Conservation Management

All land that is not used for crop production is managed to produce habitats capable of supporting the widest range of flora and fauna. The management of these areas is very different to that being used in the cropping area where the objective is to obtain the optimum yield from a mono-culture. Successful management of these environmental habitats involves obtaining the maximum diversity of flora and fauna with the minimum of disturbance.

The Farming and Wildlife Advisory Group (FWAG) have developed a Farm Biodiversity Action Plan for Nickle Farm and as we have increased in size we plan to extend our conservation plan to new sites. The aim of this plan is to introduce the potential for green woodpeckers, bluebells, bumble bees, dragonfly and damselfly into the everyday workings of the farm.

These are recognised in the UK Biodiversity Action Plan as species of importance and it is the aim of the business to develop this action plan for the 3000 acres of land, which is farmed. There are a range of diverse habitats within the farms including:

·        Traditional orchards which provide a range of habitats from flower rich grass to holes in old trees. Bullfinches, owls and bats find food and shelter in all kinds of orchards;

·        Woodland – which provide habitat for a number of threatened species;

·        Arable and horticulture;

·        Boundary and linear features – features include hedgerows, walls, road verges, ditches

We are, in order to achieve this, working closely with the Stour Valley Countryside Scheme. The range of fruit grown in the future is under annual review and scrubbing of trees and replanting will be undertaken with a view to conservation management.