We went over to North Bowood Farm to meet James Bowditch.
I’m 4th generation. My family have been farming at North Bowood since 1900.
North Bowood Farm is a traditional West Dorset mixed farm. We’re predominantly a dairy
farm but we are a mixed farm so we have beef, sheep and arable.
We’re on the Brit Catchment, right at the source and one of the sources of the River Brit under Lewesdon hill. We’re right at the start of the river catchment so anything that goes wrong here will affect the whole catchment. To benefit the farms further down the catchment you need everyone to be onboard, to get to the greater good.
"To benefit the farms further down the catchment you need everyone to be onboard, to get to the greater good."
How things are changing
We’re forever getting flooded out, the bridges getting taken out and the footpath bridges
getting taken out. We’ve got numerous footpaths that are completely shut at the moment and
those are assets; we know that people like to come and visit West Dorset. And for farming
people that’s becoming a larger part of our business around here. So creating a better
environment for people to come and enjoy is going to benefit all. Anything that makes it more of a diverse environment is the right thing. We're keen to take the guidance that's been offered to us to improve the catchment.
"Anything that makes it more of a diverse environment is the right thing. We’re keen to take the guidance that's been offered to us to improve the catchment."
The future of the business
Farmers: to be here for the future, we need to remain profitable. If we’re having to reduce the size of our farms, we need help keeping it as profitable as we can. Returning just 1% on the value of your land as a return on capital is not enough. So anything else we can get into the pot to pass the farm on to the next generation in a better way than how we found it is a good thing. So this opportunity of the Landscape Recovery fund can only be a good thing.
"So anything else we can get into the pot to pass the farm on to the next generation in a better way than how we found it is a good thing."
Changes on the farm
In the last 12 years, we’ve already reduced our fertiliser use by 50%. We use our own
nutrition for the soil from the slurry that’s stored through the winter. We’re using more clover
leys and herbal leys to improve the structure of the ground to stop us having to plough the
ground so often - and this way we burn a lot less fossil fuel in the tractors than we ever used
to. It’s trying to do everything slightly greener to improve our carbon footprint.
"In the last 12 years, we’ve already reduced our fertiliser use by 50%."
What the Brit Valley Project means
Farmers are busy people and no one completely understands carbon trading and offsetting. But being collaborative and all holding together will put us in a stronger position - and a stronger position for our own local environment. Farmers don’t understand it all but having a team in front of us that does will be a great asset to us.
"Being collaborative and all holding together will put us in a stronger position."