Projects
Dartmoor Farmers Association
The Dartmoor Hill Farm Project is facilitating the Dartmoor Farmers Association, over 30 Dartmoor farmers collaborating to develop meat marketing opportunities. For more information contact their Business Adviser - Steve Hutson - or Cathy Heath at the Dartmoor Hill Farm Project.
The Dartmoor Hill Farm Project – Achievements 2003-2006
Environmental Stewardship Advice Service
This service for farmers to help them complete their Farm Environmental Plan and provide application advice commenced in September 04. It has been fraught with complications, but nevertheless has provided 22 farmers with detailed farm surveys and applications to enter the new Environmental Stewardship scheme.
Dartmoor and District Mule Ewe Lamb Group
Initially the Dartmoor Hill Farm Project (DHFP) helped secure assistance through the Dartmoor Sustainable Development Fund to assist in advertising this new specialised sheep sale (Aug 04).
In the second year the group of farmers became more formalised and registered to become a Rural Enterprise Gateway (REG) group. This enabled the group of 14 farmers to travel to Hexham to visit the North of England Mule Ewe Lamb breeders. They gained much deeper knowledge of the marketplace and the quality of animals that they must produce.
The third year of this sale has gained in size and is showing strong farmer collaboration by holding stands at agricultural shows.
Meat Dartmoor
The DHFP facilitated the setting up of a collaborative group of 10 Dartmoor farmers who all market their meat direct to the consumer. They have met over 25 times since the start, in March 2004, trialling different ideas and creating a producer directory. During that time they have grown in confidence and collaborative spirit.
One of their peak achievements was to attend a weekend market in Greenwich, London. Throughout the summer of 2006, by working together, they were able to use a rota system to sell their meat at a stall for the weekend. They now use this system to market their produce at local events.
Environmental Discussion Group
The DHFP facilitated a group of 14 Dartmoor farmers to establish a discussion group to enable a better understanding of environmental land management of the moor. This led to them completing an NVQ in Environmental Conservation through Duchy College’s Dynamite Project. To date they have met over 10 times, engaging different specialist speakers. They have also undertaken a study trip to the North York Moors and Northumberland, to look at the environmental management issues of heather regeneration after wild fires, heather harvesting, working with the Ministry of Defence, out wintering cattle and bracken control. They have also attended Heather Trust events locally.
Moor Skills
There has been concern amongst the farming community about the lack of next generation farmers coming into the industry. To address this issue the DHFP has, in partnership with stakeholders and farmers, established a ‘Dartmoor Skills apprenticeship’. This scheme will educate a group of apprentices in Dartmoor hill farming. The apprentices work on a pool of six hill farms, attend Dartmoor specific training days and complete an NVQ in livestock production through Duchy College. The scheme commenced in October 2006 for an 18 month pilot period.
The scheme is a partnership of the farmers (Moorskills Farming Project Limited), the Dartmoor Hill Farm Project, the Duchy of Cornwall, Dartmoor Commoners’ Council, Duchy College, Natural England, the Ministry of Defence and South Tawton Commoners’ Association. The project is partly-funded by the Learning and Skills Council and Devon Renaissance.
This project has created a unique delivery system that can be used in other areas, and that can be continued on Dartmoor. It has taken over 4 years to change from an idea into a working initiative. It will not only benefit the four apprentices, but rather the wider farming community by increasing the trained labour force on the moor.
Adding Value – the hill farm initiative
With the implications of the Single Farm Payment reforms filtering through to farmers pockets, hill farming has to look to the market to fill a substantial financial gap. The project is working in partnership with the Duchy of Cornwall and a farmer focus group to investigate ways to increase the profitability of upland stock farming. Some of the concepts for this initiative started when a group of 14 farmers (some members of Meat Dartmoor) visited the Lenk area of Switzerland to see how the farming and tourism communities were working together to gain better returns for their local produce. We have appointed Land Use Consultants to undertake a report and detailed business plan. This work has generated a response of 70 questionnaires from farmers so far. The Farmer Focus Group have helped develop the ideas at several meetings and by going on research trips to other value added marketing examples across the country.
Dartmoor Forest Fire Plan
Swaling (managed/planned burning of vegetation) on the moors happens on a rotational annual basis. However, the control of ‘wild fires’ (outside the set dates, or a managed fire that gets out of control) has been lacking a planned and co-ordinated approach. The project has led a group of partners to establish the Forest of Dartmoor Fire Management Plan. This plan allows for trained and equipped commoners to work alongside the Devon Fire and Rescue Service and Rangers in controlling and managing wild fires. The partnership has also generated a mechanism (financial co-operative working) whereby helicopters with suitable water bombing attachments can be used on fires that require this more drastic approach.
The DHFP is now facilitating the mechanisms to engage home commons within a wider plan using the principles that have been learnt from the Forest of Dartmoor area.
This plan will benefit all the partners through its co-ordinated approach as well as the commoners in the Forest area and Dartmoor as a whole.
Louping Ill
The project has helped a group of Holne Commoners secure funding from the Dartmoor Sustainable Development Fund to pilot a method of controlling and/or eradicating the tick-borne disease louping ill. This is a new disease to the moor which has caused the death of livestock. It has become more prevalent due to the high tick numbers which have resulted from the increasing density of vegetation on the commons.
Vision
The DHFP has worked with John Waldon, facilitator for the Vision for Moorland Dartmoor, part of the Moor Futures initiative, to engage with the farming community in the development and creation of the Vision.
Other projects and initiatives
- ·Undertaken a CAP Reform survey of farmers within the National Park - March 04.
- ·Attended Agricultural Shows.
- ·Working with Meat South West to promote suckled calves from the Three Moors Initiative – September 04.
- ·Speaking at outside events – Dartmoor Hill Farm Discussion Group, Dartmoor local NFU branch meetings, Society of National Park Staff event, Devon Farms AGM, South West Farming and Food Futures Group (with Sir Donald Curry).
- ·Initiated a series of benchmarking production meetings at Holne, through the Red Meat Industry Forum – spring 05.
- ·Farm Plastics – researching and promoting the opportunities available for recycling farm waste materials - spring 05 onwards.
Project newsletters
We have sent out 17 newsletter/ mailings to all of the farmers on our mailing list (now totalling 240). These have included details of several scheme opportunities to farmers including:
- ·South West Forest training courses, event details, dates and costs.
- ·Hydropower and alternative energy – Devon Association for Renewable Energy (DARE), consultancy opportunities.
- ·British Wool Marketing Board training free events.
- ·Duchy College, Dynamite Project Rural Business Management Courses.
- ·Farm Business Advice Service – free consultancy support to farmers.
- ·Environmental Stewardship requirements and introductory information, publicising Defra information meetings.
- ·Dartmoor National Park Authority (DNPA) courses on hedge laying and stone walling.
- ·EBLEX better returns programme, to aid sheep producers improve their businesses.
- ·Publicising the HFA consultation process.
- ·Redundant Buildings Grant Scheme – Devon Renaissance scheme in the Objective 2 area.
Summary of meetings the project has held for farmers
| Topic | Date | Detail |
| DHFP Launch Meeting | 23/02/04 | Peter Morris, National Sheep Association |
| Young Dartmoor Farmers Focus Group | 26/04/04 | Training opportunities, all local training providers |
| Alternative Energy | 7/06/04 | Walk around Old Walls Farm hydropower plant |
| Countryside and Rights of Way Act | 8/09/04 | Panel of speakers including CLA National Access advisor |
| Young Dartmoor Farmers Focus Group | 6/10/04 | National Sheep Association – breeding improvements |
| Young Dartmoor Farmer Focus Group | 11/11/04 | Wool board visit & VTS funding opportunities |
| Breeding Ewes | 22/11/04 | David Disney, sheep improvement |
| Louping Ill Forum | 31/01/05 | Panel of speakers on tick transmitted sheep disease. VTS funded & sponsored by medicine company |
| Hydropower walk | 2/10/05 | Partnership event with Devon YFC. Walk at Old Walls Farm hydropower plant |
| Cross Compliance farm walk | 3/11/05 | Walk at Tor Royal Farm with Westcountry Rivers Trust |
| Higher Level Stewardship | 30/11/05 | Defra presentation on environmental scheme |
| Moor Skills open meeting | 1/12/05 | Stakeholders meeting to publicise to interested farmers |
| Higher Level Stewardship | 5/12/05 | Partnership event with RDS, Defra. Farm walk at Lydford on HLS and SSSIs |
| Young Dartmoor Farmers meeting | 6/12/05 | 'Beyond the farm gate’ (with panel of speakers) |
| Cross Compliance workshop | 16/02/06 | Soil management plan workshop with the Westcountry Rivers Trust |
| Single Farm Payment workshop | 27/04/06 | Advice evening with Mel Hall, NFU |
| Farm walk | 26/05/06 | Russell Ashford, organic farmer at Buckfastleigh |
| Adding Value | 30/05/06 | Open meeting, explaining the development of the initiative |
| Heather Trust | 23/08/06 | Speakers on bracken control, louping ill and heather beetle |
| Beef event | 22/08/06 | Together with the Farm Business Advice Service, an event to look at the financial realities of beef in the uplands |
| Agricultural waste forum | 20/09/06 | Speakers from the Environment Agency, NFU and solicitors. Stands from waste contractors |
| Cross compliance workshop | 24/10/06 | Repeat of soil management plan workshop |
| Linking landscape and tourism | 2/11/06 | In partnership with the DTA, an event to highlight working together in special landscape areas |
| Land Registry | 22/11/06 | Officers from Land Registry explained the ‘voluntary registration’ of land ownership |
