Hosted by farmers Amelia and Jason Greenway at Springwater Farm, you will hear from two excellent speakers on hedgerow management (Megan Gimber) and agroforestry (Seb Allen-Mepham), before heading out to see the concepts in the field.
You will learn:
How to assess your hedge condition and what good hedge structure looks like
Hedgerow management and planning
What agroforestry and in particular silvopastural systems are
How to plan and manage agroforestry systems
The on-farm and business benefits of trees in both hedgerow and agroforestry systems
Funding and support available for hedgerows and agroforestry
Rough timings:
10:30am: Arrival tea & coffee
11am: Talks from Megan Gimber & Seb Mepham Allen
12:45: Lunch (provided by NFFN)
1:15pm: Farm Walk
2:30-3pm: Close
This practical, on-farm visit is designed for farmers who are keen to learn more about implementing and managing trees on-farm to enhance farm resilience and profitability.
Amelia & Jason Greenway:
Jason and Amelia, National Trust tenant farmers are proud to be Organic & Pasture For Life certified with their award winning produce and pedigree highland cattle. New entrants into farming Jason & Amelia have adopted a Nature Friendly Farming approach with a keen ethos for on-farm engagement with their local community. Alongside the farm, Amelia is a farming ambassador for NFFN and Jason runs a forestry conservation business.
Megan Gimber:
Megan Gimber is a Key Habitats Officer at the People's Trust for Endangered Species, specializing in hedgerows and woodland edge habitats. A self-proclaimed "hedgerow geek," she developed the Healthy Hedgerows app to assist farmers with hedge management. She conducts training courses and promotes the benefits of hedgerows for wildlife, farming, and the environment.
Seb Allen-Mepham:
Seb has 17 years’ experience in the mixed livestock sector, specialising in managing beef & sheep enterprises. He has also worked for Natural England, overseeing a group of National Nature Reserves. In his current role as a Farm Environment Adviser, he works with farmers across Devon to support the adoption of cost-saving, low-input practices, alongside delivering specific projects such as new agroforestry schemes, species-rich grassland restoration, and implementation of managed grazing systems. Alongside the day job he runs his own beef farm on the banks of the River Dart.