Open Farm Sunday 2014 at Allerton Project

Allerton Project shortlisted for National Recycling Awards 2014

We're very proud to announce that our Allerton Project farm has been nominated in this year's National Recycling Awards.

In fact we haven't just been nominated, we've been voted through as a finalist by a panel of 23 expert judges from the world of recycling.

A number of the other nominees are major organisations including M&S, John Lewis, B&Q, Procter & Gamble, Network Rail, DHL, npower and the Environment Agency.

We've been shortlisted in the Resource Management Business of the Year (Small) category for our farm plastics recycling operation.

The winners will be announced on 3rd July. In the meantime you can find out more about our recycling operation here.

 

 

Countryfile at the Allerton Project

Dr Alastair Leake announced the findings of the Big Farmland Bird Count that took part in February on over 500 farms. BBC's Countryfile visited the farm on a wet and windy afternoon and Tom Heap talked about the issues surrounding declining numbers of many farmland bird species.

The Big Bird Feeder was on display and Tom helped Alastair top up the feeder with the farm land bird mix, supplied by Kings.

Tom Heap and Alastair Leake

Great weather for ducks!!!



Big Bird Feeder during the winter of 2012/13

We were also finishing some ploughing when Countyfile visited. We plough in March to give our heavy soils time to 'weather' we then start planning the next crop to be sown in April/May and June.



Farmer Phil out ploughing during the filming of Countryfile

Few minutes more and its time for home.

During January and through to the end of April we feed our farmland birds a mix of linseed, wheat, oil seed rape, canary seed, sunflowers, red and white millet. This helps with a feed source during this hungry gap before spring food source become available.

Feeders in the winter are part of the recipe for helping farmland birds.

Small bird feeders at the Visitors Centre with sunflower hearts, millet and small seed mixes

During the Big Farmland Bird Count in February, Phil and Ruth Jarvis counted 21 species of birds in the half hour observation window

One of the feed hoppers observed on the Big Farmland Bird Count





Farmer Phil....counting...

 

Oil radish cover crop sown with spring oats

We have finally finished our drilling with Canyon spring oats drilled directly into the oil radish cover crop. It was wet and leathery, but dried enough to roll afterwards.

There is no doubt a disc drill would have suited the conditions better, but we've a few photos below to show the process.