The Oakbank Pod

Can a working estate make more room for wildlife without compromising financial performance? Tim and Ryan visit Godmersham Park in the Kent Downs to find out from Ben Palmer, the rural surveyor who took the it to a Silver Purdey Award for Game and Conservation in 2023. Godmersham is about a thousand acres, - a third woodland, a third grassland and a third arable, - with a syndicate shoot and two kilometres of the River Stour, a Kent chalk stream. Ben's brief was to maximise biodiversity without compromising the character or the financial performance of the estate. Ten years on: lapwing from one pair in 2018 to 10 to 15 pairs, hares from two on the whole estate to more than 200, yellowhammers from two on a winter feeder to over 150, six pairs of grey partridge where there were none, three singing nightingales, and in one spring more than 30 barn owls, a dozen kestrels and 28 little owls fledged, eating 208 mice a night between them. Ben explains how it paid. The wet grassland now earns £500 to £600 a hectare in wader payments. Six kilometres of deer fence, built by the gamekeeper at 500 metres a year, lifted the arable rent from £80 to £140 an acre. Taking the worst land out of the rotation on a neighbouring farm improved wheat yields by nearly two tonnes a hectare. There is practical detail on baselining before you start, the margin template, 400 nest boxes that fledged up to 2,000 young birds this year, supplementary bird feeding through to the end of April and how a shoot of a dozen days a year funds the keeper who makes it all possible.

What is a farmer cluster, what does it actually deliver for wildlife and how do you start one? Tim and Ryan visit the Game & Wildlife Conservation Trust at Fordingbridge to speak to Megan Lock, senior farm environment advisor and facilitator of the Martin Down and Allenford Farmer Clusters. Megan looks after clusters covering 13,000 hectares of farmland across Hampshire, Wiltshire and Dorset, with Martin Down National Nature Reserve at the centre. The farmers pay £2 a hectare, take no government facilitation money and monitor everything. The results: grey partridge pairs up 147%, corn buntings up 346%, butterfly abundance up 183%, 600 Pheasant's eyes on one farm and more turtle doves on the farms than on the nature reserve. Megan explains what a farmer cluster is and what a facilitator does day to day, why a baseline survey comes first, how to monitor species, and how to get a cluster going (spoiler alert: it starts down the pub, but ultimately needs a purpose to thrive). There is practical advice on where corn buntings nest, why one farm went back to cultivating its headlands for arable plants and how the GWCT Partridge Count Scheme has been collecting data since 1933 and is always looking for new counters. Our regular bonus - Cheesed Off section, with a tasting of Lyburn cheeses, and the quickfire round: which British species Megan would be, the fossil she found on a molehill, and what frog in the ditch is. Find out more about the Partridge Count Scheme at gwct.org.uk/partridge. For independent environmental advice and seed, visit oakbankgc.co.uk

In this episode, hedge layer and countryside writer Richard Negus joins Tim Furbank and Ryan Peach in Suffolk for a practical discussion on hedgerow management, including how to tell whether a hedge needs laying, coppicing or a change in cutting regime, and what each choice means for the wildlife that call it home. Richard explains how he reads a hedge and why old hawthorn should be coppiced rather than laid. We discuss zombie hedges, staking, binding, hedgerow grants, the A-frame cutting to get sunlight to the base of a hedge and where yellowhammers and linnets choose to nest. And, of course, we also discuss Suffolk cheese. Richard Negus lays hedges across East Anglia, writes for the shooting press and is the author of Words From the Hedge. His next book, Natural Allies, is due to be out  in summer 2027. Oakbank supports farmers and landowners across the UK with independent environmental advice, quality seed and responsible conservation. Find out more at www.oakbankgc.co.uk

England, mainly the south and east of the country, is home to around 85% of the world's chalk streams. Yet these beautiful habitats are among our most threatened. Few people have done more to champion their recovery than Charles Rangeley-Wilson. In this episode we sit down with Charles, a founding member of the Wild Trout Trust and Norfolk Rivers Trust who has been instrumental in restoring chalk streams across the country. We cover how it all started, the projects he's been involved in, and how degraded rivers can be turned around with a little time and funding. As you'll hear, Charles's passion for wild trout, chalk streams, and wildlife in general is truly infectious.

Oakbank team sit down with Emily Graham from Conservation Communication to discuss the positive impact of their Upland Matters and Lowland Matters events. The episode highlights real success stories, including increased bird and insect populations, and stresses the importance of data collection and baselining to demonstrate conservation outcomes. The conversation also delves into the importance of upland management, and examines the double-edged role of social media in conservation - showcasing its power to share success stories while acknowledging the risks of miscommunication. The conversation explores the value of collaboration between farmers, gamekeepers, conservationists and policymakers, showing that most agree on key issues when open dialogue is encouraged. The podcast also covers the economic and community benefits of responsible land management, and offers practical advice for engaging the public, such as using QR codes and involving local groups, to build understanding and support for countryside management.