From furrows and wheel barrows, to burrows and tree sparrows.
This blog is a personal exhibit of thoughts, opinions and interests of advisers, colleagues and friends of FWAG SW.
All our blog posts are written by advisers, trustees, farmers and members. These posts express the opinions of the writer and are not necessarily the views of FWAG SW. If you would like to write a post for this blog please contact us, we would love to hear your view!
We welcome you to interact with us by commenting on these posts and sharing your thoughts and opinions, these topics are all open for discussion! See you in the comments...
Joining FWAG SW for a two-month work placement, I was keen to understand how farmers are supported in balancing the competing demands of wildlife conservation, adaptation to future climate change, a shifting policy landscape and the need to run successful businesses. Read the full post from Rory by clicking here... Read more
Being involved in conservation and advisory work has taken me all over the country. This has been particularly useful as a bird conservationist, because it has allowed me to gain a feel for why species might be found in one place and not other, and therefore understand what their ecological requirements are. Read the full post from Lawrie by clicking here... Read more
Wood pasture is something that is quite new to me. I had heard of the term before, but the image that it conjures up is usually the grounds of stately homes that I have walked through on days out, not an environment that I come across on farms. Read the full post from Charlotte by clicking here... Read more
The only part of my career that I have ever actually planned was that, after working at Natural England (and its predecessors) for 25+ years, I was going to do something totally different for the last few years of my working life. So much for my career plan…! Read the full post from Bel by clicking here... Read more
One nice lunchbreak 2 weeks ago, I sat in the garden with my cup of tea enjoying the sunshine and watching a bee buzzing around the lavender. How idyllic, I thought - just as a crab spider climbed up the lavender, grabbed the bee with its long front legs and ended the bee’s life. Read the full post from Sabine by clicking here... Read more
A meadow is traditionally a field of grass and flowers that was mown for hay, a practice with roots as far back as the Iron Age, when people first started making tools and keeping livestock. Read the full post from Becky by clicking here... Read more
It is hoped that ELMS will not only pay landowners and farmers for the natural capital currently present, but to also fund improvements in these natural assets. This includes protecting and enhancing what is there while joining it up with other similar habitats. Read the full post from Dan by clicking here... Read more
During April this year I hung up my Hills to Levels hat and joined the Headwaters of the Exe project team, taking on the exciting role of Farm Environment Adviser. The project has recently rolled into its third 5-year phase and I will be working alongside Adam, Rebecca and project partners. Read the full post from Joanna by clicking here... Read more
Since January 2010 Travellers Rest has been delivering an Entry Level / Higher Level Stewardship agreement. Now the time has come to revisit the head scratching that comes from finding about the plethora of new rules and requirements involved with the ‘new’ scheme, Countryside Stewardship. Read the full post by clicking here... Read more
Since a child I have been fascinated by water, particularly streams and rivers, and can vividly remember catching bullheads with my hands, building dams and generally messing about in our local stream. That interest has stuck with me throughout life and I’ve ended up working in the environment sector on a range of river restoration and conservation projects. Read the full post by clicking here... Read more
Regenerative agriculture is the latest buzz word. I am always sceptical about branding as the most important factor is the farmer them self and their attitude towards their business and the environment, not a label. Read the full post by clicking here... Read more
It seems to take a crisis for us to re-examine our behaviour and then make fundamental changes to the way we live. Read the full post by clicking here... Read more