Wildlife and Environment

All our farms are situated in beautiful rural countryside which include miles of species rich hedgerows, ancient trees, species rich grassland and woodland. Where possible land is in Environmental and Countryside Stewardship schemes with Natural England. This has provided ongoing protection of species rich grassland, historic parkland, and watercourses along with the restoration of many 1000’s of metres of hedgerow.

A notable feature of all the farms are their watercourses. The river Arrow flows through Lower Mowley Farm and then on through The Leen; Ruddle Court Farm overlooks the River Severn at Newnham. We have worked very closely with the Wye and Usk Foundation for many years to try and improve water quality and have been at the forefront of techniques such as the under sowing of maize with grass to prevent erosion runoff.

Wildlife at The Leen has been under the careful management of Tony Norman who has a great knowledge of the countryside and its flora and fauna. Tony has spent 45 years creating, improving, and managing various habitats on the farm. We are lucky enough to have Moseley Common Site of Special Scientific Interest at The Leen. It is one of the few areas of marshland in Herefordshire to have survived the effects of modern agricultural improvement and drainage. The botanical interest of the site has been known since the 19th Century. Over 120 plants have been found on the site, including several species now rare or uncommon in the county. Along side this we have created a new wildflower meadow as part of the Coronation Meadows Project, an initiative to try and combat the disappearance of wildflower meadows across the country.