Illegal Hare Coursing

Yesterday we had another group of illegal hare coursers using our poor hares as targets for there dogs and we have actually had hares being killed. They just pull up and turf the dog out and watch. It has been a problem over these last few months in Mid Suffolk and each time we have seen them we have had to call the Police which is the correct thing to do.

I have asked Suffolk Police what is the correct protocol that we, the general public, should follow if we ever witness illegal hare coursing. This is the information that I was given:

All Hare Coursing with dogs is illegal under The Hunting Act 2004 and anyone convicted of the offence can be fined up to £5,000 by a Magistrates’ Court. The Police have the power to impound and crush vehicles used by the offenders if the vehicle is on, or has been used to trespass over, private property.

If you ever witness any criminal act taking place, not just hare coursing, you should dial 999 immediately!!! (Use the local Police number 01473 613500 when reporting anything that has already happened e.g. a property break-in, or for giving information on a previous or other incident) Hare coursing is now regarded as high priority and so blue lights will be used. The sooner you call, the sooner the Police can arrive on the scene.

When you call the Police any information you can give them will help. The location where you witnessed the event, vehicle registration, make and model, number of offenders, description of offender e.g. White male, mid 30’s, brown hair, wearing blue jeans and green jacket, number of dogs, if there are any firearms etc.

For you own safety PLEASE DO NOT APPROACH THEM the offenders usually do know they are breaking the law.The last thing the Police want is any confrontation between you and offenders and in some incidences arguments and damage to property have occurred when people take it upon themselves to approach them.Usually, once the offenders realize that they have been spotted, they make a sharp exit before the Police arrive. So please observe from a safe distance and keep Police informed if they move on and in which direction they have gone.

If you know the land owner then please make them aware of the situation so that they can help. They can keep an eye out around the countryside and pass on information through the Farm Watch Network.

We thank you for your help and information you may provide about any rural crime or suspicious activity. Together with assistance from Suffolk Police we can work to keeping Suffolk and our local villages as safe as possible. BWB

This weeks Shooting Times

David Tomlinson has written a very nice article for this week's Shooting Times about us, the farm, our conservation work and it's integration with shooting and hunting and the article also features 5 of Brian's best wildlife photos.
PJB

Suffolk Young Farmers Forum

Last Friday Brian and I were invited to join a panel of local agricultural experts at an agricultural forum run by Suffolk Young Farmers Club at Otley College. The forum was based around the question : What do you think is the future of agriculture for young people? The evening, funded by the Chadacre Trust, was chaired Robert Hatch from Ensors and other panellists were Dr Dan Poulter, MP for Central Suffolk and North Ipswich, Rowland Beaney from Lacey Scott and Knight, Jason Salisbury from Suffolk Farmhouse Cheeses and Mark Berry Regional Agricultural Manager for Lloyds TSB Agriculture. With over 50 people in attendance all with an interest in agriculture there was lively debate and good questions on farming, the future, policies, training and apprenticeships and the opportunities for and challenges facing young people in the industry. I believe we represented ourselves and the work that we do very well without getting into any rants.... and showed that with a clear vision and knowledge of your chosen field it is possible for young people to forge a career in farming and the associated industries.
PJB

Educational visits and Permissive access money removed by DEFRA

 Oh dear, DEFRA's spending review belt has just been tightened again! One of the aims of our scheme was to get people on farm and educate them about farming. Under the new revised scheme all funding for educational visits and permissive access has been taken away. This will now affect all new farmers applying for HLS agreements. Our own agreement will carry on until we re-apply but I can't think that this is beneficial to DEFRA at all, for the amount of money it was costing Natural England it was giving farmers the push they needed to actually go out and get the general public on their farm. Everyone we have had out on the farm has been really interested and had a great visit and this PR for the industry is vital in our eyes. Its a real shame that the government do not see it as important. Also affected are all the new public permissive access routes so horse riders, walkers and cyclist you will only have 5 more years of open farm track before they unfortunately will be shut and no more opened and you will have to go back to riding on the busy roads as we can not financially justify having these areas left uncropped without these payments. Hopefully in 5years time countryside access maybe seen a bit more important and our farm network will stay open. Once again the cost cutting exercise has been carried out on areas that give more benefit than cost of pounds. It is a shame for all who enjoy the countryside and want to improve the PR of a industry that needs to opens its gates to reconnect the public with where their food comes from. B

Hay Baling with a twist of craziness!!

DON'T  TRY THIS AT HOME!!!! Some farmers bordom drives them to go crazy and do stupid things!!!
Wonder what the HSE would thing of this?

Had a very kind invite to shoot up at Easton College Nr Norwich today by invitation of a friend. Had a cracking days sport but what made this days shooting very different was that the students of the Countryside and Gamekeeper course ran the whole day. The staff were just on hand to help but the students set the tone for the day. All very professional, polite and knowlegable about the countryside, Thanks very much for the great day and look out for Easton College students running a shoot near you in the future, if they put on a day like today then you will have a very enjoyable one!  B

Farmers Weekly Countryside Farmers of the Year 2010

Winner
Brian & Patrick Barker
Lodge and Kiln Farm, Suffolk

Sponsored by Natural England

Brian and Patrick Barker say one is a farmer/conservationist and the other a conservationist/farmer. And they've used this mixture of farming and environmental nous to change how their family has farmed for generations.

Cousins Brian, 27, and Patrick, 29, came to the 513ha family operation, Lodge and Kiln Farm near Stowmarket in Suffolk, six years ago.
Since then they have reverted marginal areas to grassland - most notably a section to link together parcels of grassland on their farm - and planted wild bird mix, cleaned and restored ponds and altered the arable production and use of equipment.
"We did the ELS and HLS because we wanted it to be how we put our stamp on the farm that we are taking on to inherit," says Brian.
The whole farm is included in the HLS which has got Brian and Patrick clearing the 30 ponds across the farm at a rate of three a year.
"I looked at the habitats we have on the farm and they are all unique. When you look at it it's not very pulled together so I came up with this idea to connect the various areas with watercourses, fields being transformed back to grass and hedges," says Patrick.
The Barkers weren't comfortable buying seed "off the shelf" when returning sections of the farm to grassland so they researched an innovative technique to spread local seeds.
They used the "green hay seed" technique, mowing and baling the grass from the village green and moving the bales on the same day to their fields, where it is rolled out and spread.
"Everywhere we've taken it we've had really good take up, we have pretty much got all the species, with plenty of nectar for insect life to feed the chicks, such as Grey Partridge, early on," says Patrick.
Brian and Patrick have also reduced the amount of machinery used on the farm from six tractors and a specialist crawler to two tractors and a crawler, which has led to a variety of savings in maintenance, labour, and fuel.
The boys completely removed their families' pig operation, redeveloping one of the buildings, constructed on an isolated muck pad, into a fertiliser and chemical filling station and storage area.
"We know we are definitely more efficient than we were a few years ago," says Brian.
"But now we are starting to build a base of statistics to show we are working everything to its maximum, getting the most out of the land and the machinery and labour."

FARM FACTS

• 513ha area
• 30 ponds across the farm
• "Green hay" used to keep local species in new grasslands
• 43km of hedgerows
• Detailed plans for wildlife

WHY THEY WON?

• Detailed knowledge of animal and plant life
• Replacement of expensive equipment
• Excellent crop management
• Clear vision for the farm as a business