We are fortunate to be on the banks of the river Wye and have fields on two small streams which flow into it. With Dreda working for the Wye and Usk Foundation it is a key priority of ours to farm in a way which does not damage the river. As such we have been practicing rotational grazing along the river meadows which helps the grasses and flowers to put down deep roots and also means that livestock access to the river is controlled so that bankside vegetation can recover.

The “SCIMAP” shows flow lines across the farm. Red areas followed by yellow and neon blue are most at risk of losing soil during heavy rainfall. Soil loss is not ideal as we need good soil for growing crops and we don’t want the soil ending up in ditches and land drains that lead to the river Wye. As such we use this map to target things like grass buffer strips and new hedges that protect the watercourses and reduce the impact of overland flow. The key though is to improve the health of the soil across all the fields so that the soil can hold water like a sponge instead of being washed away.