• Signs of the times at Hope Farm

    Blog by Georgina Bray, Hope Farm

    Hope Farm has been a showcase of current times in agriculture this March. Skylarks and yellowhammers are singing, and lapwings displaying a sure sign that spring is here. To accompany the reassuringly repetitive changes of the seasons, the important and long-lasting decisions are being made with regards to changing policy. As a consequence, we have hosted key political players from DEFRA…

  • Case study: Creating bare ground for butterflies and moths

    Matterley is a 2400 acre mixed farm with 200 dairy cattle and 1100 acres of arable including wheat, barley and oilseed rape. The farm has been in Higher Level Stewardship since 2014, and forms part of the Winchester Downs Farm Cluster group. Recently a decision was made to create a butterfly scrape to establish a breeding area for native Lepidoptera on the farm, including the small blue butterfly and the striped lychnis…