Hill Farming insights await at CAFRE Open Day
On Wednesday, 3rd September, CAFRE and Teagasc are hosting a joint Upland Open Day at the College of Agriculture, Food and Rural Enterprise’s (CAFRE’s) Hill Farm Centre, Glenwherry, Ballymena, Co. Antrim.
Hill Farmers and Upland Managers – book to attend a free tour of the CAFRE Hill Farm at Glenwherry, Ballymena, Co. Antrim on Wednesday, 3rd September and hear about and see peatland restoration.
The 960 hectare hill farm is home to a wide range of bird and mammal species and is located within the Special Protection Area for Hen Harrier and Merlin. Since the establishment of the Glenwherry Hill Regeneration Partnership (GHRP) in 2009, there has been a strong focus on improving the habitats to encourage a high population of bird and mammal species to either nest, rest or forage on the site.
Nicola Warden, Senior Biodiversity Technologist, CAFRE explains; “Across the CAFRE Hill Farm there are a range of ground nesting bird species that nest on the site. These species include Red Grouse, Curlew, Lapwing and Snipe. One aim of the hill farm is to create and maintain habitats suitable for these birds to nest in.”
Nicola continues, “Research shows that the ground nesting birds mentioned above won’t nest within 200-700 metres of a conifer plantation for fear of predation. Since the establishment of GHRP, the group has proposed the removal of a 68 hectare conifer plantation at Glenwherry to allow a further 300 hectares of suitable habitat to become available to ground nesting birds. During the tours of the hill farm, you will hear about the Forest to Bog restoration techniques and see how the site has revegetated since the trees were removed in winter 2019.”
On a 12 hectare site at the CAFRE Hill Farm, peatland restoration techniques have been demonstrated on a bog which had open drains every 50 to 60 metres. Nicola explains, “To bring the habitat back to peat accumulating condition, the underlying peatland hydrology has to be addressed. Through implementing peatland restoration techniques, CAFRE has been able to bring the water table that is beneath the surface to within the range which overtime will accumulate further peat. During the Hill Farm Open Day, you will hear more about the work that has been undertaken with the aim of fixing the hydrology to benefit the habitat but also to reduce the carbon emissions coming from the degraded bog.”
The CAFRE Hill Farm has a 72 hectare area dedicated to Breeding Wader birds such as Curlew, Lapwing and Snipe which is managed with advice from RSPB. Nicola adds, “Pre nesting management is crucial to ensuring the site is in the right condition to encourage the birds to nest. Working closely with RSPB advisers, CAFRE have been managing the site by outwintering a quarter of the suckler cow herd. During the past four winters, small batches of the cows have been grazed across the site using virtual fencing technology. The cows have been able to get the habitat into the correct condition without having to use mechanical flails.”
The interventions above have been implemented at the CAFRE Hill Farm, whilst maintaining the productivity of the livestock enterprises at Glenwherry. Nicola concludes, “Join us on Wednesday, 3rd September to hear more about the ongoing work at the farm and how the cattle and sheep enterprises are a major part of habitat management.”