Seminar to demonstrate how trees can boost farm businesses

Posted 9 July 2014

Harper Adams University is preparing to host a Woodland Trust event that will demonstrate how farmers can use trees to grow their businesses, by improving the resilience of livestock systems.

Experts from the farming industry are set to provide practical advice and discuss how the productivity of dairy, beef and sheep farming systems can be enhanced by planting trees and managing existing small wooded areas on their land.

The “Improving the Resilience of your Livestock Systems” seminar at Harper Adams on Thursday, September 11, will also covers topics such as the latest updates on agri-environment schemes in England and Wales, medicinal and nutritional benefits of dairy cows browsing native trees, and how tree planting reduces water run-off during heavy rain.

In addition, farmers will be able to find out how to design a tree-planting scheme and run effective field trials and will hear from farmers who are already benefitting from incorporating trees within their business.

The seminar is part of a three-year research project on Trees in the Farmed Environment, led by Harper Adams and supported by the Woodland Trust. The Trust is keen to help farmers realise the benefits from integrating trees into their farming systems, and to highlight lessons learned from a European award-winning farmer-led tree planting project in Pontbren, Wales.

John Tucker, Woodland Trust Woodland Creation Director, said: “The Woodland Trust understands the challenges farmers face to meet the growing demand for food production, whilst ensuring long-term sustainability of their farms. By using the Pontbren scheme as a benchmark, we’re looking forward to demonstrating how tree planting can benefit farmers and inform them about the advice and assistance available from the Trust.”

Jim Waterson MICFor, Senior Lecturer within the Crop and Environment Sciences Department at Harper Adams University, who is involved with the research project, said:  “There is increasing awareness and understanding of the real-world benefits that well-planned and located trees and woodlands can offer to sustainable land and farm management. The seminar will examine all these areas and provide opportunities for information and knowledge exchange.”

To reserve a place at the seminar email rsvp@woodlandtrust.org.uk or call 08452 935603. Tickets cost £10, including lunch and refreshments, and must be booked by September 4. 

For more information visit the Woodland Trust website