Is It Possible To Restore A Destroyed Farm To Its Pre-1980s Condition?
Here: http://www.hjpugh.co.uk/uploads/5788385….
This was until the agricultural reforms 11 fields of a lovely old mixed farm with hedgerows, orchards, footpaths and ancient woodland. The farm was acquired, and the buildings sold off to city folk as barn conversions. With the exception of the woodland on too steep a slope to pull out efficiently with machinery, the whole farm was cleared with public subsidy and turned into two fields of arable prairie with little wildlife value and the soil relying more and more on chemical inputs. It has isolated the wood. To add to the obscenity, a Beeching-axed former railway is nearby.
With the economic crisis now bringing home the obscenity clearings of the last 30 years, what hope is there for this farm to recover its former beauty?
May be even better than the pre-1980s.
Browse Permaculture:http://www.permaculture.org.uk/mm.asp?mm…http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Permacultur…http://www.spiralseed.co.uk/permaculture…
Check out the English Woodland Grant Schemehttp://www.britishhardwood.co.uk/profess…
Grants are available I think for relaying native hedgeshttp://www.ecotreecare.co.uk/native_hedg…http://www.durham.gov.uk/durhamcc/usp.ns…http://www.woodland-trust.org.uk/campaig…
Of course. That’s why it’s so cheap! £6,000 an acre! Blimey! Whether you can make it profitable is another matter. With set aside you can turn it into a nature reserve and plant hedgerows, maybe some broadleaf coppicing, and some subsidised fuel crops. mEagre pickings but Good luck.
Or open a swingers club in a barn with holiday chalets in order to pay for restoring the land properly.
the answer may be not to try to recreate what was there in the 80s but rather to create a working habitat and mixed farm. Look up the work on permaculture and adapt some of those ideas.
Even heavily degraded soils and eco systems can be revived with enough love and work. But if you are clever, nature will do most of the ‘work’ for you, you just have to help it along a bit.
hi,take a look at Permacluture methods these will fit your ambitions for the farm.Soil will need some time my I suggest you tap in your search engine EM1 this is a fermented vinegar that will aid the regeneration of the farm, If you want more info come back any time May be some grants out their.Popa.
I would like to give a thumbs up to Will.S and wholeheartedly agree with those who wish you well in your endeavours. At least the land has not been covered with housing or factories, so there is a chance. Good luck.
Anything is possible with enough money and hard work and TIME. If you have the money to restore it - why not?
Hi,
I’ve looked at the picture and read the description.
How you “restore” depends on mostly on how you think it was “destroyed” and in what condition you think it should be. The condition it “should be” depends largely on what you intend to do with it. If you want to maximize profit, you’ll need to view these changes as a start. I would be concerned with the inate soil fertility. A series of soil tests will determine nutrient-wise, what is needed for any intended crop you will grow. Then, you’ll have to decide, if the soils need amended, whether todo it organically (organic fertilizer such as manure, composte, etc., or inorganic (commerical chemical fertilizers). The soil fertility is determined by the type of crops to be grown. Soil pH is important as well.
Next, based on your discussion, I gather you may like to see the return of the fencerows, paths, etc. This was the “old”, former way of farming. I’d like you to consider alternatives, if maximzing short-term production isn’t your interest. I personnally approve of these too, but modern equipment has made farming small fields less practical. If you’re not concerned with maximizing profit, then start by searching old records to acquire earlier aerial photos and retrace the trails, fencerows, etc., that were removed. But just because something was done once, one way, doesn’t mean that was the best way either, and you might consider arranging patterns of fields in another fashion.
I’ve always been a fan of conservation tillage. That is, to plant crops in narrow strips that follow the land contour. No land is perfectly flat. Waterways, drainages leading into streams, should be planted to permanent sod, then annually or biannually mowed to keep trees and shrubs from establishing. I’ve also always been a fan of terraces, which blend agruculture into the natural land feature. I’m aware that your land is mostly flat, but it still requires that water be conveyed from point A to point B, and it should be done without erosion.
You may not want to keep everything that once was.
Finally, you should begin to write a “Conservation Plan” for the farm. Review similar plans to get ideas. Begin with a good map that you already show on your page. Acquire an aerial photo of the existing conditions. Then superimpose the soils, taken from a reliable soil survey map. You may want to consider farming only the best soils for the present, and fallowing to restore the poorer, damaged portions. By “best” land, I mean the soils in the best condition, i.e., not eroded, stable, and accessable. This will provide capitol to pay taxes and do the costly improvements necessary. Look up “Green-manure” as a conservation practice to restore soil tilth and fertility.
Lastly, keep the area in perspective. See it 12 months of the year, not just passing by in an hour or two. There are no instant results. Some improvements occur quickly - others are long-term. Things will occur that you don’t expect too. It looks like you’ve got a real opportunity here.
Best wishes and good luck!