The BRFC is an initiative developed by a group of farmers near Wimborne Minster; the National Trust, based locally at Kingston Lacy, is also a founding member of the group. The Cluster is co-ordinated by FWAG SW advisor Alex Butler. Collectively, over 10 members manage over 3,000ha, typically cereal crops grown in an arable rotation on free-draining chalky soils. Some members also have permanent pasture running down to the banks of the River Stour or the River Allen.
In addition to the core business of agricultural production of most members, the Cluster’s agreed objectives include protecting the landscape, conserving and monitoring farmland wildlife and improving soil health and water quality.
With funding from a Countryside Stewardship Facilitation Fund agreement, Cluster members enjoy a series of talks and farm walks each year. Subjects of previous events include hedge management, farmland bird song ID, Harvest Mice conservation and flower-rich floodplain meadow creation. Speakers include national expert Steven Falk, delivering an event on farmland pollinators, and Becky Willson, who delivered an authoritative talk on the farm carbon toolkit.
A number of surveys have been conducted across the BRFC, some of which were part funded by FiPL (Farming in Protected Landscapes) grants. We have mapped various farmland habitats across the Cluster, including the networks of flower-rich margins and the various wild bird seed mix plots. We also recorded 68 species of hoverfly and 65 species of bee on member holdings, including two section 41 species of Bumblebee of principle importance (NERC Act).
Volunteer surveyors have also contributed greatly in surveying farmland wildlife. Volunteers have recorded 85 species of bird on member holdings since 2021, including 17 (Birds of Conservation Concern) Red List species, of which seven are farmland specialists, such as Corn Bunting, Grey Partridge, Skylark and Yellowhammer. 24 species of butterfly have also been recorded since 2023, including the vulnerable Small Heath and near threatened Dark Green Fritillary (Butterfly Conservation’s Red List of Great Britain).
Image above: BRFC members at Travellers Rest Farm visit / Banner image: Dark Green Fritillary