Changes in farming practice threaten the future of hay meadows.
The Yorkshire Dales Millennium Trust has come up with a
rescue plan
Photograph from Yorkshire Dales National Park
Save our hay meadows
Changes in farming practice threaten the future of hay meadows. The Yorkshire Dales Millennium Trust has come up with a rescue plan
Photograph from Yorkshire Dales National Park
Upland hay meadows are important because of their high botanic diversity with over 30 species per square metre. They provide habitat for a wide variety of fauna including nesting birds and are a major part of our rural heritage.Changes in farming practice, in particular ploughing, re-seeding, silage management and addition of inorganic fertilisers, have lead to a dramatic decline in the extent and diversity of traditional hay meadows. The Yorkshire Dales Millennium Trust three-and-a-half-year project aims to restore and enhance 120 ha of upland meadow and 100 ha of lowland meadow throughout the Dales. Providing advice on meadow management and restoration is also a key objective, with training events planned for the following years. Work to restore the meadows involves harvesting seed from species-rich donor sites by taking a cut of green hay. The seed is transferred to a carefully selected local receptor site by strewing the hay while it is still green. Seeds then fall as the hay dries introducing a variety of traditional meadow species.Donor farmers are paid between �240-400/ha for the green hay harvested. This payment should cover costs of buying in any replacement hay as well as provide a good price for the valuable seed.
To find out more about the project visit www.ydmt.org.
