PROFILE JT Lines and Son
Far left: There are six barn owl boxes around the farm
Left: Martin cuts and bales all his and his neighbours’ flower-rich margins in the autumn
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Our aim is to create a strong voice for sustainable nature friendly farming
“There’s more of a balance now, and I think cover crops will really help – I want to have continuous cover on my soils. And I want to work with pollinators and benefi- cial insects to create a more inte- grated system. I’ve already seen a 20 per cent yield boost in beans growing near pollen and nectar margins.
Flexible approach
“I’ve done a lot of contracting on organic farms and it’s opened my eyes to how little you can do to get a crop. More traditional, ro- bust varieties are used, so now I’m not just interested in the highest yield but in disease resistance. “And if you’re using cover crops and companion crops, you don’t need the weed control. While still doing the best I can for my crop, I’m not sticking to a rigid programme of spray application or cultivation, but using a more tailored approach, even within a field.”
Once he has got to grips with cover crops, Martin would like to reintroduce sheep to the farm and is keen to work with a mob-graz- er, possibly in conjunction with other farms locally.
“I think there are really ex- citing opportunities to work with livestock farmers as a way of add- ing something back to the land. We still have some permanent grazing and used to have rota- tional grass. We might look at ro- tational grazing again, depending on how payment systems work out, as it could bring more flexi- bility into our cropping.”
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We’ve seen a huge increase in skylarks here
Martin is chairman of the new-
ly formed Nature Friendly Farm- ing Network, a group of farmers “passionate about creating a countryside that is productive and bursting with wildlife”. Their aim is “to work together to secure better policies for food and farm- ing, share insights and experienc- es, and demonstrate that farm- ing and nature can, and must, go hand in hand”.
Voice for nature “We have a lot of support from or- ganisations like the RSPB, Bug- life, the Soil Association, Nation-
al Trust and so on, all endorsing our aim to create a strong voice for sustainable nature friendly farming,” he says. “We don’t want to overlap or
reinvent, but to bring in farm- ers not yet engaged. We need to change hearts and minds – whether it’s through wheat or barn owls or corn buntings... I think sometimes we don’t real- ise how lucky we are as farm- ers to have all this countryside around us.” The network is open to farm- ers and the public alike to join, and funding is being sought to help with organising public, farm- ing and parliamentary events. There is a lot of opportunity at the moment, says Martin, to lob- by and argue for policies that sup-
port wildlife, sustainable farming practices and fair returns for de- livering a healthier environment. Social media is a great tool for learning, for sharing stories and for reaching the public. “I think we need to have a vi- sion for 20 years’ time for busi- ness, landscape and wildlife, and then come back to now and look at how to get there. We need to make our businesses more re- silient, whether it’s to climate change or commodity markets, so that we can still make a re- turn in difficult times – some- thing previous generations ha- ven’t always focused on.”
BUSINESS FACTS
• Arable with cover crops • Boundary habitats • Bird counts
* Chairman, Nature Friendly Farming Network
CONTACT Martin Lines E:
papleygrovefarm@btconnect.com Twitter: @LinesMartin
Nature Friendly Farming Network W:
nffn.org.uk Twitter: @NFFNUK
A dyke running through the farm, buffered by broad margins, acts as a wildlife corridor, linking areas on Martin’s land and neighbouring farms
AUGUST 2018 • ANGLIA FARMER 27
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