Ryedale | Archive | 2005 | July | 21
From the archive, first published Thursday 21st Jul 2005.
A FARMER has fashioned a novel invention for collecting seed from hay fields to re-sow dwindling flower meadows.
Ian Fletcher, who farms on the North York Moors, has created a harvester that collects a third of the seed from hay while leaving 90 per cent of the crop standing -- so farmers can get two crops for the price of one.
Cash from the North York Moors National Park sustainable development fund helped lift the inventive farmer's quad-bike towed harvester from the drawing board.
Once a feature typical of the British landscape, wildflower meadows have declined by around 90 per cent since 1945 through the increased use of fertilisers and the move to more intensive agriculture.
By encouraging careful management of these through its agri-environment schemes, the Department of the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA) has been working to conserve and restore the meadows. Securing the future of the nation's flower meadows could be a valuable source of extra income for farmers.
"The demand for locally collected hay meadow seed to use in meadow restoration projects is likely to increase over the next few years," said Don Gamble, project officer at the Yorkshire Dales Millennium Trust.
"Potentially, farmers with good quality meadows can sell the harvested seed or hay to farmers wanting to restore their meadows to a more diverse condition and agri-environment schemes could provide the
funding for this to happen."
Meadow restoration is a priority for new Higher Level Stewardship scheme. Good quality seed is essential to preserve the character of local meadows, however only a limited amount of seed is currently available.
DEFRA and the Yorkshire Dales and North York Moors National Park Authorities are working to boost both supply and demand of the valuable seed stocks.
An on-going project is being carried out by DEFRA to enhance the flower-rich meadows of the region by educating landowners, farmers and contractors.
Information is available from experts about what makes a good meadow, the various restoration techniques available, meadow management and funding sources from Mr Gamble by calling (01524) 251002 or visiting www.ydmt.org.
The North York Moors National Park receives £200,000 a year from DEFRA for Sustainable Development Fund projects and considers applications for funding throughout the year.
Updated: 08:56 Wednesday, July 20, 2005
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