Essentially Pentire is being managed more as a farmland nature reserve rather than a commercial farm. The emphasis is firmly on maximising benefits for wildlife. By creating and restoring habitats and natural processes, we’re accommodating the needs of our rarer species and protected landscapes.
How has that changed farming at Pentire?
Our tenant is still producing food though the breeding and raising of cattle which graze on the herb rich pastures. The number of cattle here at any one time is kept low, so the land is not overgrazed. They’re moved around the headland so that areas of grassland have a chance to grow tall and wild plants can flower, giving a home to wildlife. This includes the pastures on the cliffs where we have some of the best species-rich maritime meadows that need preserving.
Cattle are best for nature conservation as they graze off the more competitive grasses, keep scrub in check and trample invasive species such as bracken to create a mixed habitat for wildlife.
What about crops?
Crops are still grown at Pentire. Generally, it’s spring barley which provides useful supplementary feed for the cattle in winter, but also becomes a shelter for ground nesting birds, insects (including pollinators), small mammals and a huge variety of arable wildflowers. We no longer routinely use pesticides, fertilisers or insecticides on the farm, so the plants have a chance to flourish. Poppies and corn marigolds have started emerging along the field edges and we’re seeing many other species within the crops including weasel’s snout and corn spurrey. Some areas of barley are left unharvested and stubble from cut crops are left over winter, so there is year round seeds for the birds to forage on.