Hope Farm is doing well. In fact it is one of the aspects of our work on which I look back with considerable personal satisfaction. Acting as a senior figure in a fairly large organisation one has a variety of roles - one of which is to make the big calls. The RSPB going into arable farming in the hope that we could do it and produce a lot more wildlife was a big call. Not mine alone of course but getting the idea together and getting the proposition through our Council, and then making sure that it worked, was my responsibility. Luckily I've always had great staff around me who deliver the goods!
And it needed to work. A large amount of money was involved - the actual price is a confidential matter between us and the vendor but we are talking about over £1.5m 11 years ago. And that purchase was generously supported by RSPB members who thought it was a great idea - we worried about that at the time too. would our membership 'get' the idea of spending money on land that would never be a nature reserve? They did - they always support us provided we explain things well - thank you all.
Hope Farm has delivered increased wheat yields, is a perfectly respectable productive farm and yet has seen spectacular increases in bird numbers - and those of other wildlife too. All this has been achieved through sensible use of existing agri-environment schemes - some of which contain options which were developed at Hope Farm.
As a demonstration project it has been a great success - it really has. The achievements on the ground - quadrupling of skylark numbers, the return of the lapwing and grey partridge - all have surpassed our initial hopes. And thousands of farmers have seen what has happened and gone away a little better informed about the RSPB and a little better informed about how to protect wildlife. But not enough of those farmers are giving their farms the Hope farm treatment - if they were then we'd see increases in farmland bird numbers.
Sometimes it is suggested that if only we had a network of Hope Farms than we could get the message across so much better - that's a network of £1.5m projects. It is tempting as an end point but less tempting as a way to spend our money. The case is made as to how effective the agri-environment measures can be - and without, in this case, the need for expensive predator control - and decision-makers are convinced and farmers should be convinced by the practicality of the necessary measures. We need something a little more to nudge things forward.
And how about Hope Farms in the hills or Hope Dairy farms? Again, nice ideas - but quite pricey and quite difficult undertakings. And if no one copies you even when you have proved the concept then ...?
Hope Farm has been fortunate to have three excellent managers over the years: Roger Buisson, Darren Moorcroft and Chris Bailey. As Chris is moving on soon we will be looking for another to take the work forward - might it be you? And taking it forward involves trying to keep those wheat yields up, keep those bird numbers up, and reduce greenhouse gas emissions from the land and reduce water pollution flowing off the land.
Hope Farm has figured quite often in this blog (see here, here, here, here and here for example).
Hope Farm appears eight times in the index to this excellent book where farming and farmers appear over 30 times.
miles - thanks - good comment
Nyati - I don't think there is a similar farm that has done as well. Do you have one in mind? No-one said that Hope farm started with lots of advantages when it did start - it looked like a hard task compared with 'farms in England that have demonstrated similar results'. Do 'farms in England that have demonstrated similar results' have similar results for skylarks? or indeed for grey partridges? Not that I know. Do you.
essex peasant - have you bought a copy then? I think not.
Sooty - that's really not fair, and you probably know it. No we don't have a mortgage on the farm - but nor did, as far as I know, the previous owners. And is it profitable - not as profitable as giving the money to me to bet on the races but now probably more profitable than the Stock Market. If this were a nature reserve we wouldn't be growing wheat on it - we could dramatically increase farmland bird numbers if we gave up the difficult task of trying to achieve modern profitable farming. Give us a break please.