Louise Wallace has worked for FWAG SW as our Education Officer for 10 years. Her main role is to coordinate the Kingfisher Award Scheme in Somerset, offering opportunities for over 250 primary school children each year to get out onto a farm, get their hands dirty, connect with nature and learn about where food comes […]
Our Education Officer Louise on the Farming Focus podcast Read More »
Since meeting at agricultural college in 1986, Rona and Nevil Amiss dreamt of having their own farm. Neither are from farming backgrounds but that hasn’t deterred them. In 1999, after working on other farms for several years, they took on their first tenancy of a small farm on Exmoor, with plans to run a bed
Tregullas Farm – a family affair. Read More »
Insect pollination contributes, to varying extents, to improving the yield, quality and resilience of agricultural and horticultural crops – as well as being critical to the reproduction and existence of many of the UK’s wildflowers. The importance of pollinating insects to our economy and countryside is recognised by Government in a National Pollinator Strategy; and
Pollinator Surveys – why we need them and what it involves Read More »
What is the Blackdown Hills Sustainable Farming Network? The Blackdown Hills, an area rich in natural beauty and biodiversity, is also a place where farmers, landowners, and environmentalists are coming together to shape the future of sustainable farming. FWAG SouthWest is facilitating the Blackdown Hills Sustainable Farming Network (BHSFN), a project aimed at supporting a
Providing practical learning opportunities on the Blackdown Hills Read More »
‘This dry summer has been a real test for us on a new farm’ said Ollie White as he showed me the view from the top of the farm. Since taking the tenancy at Dalditch Farm near Budleigh Salterton in March 2023, he’s had to learn to adapt to its light sandy soils which he
The View from Dalditch: Farming with Purpose and Patience Read More »
In summer 2025 we surveyed 30ha of grassland on an organic beef farm on the edge of Exmoor. We advised our Farmer Member about management and restoration of species-rich grassland, as well as offering guidance on the suitability of fields for Sustainable Farming Incentive (SFI) actions. Accurate grassland surveying relies on surveying at the right time of year, when all plant species are visible and identifiable. SFI approval visits don’t always fall within survey season, which can increase the risk
Case Study: Exmoor Grassland Surveys Read More »
A collaborative approach to planning the future of our moors. For the past two years, as part of the Environment Agency funded Lowland Agricultural Peat Water Discovery Pilot, FWAG South West, in partnership with Avon Wildlife Trust, has worked with over 27 farmers and landowners across 725 hectares on the North Somerset Levels and Moors.
Somerset Moor Futures: Co-Designing Whole Moor Planning Read More »
Join farmer Jonathan at Folly Farmyard as he talks about the hedge laying process on his farm. Jonathan touches on the importance of laying hedges to ‘gap up’ and restore older hedges and talks about why it’s so important to allow some hedges to grow up and out rather than flailing every year. Current funding
Hedge laying – a farmers perspective Read More »
Working with the landowner and estate tenants we completed an Environmental Strategy Farm Plan to meet the biodiversity strands of their nature recovery ambition for the estate. This Gloucestershire estate is committed to supporting both food production and nature recovery through effective stewardship of rural land. The estate also supports its tenant farmers to adopt
Case study: Developing an Environmental Strategy Farm Plan for a landowner Read More »
Groundswell 2025 demonstrated how knowledge shared at agricultural events can spark interconnected ideas and practical innovation. One such outcome was the development of the Living Fields Research Project, inspired by sessions exploring soil health, livestock roles, and the ecological risks posed by agrochemicals and livestock treatments. Talks by Sally-Ann Spence, Clive Turner, FWAG SW, and
Living Fields Research Project Read More »
