RSPB visit whitehall farm

The RSPB agriculture policy team spend much of their time in meetings in Defra offices, sat at desks, or on trains to Brussels. So we gave them the opportunity to get out on farm and talk to farmers with a visit to Whitehall Farm in Peterborough.
The team works on a number of farming and environment issues, including agri-environment, ways to support more sustainable agriculture, reform of the CAP and livestock issues. RSPB often hear through their advisors and through letters from farmers how much many of them support or rely on agri-environment schemes, and it is wonderful to get the opportunity to see policy being put into practice, and farmers embracing the concept of agri-environment and delivering public benefits alongside their farming operation.
RSPB though that Whitehall farm is a fascinating site.  A commercial organic operation, it is unique in the region in its use of agro-forestry. RSPB commented that rows of young apple trees bordered on both sides with pollen and nectar strips, with a 24m 'field' left between rows for the rotational crops were quite a sight to see. The concept is that the fruit trees will provide an additional valuable crop each year, from the same area of land used for cropping. The crop and the trees require resources at different times of the year, as they have different growing cycles (and different harvest times). Could this approach become a more common farmland view in future? RSPB are looking  forward to hearing how the system performs at Whitehall farm.
They also had interest in the farm's HLS agreement, granted largely for the farm's farmland bird interest. The farm provides not only the pollen and nectar strips to provide insects in spring time, but also wild bird seed mixtures to provide farmland birds with over winter food. The farm boasts a wide variety of farmland birds which are declining in the wider countryside.
We think th team had a great day, which resulted in a lot of food for thought for the team as they returned once more to their desks. We welconme them back anytime.

Whitehall Agroforestry

30th June 2011
After a morning of presentations at Holmewood hall on Agroforestry, we opend the doors of Whithall farm to host the UK's Farm Woodland Forum for the afternoon, hosting some 40 people.
I hope that they found teh afternoon interesting and stimulating. Certailny the commonets were positive and I think it was refreshing for many to see a commercial agroforestry site rather than one established for research. I guess time will tell as to how the word spreads about what we are doing with Agroforestry at Whitehall Farm.

USA - views from a foreigner

Observations

So some observations from my nearly 4 weeks in the USA;

1. iPhone with Tom Tom – Brilliant – door to door faultlessly all over the USA
2. Flags – Patriotism is high everywhere – ive never seen so many flags on porches, in gardens, over shops, car lots etc etc……I guess us brits are more reserved and ned a royal wedding to shake the union Jack
3. Mowing grass – I have never seen so many mowers operating….in gardens, on verges, in parks, on campuses etc. The grass ‘medians’ between freeway lanes are superwide and stretch for hundreds of miles – they top them frequently – I wonder if anyone has thought that they would make excellent hey!....also some of the front grass curtlages in front of some factories are larger than some of my cropping fields – I wonder If they would let me grow some onions on them???
4. Gas (petrol) is $3.90/ gallon c.60p/litre at the pumps – and they are moaning about price hikes! – I think climate change and dwindling oil reserves will come as a shock
5. No diesel cars in the USA – I believe it’s a Detroit conspiracy…..With the long distances you would expect lots of TDI cars…but no. Yes smaller cars being driven than 20 yrs ago when I last visited, cars are typically not much bigger than in the UK but all are large engine petrol cars which on a good day do 30mpg….many pickup trucks only doing 10-15mpg…..
6. Humidity at 95% in Georgia – takes some getting used to – Feels like someone dripping hot water over you and sticking you in an oven……
7. Corn and Soy beans in the mid west – Miles upon miles of nothing but corn and soy beans – Im only seeing them at 1-2 feet high but I bet by August it looks like a continual swathe of green. The endless prairies go on for ever but are not featureless or unlikeable…
8. Trees and hills in PA – I had forgotten how green and tree covered Pennsylvania was from visiting 20 yrs ago. Its very pretty with long high ridges and deep valleys with streams and rivers…50% of the state is covered by trees….beautiful.
9. Cinnamon – Other than a bit in apple pie we Brits don’t realy do cinnamon…In the USA however its popular. Cinnamon bread, toast, buns, breakfast cereals, coffee etc etc etc. Some supermarket Isles smell of cinnamon
10. Meal ‘sides’ – Im used to ordering a meal and that’s what I get….as ordered. In the USA you get a whole bunch of ‘sides’ as well….a side of fries, a salad, bread etc all accompany the main event….so I have to remember not to order too big a main dish as the meal doubles in size with all the ‘sides’
11. Supersize – The Germans have extra engineering chromosomes, the Indians and extra small biz chromosome, the Brits an extra queuing one…the USA…well I think they have an extra ‘supersize’ chromosome…
12. Wonderful hospitality -  I cant fault it. I have been treated so very well by so many people and made to feel so welcome. I have seen wonderful things, met great people, generated good contacts and made some truly special friends. I hope I get to see some of them again. I think the Christmas card list has expanded somewhat.
13. Thank you USA and all my hosts and new friends.

Final travel blog from USA soil

Wed 15 June

Said a farewell to Mike Jacobsen and his family, thanking them for their kind hospitality, hosting me the last two days. Went into Penn State University. The Uni has a student population of c.40,000 students at the ‘State College’ campus plus other campus sites. State College is truly a university town, around which everything revolves…The campus is immaculate and well laid out. The American Football field is massive and has a capacity of 110,000 people….as big as most premiership football teams in the UK, however only 6 games per year are played in the stadium and practise is elsewhere….Crikey!

Went to the forestry department with Mike Jacobsen and gave a presentation n EU and UK agroforestry including outlining what we are doing at Whitehall farm. Some useful discussion re ecological impacts and in particular use of different trees and biomas to benefit pollinators earlier in the season.

Filled the car with more inexpensive fuel (US$30 to fill the car c.£21!!)…and set out for route 80 east taking me through the heart of Pennsylvania and New Jersey to Newark Airport. Stopped for lunch and was unfortunate to be first on the scene of a motorbike/car accident…..poor chap got badly mangles and I helped by applying some pressure to a bloody wound. Thankfully the police came quickly and I departed – washed up / cleaned up. Thankfully I had already eaten my steak lunch….I may have thought differently had it been before lunch. Funny though, the Boy Scout training from 30 yrs ago kicked in….…….4.75 hrs later and after hunting for the hire car drop off for half an hour I arrive – seems the ‘hire car drop off’ signs don’t apply to Alamo hire car and I should have trusted my faultless Tom Tom on my iPhone….certainly the best purchase I made for the trip. It has taken me door to door everywhere without any problems – Im converted to iPhone and Tom Tom…..Technophobe goes all Tecky!!!

So now just the 8.5hr flight to London with Virgin Atlantic – Richard Branson better treat me well…..

Agroforestry in practice PA style

Tuesday 14 June

Bloomsburg with Mike Jacobsen for an agroforestry workshop with USDA staff. A workshop designed to provide a better overview of AF to technical staff. Useful for me as there was some very high quality presentations on land use in PA and attitudes to management as well as information on AF systems and options for non timber forest products such as Ginseng production. With 50% of PA in woodland its prob a difficult sell to many to adopt AF, but when landowners are looking at harvesting timber there is a real option to Thin woodland, create understorey grass and develop silvopasture systems with livestock….

We viosited Fork Farm in the afternoon where just that is being undertaken with thinning of woodlands and grazing with Angus Cattle, followed by free range poultry and then Glos Old Spot pigs in rotation using ‘mob grazing’ approaches – ie very high number for veryt short periods. i.e 10-100 cows per ac for 5-10 hrs only before moving then resting pasture. The principle – graze 30%, trample, 60% leave 30% to regrow – plus dunging and Organic Matter trampling leads to improved soil life and better productivity. Interestingly an analogy to ancient Buffalo grazing – large numbers moving on quickly…

A strange occurrence was that we walked c.1-2 miles on the farm walk, over a road, up a hillside and down again. The host farmer was followed by a solitary gosling…who chatted all the way – a determined bird who was centre stage for all group discussions! A very good day. On the way back to mikes went shopping for T shirts and baseball caps for the kids and bough 3 pairs of levi jeans at £6 each!

Apples

Monday 13 June

Early start and said a fond farewell to Gary & Heidi. I thank them for the kind hospitality during a busy time. I drove the 3.5 hrs west to State College. I hadn’t realised that the town is called ‘state college’ and it really is a college town. Met up with Rob Cresweller an apple specialist and had lunch in town and chatted about research. Went to Rock Springs Farm with Rob and looked at Apple research including variety assessment for Organic Production. The highlights were finding that we are growing some of the same varieties, that they are growing a ‘ping flesh’ apple that when cut is pink inside and makes a pink apple juice !. They are also doing some pollination work with Japanese solitary bees that live in bamboo sticks plugged with mud in a pipe – they stay over winter and breed up. Not honey bees so no honey but still do the pollination job.

Late evening went to meet Mike Jacobsen at his house. He took me out for a ber and toi meet some friends at a local bar. Had a rely good Jambalaya dinner.

Pancakes and Bald Eagles

Sunday 12 June

Had a lazy breakfast of Spelt pancakes and maple syrup with Heidi, Gary & Heid’s dad – yummy. Whilst Gary and Heidi went to the farm to clear up after the festival I spent some time sorting my things and updating notes and blogs. We had lunch in downtown Stroudsbury, a nice town with lots of old buildings. In the afternoon we met some friends and went up onto one of the ridges near a quarry to spot some bald eagles…..spotted chicks in the nest and mother at a distance watching us watch the chicks…..but still thrilling. Now Ive seen a Bald Eagle….

Spent the evening with Skip and his wife who kindly cooked us all a chicken dinner. A thunderstorm accompanied our journey home.