Water Management
With only 33 inches of rainfall each year, a marked different to the 90 inches that falls on Dartmoor only 15 minutes away we work hard to manage the water that falls on the farm.
With the teachings from the Apricot Centre we have designed a plan to manage and store the water across our farm.
During the last few years we reinstated 8 farmland ponds and also worked on bigger water management projects with the fantastic enthusiastic help from the West Country Rivers Trust (WRT) installing Swales, Berms and Leaky Dams.
These water measures have enabled us to capture water that would otherwise be lost to run-off. The ponds have encouraged an increase in farmland biodiversity. Slowing the water down as it moves across the farm, reduces soil erosion and the leaky dams give time for the water to filter back into the ground to replenish the water table.
These water features work with the natural topography of the land and have increased the number and variety of amphibians on farm including Palmate Newts, Common Frogs and Toads.
These in turn provide food for some of our farmland birds such as Herons, Owls and Buzzards.
We are a Tamar Valley Natural Landscape Nodal farm with fields close to the river so it is super to think we can provide an additional food base for the Cattle Egrets, Mallards and newly reintroduced Osprey.
We have enjoyed the being a showcase farm with the WRT allowing them to bring other farmers to see the water works in action. It’s much easier to visualize something working on your own land if you can walk around and through it say many of our visitors and students.