Drones worry me. Recently whilst walking up a hill in the Lake District we were followed by a drone videoing our progress. Not only did I feel this was a disruption of the solitude we had come to the Lake District to enjoy, but the sound of the drone, like a hive of angry bees, destroyed the ambience of the surrounding countryside, smothering the bird song and other tunes of nature. And now that we have Amazon trialing delivery by drone and other companies seeking to exploit this technology I worry that what little peace and quite we can find in our countryside will soon be lost.
However, the drone is a fascinating and disruptive piece of technology and some bright minds are finding innovative and beneficial applications. For example, BioCarbon Engineering are developing drones that can scatter tree seeds over an enormous area, re-foresting depleted lands on a scale not believed possible with conventional technologies. Watch this fascinating video for an explanation. The company envisages swarms of these drones re-planting many billions of trees!
Bloomberg reports that Chile now has enough solar energy infrastructure that the price of electricity routinely hits zero. At the end of April, there had been 113 days of zero-cost energy. In the whole of last year it was 192.
Farms Not Factories shocking video of intensive pig farm.
Compare this to the way pigs are reared at the Romshed Organic Farm where they have are out in the fields with much more space and a natural environment. We should not treat animals simply as machines for producing meat.
It was a very pleasant day to be shown around Romshed Farm, 175 acres of land used to raise mutton, hogget, lamb, cattle, pigs, chickens, eggs and ducks under organic principles with sections of ancient woodland, which are home to wood mice.
The visit was organised by The Soil Association and Lisa Jones, Head of Supporter Development was our cheerful coordinator. Fidelity Weston, the farms owner, showed us around.
Hereford cows
I knew something of the organic principles for managing the land such as planting clover to improve the nitrogen content but I did not realise how extensive the efforts are to keep organically grown animals free of chemicals and stress in order to produce an ethically sound, superior tasting product. But most impressive of all and the reason I shall be buying mainly organic meat from now on was the quality of life the animals live which could be clearly seen in their healthy condition and content, happy demeanour. Coupled with regulated, high level countryside stewardship the farm is a rich haven for wildlife and flora.
Rohmsted Farm is an approved supplier under the Pasture Fed Livestock Association rules which means their meat is available only to a seasonal calendar. To get the best out of the land and its location native breeds are selected.
Standard farming practices use antibiotics and pharmaceuticals on a regular basis. With organic farming there is a lot of planning and careful management to try and avoid these chemicals. For example livestock are moved around the farm to break the cycle of infection by parasitic worms rather than using worming compounds.
Saddleback pigs
First we headed towards a field sown with clover where Saddleback pigs were happily grazing. A low electronic fence contained the pigs in sections of the field. Once the pigs graze all the vegetation the fence is moved so that the pigs have new food and do not grub up the naked soil. I have never seen pigs with so much space and on such healthy grazing and it was a real pleasure to see the happy piglets chasing each other around like a bunch of puppies!
The pigs need extra protein to bring them up to a decent stature which is supplied by soya. But Fidelity has concerns over the sustainable nature of the imported soya so the family is searching for a cost effective alternative such as sunflower seeds.
Table chickens
We made our way across fields rich in diverse flora and brown meadow butterflies, listening to the skylarks, until we reached the chicken pens. The farm nurtures both laying hens and table hens. I immediately noticed how thick the legs were of the chickens which was due to the amount of time they can spend in the open, scratching and running around. In an intensive chicken farm table hens have a lifespan of little more than 30 days. At Romshed it is 120 days. On an organic farm chickens have more space than that specified for free range chicken farms.
We moved on to see sheep and cattle all of which looked healthy and content. One Hereford calve was curious enough to come to the fence to investigate the visitors and pose for our cameras.
Wood mouse walkway
The farm has areas of woodland that are home to wood mice. In order to support the wood mice population the farm is planting hedgerows to link the woodland areas, using native species such as hawthorn, blackthorn, oak, briar, etc. At times the family fell trees to supply the wood burning stoves . If the felling leaves gaps between the trees a walkway created from rope, branches and twigs is slung between the trees so the wood mice are not hampered in their travels.
Hedgerows are cut biannually, late in the year, so as not to destroy berries and nuts needed by the wildlife.
Wild flower meadow
As we returned to the farmhouse we walked through a meadow with a diverse mixture of wild flowers that had been planted from seed taken from an established wild flower meadow in Sussex with similar clay soils. Back at the farm we were treated to tea and biscuits and had a good chat about the farm and other green issues.
It was a lovely way to spend an afternoon and now I have seen how much better is the life of an animal raised on an organic farm I will be buying much more organic produce.
Footnotes;
Wide field margin
The photo to the left shows a wide margin between the crop of triticale and the hedgerow. This provides a good environment for voles and mice which in turn provides food for predators such as owls who perch and nest in the hedgerows.
Pollarded oak tree
The oak tree to the right has several unusual uprights. It used to be that the villagers had the right to remove wood from the hedgerows and as a result the tree was regularly pollarded. They lost this right many years ago so now the tree has grown many upright limbs.
Environmental crime – poaching, illegal logging, waste dumping, etc. is now the worlds 4th largest crime leaping from $91bn in 2014 to $258bn today. The top three are drug smuggling, counterfeiting and people smuggling. One of it’s consequences is the loss of 25% of the worlds elephants in the last decade. Guardian Weekly
A team of Stanford University researchers have generated a plan for converting existing US energy infrastructure to run entirely on renewable energy by 2050. The study illustrates how existing renewable technologies such as solar, wind and geothermal could realistically replace fossil fuels.
The complex study examined the current and future energy needs of every state for four main categories – residential, commercial, industrial and transportation. It then examined how all these energy needs could be met purely by using electricity and what renewables infrastructure would be needed to meet this.
Not only does converting to electricity allow full use of renewables but due to greater efficiency could produce an energy saving of 39% by 2050.
Some states are already well down the road of converting to renewables. Washington State produces 70 percent of its electricity from hydroelectric, and both Iowa and South Dakota use wind power for around 30 percent of their electricity needs.
The cost of conversion to all renewables would be substantial, but once established the electricity generated is almost free, returning invested capital over time. Other benefits would be less air and ground pollution, energy cost stability, energy independence and substantial new employment and business opportunities to replace those lost in the fossil fuel industries.
All that is needed now is the political will to execute the plan. A republican win in this year’s presidential election would see the plan thrown to the back of a very dark cupboard!
“There is already airport capacity for families taking their yearly holiday. New runways only benefit the 15% of flyers who take 70% of our flights, cooking our planet. These are rich frequent leisure flyers. The most reliable predictors of frequent flyer status are a household income over £115,000 and owning a second home abroad, but it’s the poorest people who suffer most from climate change.” Plane Stupid
The UK still ranks close to the bottom of the European Union in its use of renewables. In 2014, it used fossil fuels to produce more than 60 percent of its electricity, half again as much as the E.U. average. The Conservative government plans an 87 percent reduction in subsidies for solar power despite promising after the May election to “unleash a new solar revolution”. Washington Post
Indonesia! 117,000 fires lit to clear forest for agricultural use are raging along it’s 5000km length. Peat in the ground is also on fire. Orangutans, Clouded Leopards, Sun Bears and the Sumatran Rhino are just some of the species at risk. Guardian Weekly