North Yorkshire Farmers wind Regional Conservation Award
An historic Wolds estate with a host of archaeological and environmental features
is the North Yorkshire area winner of a prestigious conservation award, the Tye
Trophy. The Birdsall Estates farm combines measures of conserving and enhancing
its history with a large modern grazing and arable enterprise.
Award judge Bob Richmond said Birdsall impressed as “a very well managed unit,
which is very tidy to look at and excellently run commercially as well as environmentally.”
The Tye award recognises the contribution of farmers in Yorkshire and the North
East to wildlife conservation and environmental protection and is organised by
the Yorkshire Agricultural Society and the region’s Farming and Wildlife Advisory
Groups (FWAG).
The farm is one of the five area winners and now goes forward to the finals with
the overall winner announced on Wednesday 9 July at this year’s Great Yorkshire
Show at Harrogate. In addition, all the area winners have the option of going
forward to next year’s prestigious Silver Lapwing Award. The five areas represented
are North Yorkshire, East Yorkshire, South & West Yorkshire, Northumberland
and Tyne Tees.
The awards will be presented by Mrs Alison Saville who gave the trophy in 1989
in memory of her grandfather Howard Tye, founder of Tye Trailers, and also her
father Kenneth Tye. Now sponsored by the Yorkshire Agricultural Society, the
Awards are part of the Society’s charitable work which sees more than £1million
allocated to aid to the farming community each year. This month (June) has seen
work start on a £5.1m Regional Agricultural Centre on the edge of the showground.
This will include prestigious offices, a café and shop selling regional produce.
The YAS is the first agricultural society in the UK to undertake such a project.
The Birdsall Estates farm comprises of 2,559 hectares of arable and grassland
with a further 310hectares woodland in Ryedale on the edge of the Wolds. The estate
also supports a commercial shoot. The remainder of the estate is tenanted out.
The majority of the farm landscape is undulating and includes Wold tops, escarpment,
Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) and chalk grassland dales, parkland,
woodland and heavier low lying ground.
When it comes to management policy, owner Michael Willoughby explains: “we have
to find the balance between environmental security and food security.”
The grassland supports a 1,100 head suckler cow herd with followers reared as
replacements or finished. In total the farm runs 3,500 head of cattle. The cows
are mainly Stabilisers or crosses of the Stabiliser breed. The heifers from Stabiliser
cows go back into the herd for breeding, or are sold fat. Similarly some bulls
are retained for breeding whilst the steers are sold fat.
In the past the farm had dairy cross cattle, mainly by Blonde or Charolais females
on which Hereford, Limousin or Angus bulls were used. Then eight years ago in
conjunction with the JSR Farms’ manager at Great Givendale, the Stabiliser Cattle
Company was established to import both cattle and semen. The import of semen and
embryos continues whilst UK bred numbers steadily increase.
The farm has substantial historic interest with over 30 Scheduled Ancient Monuments
dating from Neolithic / Bronze Age, Iron Age, Roman, Medieval and the19th Century. One of which is Wharram Percy Deserted Medieval Village – a guardianship
site with open access to the public. The Home Farm is a 19th Century model farm and is very well maintained as well as a range of traditional
farmsteads scattered across the Wold Tops.
Land management around these sites is important even down to management of grass
without fertilizer to maintain a traditional sward. York University carries out
archaeological excavation work across parts of the farm.
The farm supports important populations of many farmland birds including tree
sparrow, grey partridge, skylark, lapwing, curlew and jack snipe as well as several
birds of prey. Overwintering of stubble provides an important habitat for birds
such as the grey legged partridge The farm was previously in the Countryside Stewardship
and is now entered into the Entry Level and Higher Level Stewardship Schemes comprising
hedge planting and restoration, and replacing parkland trees - some of the original
limes were planted more than 300 years ago and are now coming to the end of their
lives. Single tree replacement in the parkland is a capital item. No funding is
available for maintenance of traditional buildings as: “Natural England have not
enough cash for this,” said Mr Willoughby.
Wild bird mixes, grassland management and restoration, arable reversion to grass
are part of the habitat management across the farm. They are particularly important
for the SSSI chalk dales and wet grassland for invertebrates. Another issue is
the protection of archaeological sites on both grassland and arable, and a mixture
of options reduce any risk of diffuse pollution. Grass margins support a variety
of species to protect the springs from pollution and watercourses have been fenced
off from livestock. Some 1,500 meters of hedgerows are planted each year, some
of which are to protect archaeological sites.
Mr Willoughby, previously chairman of the Yorkshire CLA, encourages his tenants to enter agri-environment schemes and has hosted a number of farm events. The estate hosts an educational visit once a year.