Our Black Rocks are such great birds .. still deep winter, yet lots of eggs coming now. we have not fixed the theft issue at the farm gate but plenty of eggs for sale at the farm itself.

Loving these new Zero-Waste Beeswax Food Wraps, such fun to make, and great way to reduce our plastic use. Looking forward to adding new designs. If you have 100% cotton fabric that complements your kitchen colours that you would like to be made into wraps, or buy any of these sets, please get in touch. 

Zero waste alternative to cling wrap, a clean way to Wrap food; make pouches; cover dishes
Unique designs using Recycled fabrics
100% cotton, Beeswax, Coconut Oil, Tea Tree oil
Hand Made In Benderloch
LOVE YOUR WRAP : Ecofriendly food storage solution

The warmth of your hand will mould it to shape,
And the cold of the fridge makes it more solid
Perfect for snacks, lunches, bowls, covering food
Wash with cold water
Not suitable for machine washing or microwave
Not for use with raw meat.
Lasts for months then fully compostable : Large cloth that you can cut into the sizes you need
Any beeswax aroma and residue will dissipate with use.
Refresh by warming in a oven on a metal tray for a few minutes

Spent the morning chipping elderberry & alder brash on to young hedgerow planting .. good for them, but so much more :-
– pruning the elder has regenerated it so it will crop better in the coming years, giving us elderflowers and elderberries to make yummy things of and valuable for pollinators and wild birds. 
– our sheep browsed on the brash in the summer raising their nutrition. 
– the larger parts are great kindling
– some will be poles
– the chippings will protect the saplings from competition
– they will also boost the mychorrhizal activity in the soil
– they will directly feed the soil
– kept me warm 
#livinglarders#permaculture#woodland#hedgerow
So many benefits from a simple job .. and giving thanks for being able to do this as I recover from Fibromyalgia, being outside regenerating our small patch of land is a big part of that recovery. 
(into Oban in the afternoon with Food Hub sales.. and a good raid around charity shops . .. and a Score of a couple of Jacob Sheep teatowels & some beekeeper journals for homework .. fancy that !)

Our wild bird population is very healthy .. we do not feed all year, but these flower basket seed/fat ball feeders are really popular when they come out.. and the starlings are here in numbers. Noisy, active acrobats, Fortunately there is plenty to go around and they move on to let the other birds take their turn.

https://www.gwct.org.uk/blogs/news/2019/january/secure-your-place-the-future-of-farming-and-agriculture-conference/
There are a lot of conferences around and a lot of changes happening, what will be the outcome ?

Providing a platform for senior decision makers to discuss the key issues within UK Agriculture, Westminster Insight’s timely conference, The Future of Farming and Agriculture Conference, will feature contributions from industry leaders such as the NFU, WWF, and DEFRA.

Unpacking the UK Government’s ground-breaking new Agriculture Bill, the legislation aims to be the basis for a more progressive, profitable and sustainable environment for British farmers, as we move on from the EU Common Agricultural Policy.

Our young guineas are getting more confident and ranging over their prospective territory .. hoping they will be on tick munching patrols across the paddocks as the spring comes. They drop in to the yard every so often to check up on us .. they are so much fun, and soo pretty. 

This is definitely US .. every day something is happening to improve our farm ecosystem, to benefit the natural history around us, that in turn benefits the livestock and harvest.
https://www.nffn.org.uk/  Join this as farmer or member of the public

What is the Nature Friendly Farming Network?

Our Manifesto
The landscape in the UK is shaped by farming. Yet not all change in recent times has been desirable; soils have been depleted, water courses degraded and nature has struggled to cope with the pace of change. We have seen declines in over 600 farmland species over the last 50 years. However, many farms are bucking this trend. Soils are being restored, nature is thriving and if more follow this lead we can reverse these declines. With over 70% of the UK being farmland, we need to act now to deliver for wildlife at a landscape scale.

This manifesto seeks to unite the many farmers who are passionate about wildlife and sustainable farming by providing a collective way forward: creating a nature friendly farming network.

The network is open to farmers and the public alike. We will use it to raise awareness of nature friendly farming, share insights and experience and work together for better policies for food and farming.