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Graham Higgins

Graham Higgins

Graham is a creative producer and film-maker.

Farming podcast: Learning more about SFI in 2023 with the NFU

Posted by: and , Posted on: - Categories: Future Farming Podcast, Sustainable Farming Incentive

In this episode of the Farming podcast, Jonathan Marsden, Head of Sustainable Farming Incentive (SFI) talks to Claire Robinson, Senior Countryside Adviser for the National Farmers Union (NFU). The pair discuss what you need to know as a farmer to get ready for SFI this year.

'Nature can sit alongside agriculture': a Landscape Recovery project spotlight

Posted by: and , Posted on: - Categories: Payments to restore landscapes and ecosystems
Still image taken from embedded video showing two people talking to camera.

The North Norfolk: Wilder, Wetter, Better for Nature project is part of the first round of  Landscape Recovery. Alongside sustainable food production, the project aims to create new habitats for nature, restore rivers and boost biodiversity on the Holkham Estate. We visited the team to see how the project will work in practice.

Watch: Trialling farmer-led land management plans at Aqualate Mere, Staffordshire

In this film, farmers from the Aqualate Mere catchment share their experiences of taking part in Tests and Trials. This test created a land management plan and worked to set priorities for the catchment, incorporating biodiversity, water quality and carbon sequestration.

Watch: How we put unproductive farmland to use

Posted by: , Posted on: - Categories: A view from the farm

In this film, farming facilitator Danny Teasdale took us to Strickley Farm in Cumbria, to meet dairy farmer James Robinson. Danny and James show us a piece of farmland that has always been unproductive and prone to flooding. James and Danny explain how they re-meandered the stream through the flooded area to create a natural habitat for wildlife that can also be used for grazing livestock.

How we're increasing productivity and enhancing nature on our farm

Posted by: , Posted on: - Categories: A view from the farm
Sheep inside a building with people talking in the background

In the latest in our series of films from the Lake District, we visit Miller Farming in Penruddock. Upland farmers, Garry and Hazel Miller, have sheep, cows, and free-range hens. They talk about how they’ve increased productivity and enhanced nature at the same time.

Watch: How the Sustainable Farming Incentive works hand in hand with arable crop production

Posted by: , Posted on: - Categories: A view from the farm, Sustainable Farming Incentive
SFI and arable farming Caroline-Knox

We went to the Isle of Wight to meet SFI agreement holder Caroline Knox. In this film, Caroline explains how the Sustainable Farming Incentive works hand in hand with commercial maize and rye production on her farm.

Farming podcast: Next steps for environmental land management

Posted by: and , Posted on: - Categories: environmental land management schemes, Future Farming Podcast
Episode 11 of the Defra Farming podcast. Defra payments lead Lisa Warne talks to father and son John and Charlie Renner

In this episode, Lisa Warne talks to John Renner and his son, Charlie. John farms on the border of the  Northumberland National Park between Berwick-upon-Tweed and Alnwick. Charlie is a farm business consultant and continues to help out on the farm. Lisa gives an update on the growth and rollout of our environmental land management schemes. John and Charlie talk about how the new farming payments fit in with the management of their farm. They had plenty of questions for Lisa about the new grants and actions.

Watch: Getting the balance right between farming and nature

Posted by: , Posted on: - Categories: A view from the farm, Sustainable Farming Incentive

This is the third in a series of films exploring how environmental improvements and farming go hand in hand in the Lake District. Local farm facilitator Danny Teasdale talks with auctioneer and Managing Director of The Farmer Network, Adam Day, about the importance of building environmental solutions that fit with farmers’ businesses.

Watch: Farming in protected landscapes in the Lake District

In the second of our series of films from the Lake District, local farm facilitator Danny Teasdale took us to meet Jasmine Holliday. Jasmine is a Farming Officer in the Lake District National Park and she works on the Farming in Protected Landscapes programme. In this video, Jasmine talks about the ambitions of the programme, which type of projects can get funding, and what works best in the Lake District National Park.