This National Hedgerow Week we’re highlighting a recent White Rose Forest project that demonstrates the important role of hedgerows in supporting animal and soil health, as well as biodiversity.
The owners of Telfit Farm in North Yorkshire have embraced regenerative agricultural principles to cultivate healthy top-quality food, maximise biodiversity and carbon sequestration, and enhance soil health and water retention across their land.
Telfit Farm is a 650-acre upland farm just outside the Yorkshire Dales National Park boundary, near Richmond in North Yorkshire. This family-run farm has been owned and managed by Lucy and Oliver Leatham and their son Ben since 2016. The family currently farm Belted Galloway cattle, Middle White pigs and Herdwick sheep and Ben is also responsible for eatTelfit, which provides an online marketplace for high quality, ethical produce from a local network of small mixed farms.
With support and funding from the White Rose Forest and our Defra-funded Trees for Climate programme, an ambitious agroforestry scheme has been established at Telfit Farm this season. Over 40,000 trees have been planted, including 7 hectares of riparian woodland and 20 hectares of new wood pasture. 3.5 kilometres of native hedgerows have been added to subdivide 34 hectares of land and create a mob grazing system. Further habitat restoration projects on the farm include planting 325 apple trees in a traditional orchard, establishing wood pastures and meadows, creating wildlife ponds and planting herbal leys and wildflower meadows.
The tree and hedgerow planting has been designed to support the health of livestock, whilst also helping to restore biodiversity on the previously over grazed land, store significant amounts of carbon and increase the farm’s water holding capacity by up to 20,000 litres per acre for every 1% increase in soil carbon levels.
Owner Oliver Leatham, explains “The agroforestry project here at Telfit is a key part of our move to regenerative farming. We’re stepping up a gear with efforts to improve our soils, cut out chemical inputs and manage our water better. Quality is everything for us – and by providing a wider source of diversified forage, by creating more habitats and better shelter on the farm, as well as what we’re doing with soil and water, we are convinced this will improve our land and ensure our business is sustainable for the long term.”
Funding from the White Rose Forest has covered the majority of project costs, including 10,000 metres of fencing and gates, as well as a rich variety of tree and hedgerow planting. Tree species have been selected based on ecological aims and site suitability but also as far as possible to provide a diversified mineral content in order to improve animal nutrition. Ultimately the aim is to remove the need for imported feeds and supplements, reduce mortality, illness, and vet fees, and therefore improve farm profitability.
For more information about Telfit Farm visit https://telfit.co.uk/telfit-farm-project/. To find out more about the support and funding available for farmers and landowners across North and West Yorkshire from the White Rose Forest please get in touch: https://whiteroseforest.org/contact/