Land of opportunity
Seven farms in the heart of Devon have been chosen to take part in a long-term environmental project to measure the impact of mixing grazed grassland with specially selected trees in a system known as silvopasture.
Why did you embark on the silvopasture project?
It’s a huge experiment with a lot of scientific investigation. As we are at the point of massive change within agriculture, I thought I might as well give this trial a go. As someone who likes to have wildlife around my farm, it is an option that appeals to me, while the science may prove whether it is just as productive as more conventional ways of farming.
The fields won’t be stocked with livestock for at least five years, though it will depend on the speed of the growth of the trees and their bark, and how quickly the secondary thickening grows. This will be key to protect the standard trees, the ones we want to grow tall and produce a canopy. Sheep and cattle
