and being able to escape screens and computers

· Establishing long-term values within our children towards physical and practical work in a world that will be increasingly dominated by screens, robotics, AI and more

· Developing practical skill sets to grow, fix, and repair in a world that is rapidly losing these skills but will becom…