Regenerative farming in Newlands

Sonja and Rick, who own Low Skelgill Farm in the Newlands valley, are part of a new generation of farmers. People without a background in farming who effectively learn ‘on the job’. In practice, for Rick and Sonja that meant attending lots of webinars in the months of Covid lock-down. Four years on and their small patch of land has been transformed. Their intention is to manage the land as an effective farm – producing high quality food for sale – but with a strong emphasis on nature recovery.

The productive side of the venture is in the form of seven Shetland Cattle, and the nature recovery element includes 5,000 trees, 2200 metres of hedgerow and a significant new pond. Grant funding from the Park Authority’s Farming in Protected Landscape fund has paid for a new permissive footpath linking Catbells to other paths across the valley, a water pump to allow effective across multiple parts of the farm and interpretation boards telling visitors about the project. Some may think these boards are an intrusion in the natural landscape, which I kind of agree with, but when I was being a given a tour by Rick and Sonja a large walking group passing through the farm appeared lost. Eventually we decided that they weren’t lost – simply looking at all the work that had been done, appreciating the nature recovery and – yes – reading the interpretation boards. There is clearly a huge public interest in projects like this.

Rick and Sonja have not had to rely on webinars and YouTube videos alone of course. Park Authority staff have been instrumental in helping get grants, and the group Pasture for Life have provided a very experienced and knowledgeable conservation grazer as mentor, who they can turn to for advice and inspiration. The programme (itself funded through FiPL) arranges farm visits, training days, study tours and webinars, covering all aspects of regenerative agriculture from soil monitoring to cattle genetics. Rick says “It's been invaluable, in terms of education, networking, and knowledge sharing. It is hopefully about to be extended”. Pete Leeson from the Woodland Trust and the team at Cumbria Broadleaves have also provided advice and support.

I was at Low Skelgill in November when new hedgerows were still heavy with berries but Rick described the swarms of insects and flocks of birds that abound in spring and summer. Everywhere you look there are trees, hedgerows, rich grass land and of course the pond – which will be alive with wildlife.

Some people may think that a project like this is taking good farmland out of productive use, but Rick’s reply to that is : Much of the planting, and the pond construction, was on marginal, rush covered areas of the farm, of limited forage value. The plan is to use much of the new planting as woodland pasture once it is established, providing extra shelter and leaves to browse in addition to the grass. Likewise, the hedgerow will provide shelter for the pasture and cattle, with potential to increase the yield of both. There is growing evidence that nature friendly framing doesn’t have to result in a drop in output.

I absolutely fell in love with this project and can’t wait to visit it again and again over the years. I am sure every time will be better than the last.