In April, Mersey Rivers Trust hosted two Free Pie & Pint farm engagement events. These events were hosted by Mersey Rivers Farm Advisors with funding received from both the Better Rivers Better North West Fund and the Upper Weaver Water-Friendly Farming project funded by DEFRA and United Utilities. These two events were aimed at farmers in both the River Duckow, Darley, and Ash Brook Catchments to inform on water-friendly farming practices and other management practices and schemes which are beneficial to both business and the environment.
In addition to the delightful pies and pints which were enjoyed by all those who attended. Mersey Rivers Trust Farm Advisors spoke on water-friendly farming. This talk included ways in which farmers could get involved via free water management plans and the possibility of small amounts of funding to carry out water-friendly farming interventions. The importance of invasive non-native species control and methods to do so were highlighted to farmers in the Darley and Ash Brook catchments. Also, during the Duckow catchment event the upcoming work to remove a disused gas house weir and the potential effects of the removal was discussed.
During these events guest speakers from Cheshire West and Chester Council (CWAC) and Soil Sense shared insights into other farming subjects. CWAC discussed Biodiversity Net Gain and local nature recovery strategy plans for the area that are currently out for consultation, emphasizing how aligning with agri-environment schemes can benefit farmers. Soil Sense discussed how to manage nutrients in soil so as to optimise land use, benefitting crop yields and livestock. How soil testing is vitally important and the part different methods of soil aeration, shattering and sward lifting have to play in land management regimes.
The evening was a great success and across both events just over 35 farmers attended. Feedback was positive with all farmers saying they would recommend this type of event to others.
Mersey Rivers Trust will continue to host these types of events throughout this year and next year, and if you would like to know more about what we do, and what grants and workshops are available to farmers please email us here to be added on to the Farm Newsletter mailing list. You can read the latest newsletter here.
You can access the presentations from Mersey Rivers Trust, Darley and Ashbrook Presentation and River Duckow Presentation and there is more information available on Mersey Rivers Water Friendly Farming Hub here.