Why did you decide to set up a Habitat Bank?
If you think of the tourists that come to the Yorkshire Dales, they come to look at the land and its beautiful scenery. This might sound a bit over the top, but we feel like we have a duty to look after what we've got and protect it for future generations.
More than just farm, we really wanted to do something here to increase the biodiversity of the place. Over the years, we planted thousands of trees and hedgerows and participated in various environmental schemes – and we knew we could do more.
What's been involved in creating the Habitat Bank?
First, we planted scrubland with 4,500 whips and last autumn we opened the fencing around our pond so the cattle could help open it up a bit.
We've got two more fields to seed this year and we're waiting for the phosphorus levels to drop before doing the rest. By taking samples and waiting for the levels to be right, there's quite a nice sort of scientific approach to it.
When we start work on the meadows, there'll be flexibility in our management – some will need to be grazed, some will need to be cut – and the ecology team at Environment Bank will help us decide the best approach.
Why did you partner with Environment Bank?
It didn't necessarily come down to the shillings and pence for us, it was what Environment Bank would enable us to do here. We'd started on that road ourselves, and they could help us do it.
It's been a great collaboration because we discuss things together and suggest what we think will work best for the land. You can't just make trust; it's developed over time – and there's a good deal of trust between us.
What are the benefits for your farmland and wildlife?
You can already see that the soil is improved where we've got wildflowers coming and we had phenomenal number of dragonflies last year.
This spring, you just hear the most incredible noise because there's so many more birds. We've also got a lot of hares – they always say that if you've got a lot of hares, it's a sign of good land!
In time we're going to see more biodiversity because the environment will become more suitable for native species.
The cattle we're grazing seem really happy! If you're selling a grass-fed, naturally-grazed traditional breed – you can keep your cost down and benefit in terms of quality. We're producing high-quality meat and that's important.
What advice would you give to others considering BNG?
It works for us, and we think it works for the countryside too, so we really feel we are doing our bit. It just seems more natural and it's easier to manage; everything about it just feels right.
You'd be mad under the current climate not to look at BNG, and the good thing about Environment Bank's approach is that we get great flexibility and great cooperation, so we're not dictated to by fixed timescales that don't work.
We honestly don't think you'll get another scheme that's going to allow you to have that level of cooperation as you do working with Environment Bank.
