The sun shone on 14th May, as Lyn and Robert Moule led a fascinating walk around Afton Farm to show the impact of their environmental stewardship. The farm has been part of the government Higher Level of Stewardship (HLS) scheme for nearly 20 years and through this they have maintained and enhanced the local landscape quality and character by protecting both natural resources and the historic environment.
As we walked we discovered that the HLS provided funding for:
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- the maintenance of the 800 year old deer park wall (part of the Berry Pomeroy Estate)
- six metre field margins to protect hedges and water courses, which provide the perfect home for voles that feed the Barn Owls
- unimproved grasslands in fields that border water courses avoiding artificial fertilisers leeching into the water, encouraging many plants such as Orchids which can’t cope with nitrogen. The grass also supports many species of butterflies, which were much in evidence on the walk.
- some hedges to be trimmed bi-annually to support farmland birds feeding and nesting
- traditional cider orchards and fallen trees left to support wildlife
These measures all support other wildlife such as newts, slow worms, Roe deer, a large variety of farmland birds, wild flowers, butterflies, moths, insects and bats.
When the Moules started the scheme, they were asked to help encourage the very rare cirl bunting by leaving over wintered stubble and uncut hedges in their fields. This proved successful in luring the buntings away from the coast and they have now been spotted in fields off Ackrells Hill and at Dartington. There is now a healthy population in the South Hams, thanks to the work of people like the Moules in providing the right habitat to encourage migration. As we saw and heard, skylarks also appreciated this environment. And many of us were surprised to hear that hares also live on the farm. It was the hottest day of the year to date and some opted to take a ride on Mark’s quad bike!
After the walk, everyone cooled off and sat chatting in the lovely garden, enjoying a delicious cream tea of scones and home-baked cakes. All agreed it was a real privilege during the walk to enjoy rarely seen views of the local landscape and to discover how lucky we are locally to have this special place supporting local wildlife.
Lyn and Robert will take a well earned retirement next year – a big change, as Robert’s family have farmed here for over 100 years. Let us hope that the next tenants of this farm take as much care.
