Farm signs up for environmental scheme

UK - A farmer in Doncaster has become the 1,000th in the region to sign-up to an agreement to "sensitively manage" his land.

John Parkes, who farms at Ridgewood Farm near Braithwell, South Yorkshire, has signed up for Defra's new Environmental Stewardship Scheme. A total of 115,000 hectares of land in the region has been entered into the new scheme.

The Government launched its new Environmental Stewardship scheme in March. Farmers are rewarded for carrying out measures that will benefit the environment, including taking steps to protect local plant and wildlife.

Mr Parkes agreement includes measures to protect the extensive hedgerows which mark the boundary of his 80-acre arable and pig farm near Braithwell. He has also promised to protect mature trees on his land.

Work to manage nutrient levels in the soil, protect water courses from pesticides and to reduce the potential for soil erosion are also now part of his remit, following this agreement.

From a family of renowned local butchers, the Parkes farm has developed beyond its original pig business, with fields growing oil seed rape, barley and wheat.

Mr Parkes said: "What you see here is what we've done over the last 36 years. I've been putting the hedgerows in over several years to maintain our roadside boundaries. They are a mix of blackthorn, field maple, hawthorn and dog rose, which is typical of hedgerows in this part of the country. "

Source: Yorkshire Post Today