The launch of the project was held at Strudda Bank Farm near Calderbridge courtesy of Kevin and Yvonne Holliday. The day gave the opportunity to look around Strudda Bank and discuss issues that face a typical farming enterprise in West Cumbria post mid-term review of the Common Agricultural Policy.

Strudda Bank is a family partnership running beef and sheep enterprises in a Less Favoured Area. All the land is within the Lake District National Park with grazing rights on two fells. Kevin runs a herd of Simmental and Charolais cross suckler herd finishing some of the progeny on the holding. His 900 breeding ewes are roughly divided into three with Cheviots either bred pure or to the Border Leicester, Swaledales bred to the Blue Faced Leicester and Herdwicks either bred pure or to the Texel. The farm has an ESA agreement that expired in March 2005. Kevin is looking to continue with the new environmental schemes.

Kevin has addressed some of the issues surrounding out-wintering cattle in a practical way. Reducing the potential for poaching, nutrient enrichment around feed rings and possible contamination of watercourses was central to his solution. Kevin said, "We felt that feeding cattle outside during the winter was no longer an option under cross-compliance. Our cattle did well, but there was always the danger of poaching the land. We made a business decision to erect a new shed for winter housing and at the same time add modern cattle handling facilities. We also collect water from the roof to water our animals. To help keep bedding dry the water troughs are at the entrance of the building."

Kevin has gone to a lot of trouble to ensure that his suckler cows are given every comfort. His effort and care are evident in other areas.

The new slurry storage pit is built with enough capacity for the whole winter. Slurry is held ready for use at a time of year when crops can utilise the valuable nutrients, thus reducing the reliance on costly bought-in artificial fertiliser.

Farmers were invited to see how Kevin deals with farm waste. Two areas that have been successfully tackled are disposal of fallen stock and storage of used silage wrap. A bin is kept next to the silage bales specifically for used wrap and when full taken for recycling. The solution for disposal of fallen stock was found through collaborating with eight neighbours. Rural Futures worked with this group to help them work out bio-security measures and source a suitable incinerator. Rural Futures Co-ordinator, Will Rawling, who is also one of the eight farmers, said, "Getting farmers to work together is one of Rural Futures' objectives and makes good sense for farmers. By sharing the cost of the incinerator and working together we satisfy cross-compliance and reduce overheads. A win-win situation!"

Working collectively was a success when it came to controlling bracken on the common. Kevin said, "Reducing bracken cover has improved the health of our fell ewes. Ticks were becoming a real problem." Local vet, Bruce Haggerty, from St Bridget veterinary surgery gave farmers an excellent presentation on flock health and a better understanding on the life cycle of ticks.

There was the opportunity to get out and see how a weed wiper can be used effectively against the spread of weeds. The concentration rates, cost of herbicide, how the machine works and environmental impact were all discussed.

Many topics were discussed during the day and ideas were generated for future events. With support from several organisations, especially LEADER+ and Rural Regeneration Cumbria, Rural Futures intends to hold more events over the next few months. At the end of the day everyone registered the issues and topics of interest and Rural Futures will organise event to cover these.

Please click on the links below to view other projects of the month: