September 2017
IMPORTANT Anonymous Feedback Required
EHFN Evaluation 2016-2018 - Securing the Future
We are busy planning to apply for future funding to build on the hard work and great participation within the EHFN. To help with this it is important to show there is a future need for the network, activities and support. We aim to gather some feedback on some of the benefits gained through participation of training workshops, peer support groups, next generation engagement and the need for the future? Your views are important to us and will be collated over the next few weeks in respect of securing future funding and the direction of the Exmoor Hill Farming Network post February 2018. All responses remain Anonymous.
Please see below the links to the online surveys. Please note a separate survey for the Next Generation.
(Attached is a list of events that the EHFN has delivered over the past 18 months)
Next Generation Survey (Under 30’s):
Members Survey:
Paper copies will be available at the EHFN office at Cutcombe Market upon request. Without this participation it is unlikely that we would attract further funding so if you could take a few minutes to fill out the questionnaires we would be very grateful.Deadline date:Friday 22ndSeptember 2017
EVENTS
Horner Farm – FARM TO LET ( OPEN AFTERNOON TOMORROW )
The National Trust would like to invite members of the Exmoor Hill Farming Network to visit Horner Farm on Friday 15thSeptember between 2.30pm and 4pm.
Horner Farm comprises approximately 78 hectares, a five bed farmhouse, a range of modern and vernacular buildings, permanent pasture, temporary grassland, orchards and grazed woodland and is the first farm to be let on the National Trust’s Holnicote Estate for nearly 30 years. This is an opportunity to visit the farm, look around the newly refurbished farmhouse, buildings and to hear from the National Trust representatives what is on offer and what they are seeking in a tenant. Meet at the Horner Farm Gate in the Public Car Park at 2.30pm. Light refreshments will be available.Address: Horner Farm, Horner, Minehead TA24 8HY. Booking essential for catering. Please note: If you are interested in applying to become a tenant of this farm it is a requirement that you instead attend the Official Viewing Day on 27th September 2017ONLY. Please visit:
Exmoor Women in Farming Group – SeptemberVisit
Date:Wednesday 20thSeptember 2017Time:7pm – 9pmPeer Support Contribution:£5pp
Venue:Northcoombe Farm, Chipstable ,Taunton, Somerset TA4 2QD by kind permission of Mr Ben Moody ( sat nav’s not advised)
Visit to a commercial calf rearing unit for Blade farming (ABP) specialising in dairy beef calves , rearing up to 1650 calves a year in batches of 110 , on milk machines. We will learn about the process involved and challenges faced. Please ensure clean clothes and footwear is worn. We will meet at Cutcombe Market car park at 6.20pm and travel down in convoy. Please let me know if you will be making your own way there. Booking essential by Monday 18thSeptember 2017.
Pasture Power – One Day Conference – Friday 22ndSeptember 2017 - Demonstrate the Benefits of ‘Pasture Fed Food Production’ ( poster attached)
Working with Forum 21 and a fantastic line up of guest speakers to deliver a one day conference on Exmoor.
Venue:The Moorland Hall, WheddonCross Time:Coffee from 10.15am prompt start at 10.30-3.30pm
The day will cover:
• The health and environmental benefits of pasture fed meat
• Improving water quality and preventing flooding
• The value of diversity
• Soil: our most important natural resource
• Maintaining vegetation and water quality
• Happy animals, healthier meat. Selling grass-fed meat and poultry directly
• A share farming model for the future?Admission by booking only: £10 to include lunch and refreshments. All are welcome to attend
Exmoor ‘Open‘ Meeting “Opportunities for Farmers Arising from the New Exmoor Local Plan”
Working with Exmoor National Park Authority Planning team to deliver the following meeting at The Sportsmans Inn, Sandyway on Thursday 12thOctober at 7pm – 9pm.Peer Support Contribution: £5pp to include light refreshments
The following topics will be covered during the evening :
- Farm buildings – location and materials
- Farm diversification – glamping, holiday lets, other business opportunities, flexible business use classes.
- Housing – rural worker’s dwellings, succession farm dwellings, extended family dwellings, local needs affordable dwellings, exception sites and cross subsidy.
- Opportunity to ‘meet members of the planning team’
- Question and Answer Session. Booking essential for catering purposes and all are welcome to attend.
EAT EXMOOR – Calling all local food producers
Exmoor National Park Authority are starting a new project called Eat Exmoor, promoting the use and understanding of local food. This will include improving links with farmers and producers and they would therefore welcome input from Hill Farming Network members. The aim is to bring about a better understanding of the quality and importance of Exmoor produce to the local economy, and to increase its use by hospitality and catering businesses on Exmoor and beyond. This will also involve encouraging food wholesalers to stock Exmoor produced goods. The importance of both using and effectively promoting locally sourced food will be the message delivered over training sessions for tourism businesses to be held later this year and also at a producers’ and hospitality trade event to be held on 31stJanuary 2018. Furthermore, Visit Exmoor, the area’s official tourism association will be extensively promoting Exmoor food and drink to consumers, aiming to educate visitors to appreciate locally produced food, thereby increasing demand. Katrina Munro, Economy Project Officer at the authority, is particularly keen to hear from farmers who are producing their own meat or dairy products for retail and wholesale and who may like to be involved in the project. 01398
Industry News
News from NFU - Have your say in TB consultation
The latest government TB consultation exercise aimed at introducing ‘effective and proportionate’ TB control measures in cattle is still open – Defra believes it will, when combined with measures to address the TB risk posed by badgers, increase the probability of achieving national official TB free status by 2038. The NFU will be responding to this consultation but we would strongly encourage individual farm businesses to respond, in order to make sure that Defra get a full picture of how these proposals would impact them. They fall in to three broad categories: Simplifying surveillance testing in the High Risk Area of England; increased use of private vets to support the delivery of TB controls; changes to the TB compensation system to more effectively encourage risk-reducing behaviours at the farm level. More information is on NFU online at For full details from Defra, including how to respond, please see:The deadline for responses is 29thSeptember.
Devon Rural Housing Partnership
Devon Rural Housing Partnership, on behalf of the Parish Councils and North Devon Council, are about to send out a housing needs survey to all the dwellings in the parishes of Parracombe, Martinhoe, Kentisbury and Trentishoe. Expect this through your letter box in mid-September. The survey is to give us a picture of housing needs across the 4 parishes and must be returned in the reply paid envelope by 13thOctober.If you know of anyone wishing to return to these parishes who has had to move away to find suitable housing please contact Sue Southwell Rural Housing Enabler on01392 248919 for further information.
To book or for further information please contact the Network Officer by email or 07970 795808.