Improving the Environmental Benefits of the Farm

1. Improving the Environmental Benefits of the Farm

2. This unit of work is a practical introduction to environmental management and has been written as adecision-making activity incorporating fieldwork.

3. The unit incorporates: Role play, discussion and interview teaching methods Subject knowledge Fieldwork techniques

4. For this activity, students adopt the role of the farm manager Pre-field work preparation: For the student, background information about: • Entry Level Stewardship • The farm For the teacher, background information about: • Entry Level Stewardship • Pre-visit to the farm

5. Aims: Secure widespread environmental benefits Whole farm scheme Large numbers encouraged (simple application process) Beyond Single Payment Scheme (SPS) and Good Agricultural Environmental Condition (GAEC) Entry Level Stewardship (ELS)

6. Subsidies & Agri-Environment Schemes

7. 5 year agreement Land must be on Rural Land Registry Points target to be calculated 30 points per hectare Complete an Farm Environmental Record (FER) Choose Options

8. Natural England has outlined the key characteristics of the different parts of the English countryside, by defining over 150 Joint Character Areas. The descriptions, key issues & suggested ELS options can be used to analyse the geography of a small region “Nature on the map”      Using the Joint Character Areas

9. Farm Environmental Record Farm walk Selected area or field parcels Opportunities to see and identify features Land Use Mapping

10. Soil Analysis

11. Interview Interview with the Farmer

12. Consider possible ELS options… Boundary Trees and woodland Historic/landscape Buffer strip/field margins Arable Encourage range of crop types For lowland grassland For Uplands The JCA has guidance about which options are most appropriate for your farm Land Judging

13. Land use maps showing present land use, environmental features, erosion features and a map of possible management option choices Option Choice Table with points scored Farm information, and information from interview with farmer. Students will have the following information about the farm:

14. Back in the classroom students will • Produce FER map • Review the information gathered from the interview with the farmer • Make decisions about their choice of ELS options, add them to their map and complete points calculations

15. Conclusion • Students report their findings to the farmer • Students write up their findings using the maps and graphs drawn • Fieldwork is developed to form the basis for Key Stage 4 coursework for Geography and/or Land Based courses

16. Mark TaylorNatural England, Lead Farm Advisor ELS“What is stewardship?”

17. Why am I here?

18. Boundaries

19. Archeology Images removed for copyright reasons

20. Buffer strips

21. Arable Options

24. Wildlife options Wild bird seed mixes Sow mix of barley, triticale, kale, f.radish, quinoa, linseed, millet, mustard, sunflower. Nectar flower mixes Sow mix of red or alsike clover, bird’s foot trefoil, sanfoin, musk mallow, common knapweed

25. Grassland Options

26. Mixed stocking

27. Choose your options! • “Edford Farm” is a small family farm, the farmers son is now taking over and wants to look at ELS. What options should he choose? Ones that will be of the most benefit financially with least impact on farming practices? ones that will be of the most benefit from a conservation point of view, or a mixture? • First calculate the area of the farm and multiply by 30 to give you your points target. • Now study the “Features" map and use the ELS handbook to help you choose your options. • Don’t forget: You get 3 points per hectare for the FER To allow 5-10% error margin in your points calculation.