Farm Wildlife Walk – Scottish Borders

Join us to see how the McCririck family manage their mixed farming enterprise to maintain profitability and a landscape rich in wildlife.

Well managed hedgerows, field margins, woodlands and wild bird cover combine to create a network of habitats and wildlife corridors with abundant songbirds, grey partridges and brown hares. A superb example of productive agriculture and biodiversity working in harmony.

What you will learn:

• The efficient use of field margins to benefit wildlife and streamline field operations.
• How the business has benefited from agri-environment schemes going back almost 30 years and what management they are undertaking in their current AECS.
• How the numbers of grey partridges and brown hares have benefitted from well managed field margins including the use of the Balgonie Grey Partridge mix.
• How wildlife benefits from a mixed arable rotation including fodder crops and grazing for livestock along with the benefits of min-till.
• See a farm landscape where the different habitats are linked by an extensive network of wildlife corridors and how this has a positive impact on wildlife.
• We will also have the opportunity to discuss the livestock and arable enterprises including manure management and intercropping.

Linked FAS resources

· Habitat & landscape management

· Why is habitat connectivity important?

· Biodiversity on your farm

· Grazing for profit and biodiversity: grazing strategies