TWO brothers who farm on the Worcestershire-Herefordshire border have helped one of England’s leading environmental projects reach a major milestone this winter. By signing up to join Natural England’s Higher Level Stewardship scheme, John and Thomas Walker’s farming operation in the Teme Valley became the 10,000th to join since the scheme started in 2005.

The agreement means the land will now be farmed for the greatest benefits for wildlife, landscape, the historic environment and resource protection.

Higher Level Stewardship (HLS) is the top tier of England’s environmentally-friendly farming programme and HLS agreements now cover a record total of more than 977,000 hectares of England.

HLS supports farmers and other land managers financially to carry out environmental management on their land.

Payments represent an annual investment of more than £165 million into the rural economy each year; helping farm businesses throughout England generate economic growth and supporting a healthy and wildliferich environment.

The Walker’s, the current generation of one of the area’s best known farming families, run a 400-hectare mixed livestock, arable and horticulture farm. The business is managed from two sites, with one farm having been in the family since 1710, and the other bought just after the First World War.

They have a flock of 500 ewes and a herd of about 120 pedigree breeding Hereford cattle, and are proud to see their high quality organic beef being sold in Waitrose supermarkets.

With the support of the new HLS agreement, John and Thomas have decided to create enhanced habitat for wetland wildlife beside the river Teme by returning some of the fields, where they currently grow arable crops and potatoes in rotation, into grasslands for the cattle.

John Walker, who lives at Tedney House Farm, Clifton on Teme, said: “There were always flocks of lapwings around when I was growing up and it would be great if returning these arable fields to river meadows encourages the curlews and lapwings to return. Having the fields under grass will also help prevent soil and nutrients from running into the Teme and this will help maintain a healthy river, able to sustain good fish stocks and to support species such as dippers, kingfishers and otters.”

The Teme is designated as a nationally important Site of Special Scientific Interest because of the variety of wildlife it supports, including salmon, native crayfish, lampreys, bullhead and pearl mussels.

Otters are also found on the river along with a range of river birds.

As each HLS agreement is tailored to an individual farm, with a wide range of on-farm stewardship options available to land managers, the HLS will also be supporting other work that the brothers are carrying out.

Hops – a traditional crop in the two counties – have also been reintroduced on the farm and are now sold to various brewers in England, as well as being marketed as far afield as Texas.

John and Thomas have also restored and replanted more than 31 hectares of traditional damson, cider apple and Perry pear orchards on the farm. This work has already safeguarded the habitat of the Noble Chafer, a rare beetle with a brilliantly iridescent body.

Local Natural England land management adviser James Griffiths, said: “The Noble Chafer beetle depends on old, decaying wood within live trees especially cherry, plum and apple. The news that this reclusive mini-beast is thriving in John and Thomas’ orchards is a clear testimony to their dedication in providing the right habitats for local native species.”

Farmland birds such as yellowhammers, tree sparrows and skylarks will also benefit from management of the arable land and the hedgerows.

John said: “I’m very proud of the amount of old hedges we have already re-laid and restored. It is wonderful to see the large flocks of migrant fieldfares and redwings feeding on the hedges in the winter. We are hopeful that the wild bird seed mixes and unharvested headlands we’ve included in the new HLS agreement will increase numbers of birds such as skylarks.”