Spot the difference

There are two small fields at the bottom of our garden, They are owned by different farmers, neither of whom farm in the village. Normally the fields are similar, but at the moment they are very different. As usual, through spring and early summer there have been sheep in the far field. There has been nothing in the near field, apart from a couple of ‘escaped’ sheep. Every year, usually, a few cows and calves arrive and spend the summer grazing there. This year there have been none. We wondered why and have now found that it is part of the farmer’s set-aside, land that farmers agree to leave free of agricultural crops. Originally this was to curb the over-production of cereals, but now it is seen to have a more conservation role. Land that is set-aside cannot be grazed between 15 January and 31 August. I don’t think it can be cut either. (There is subsidy involved in this, but I don’t know the details and it is likely to change soon anyway)

So the comparison - the far field was heavily grazed and now looks rather nice, like the Lake District hills, well the ones that are not over-grazed anyway. However, that far field is barren, nothing is growing, except the boring grass, as sheep nibbled every one of the shoots of anything else. Whereas the near field has a wealth of different grasses and flowers. It isn’t a proper meadow with a range of wild flowers, although it did have lots of buttercups, because it is only this year that it hasn’t been grazed. It might not look as pretty to many people, but it has a lot more life about it and will be full of insects. I prefer it.