OAKBANK NEWS AND BLOG

As I made my way to Oxford for my second year at the Conference, the weather warnings made a part of me wonder if we’ll all end up snowed‑in together in the Examination Rooms, Ministers included. It would certainly allow plenty of time for the kind of in‑depth conversations farming needs right now! Joking aside, the Oxford Farming Conference always feels like the perfect place to take stock of where policy in practice is heading, particularly in England. December brought some

The following are good reasons for pruning broadleaf trees in your woodland: to clear rides and tracks for safety reasons to improve appearance to improve the form of the trees for timber and therefore value purposes, i.e. formative pruning   This article covers the last two.   What is Formative Pruning? Formative pruning is an operation carried out on young trees with the objective of ultimately producing a single straight stem of at least 3 m in height with small branches t

Today, the Department for the Environment Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) has published the new Environmental Improvement Plan (EIP) for England , - a "detailed roadmap" to deliver legally binding environmental targets under the Environment Act 2021. Alongside the EIP, the government has announced £500 million in public funding for Landscape Recovery , designed to leverage private finance such as Biodiversity Net Gain units and carbon credits, and £85 million to improve and r

This month we bid fond farewell to Ian Gould, who retires from the Oakbank business at the end of 2025, and Jamie Gunn, who is beginning an exciting new chapter in the North of England. We salute their achievements and celebrate how Oakbank-trained talent is helping shape the UK countryside and our industry. Ian Gould: cover-crop revolutionary As co-founder of Oakbank alongside Tim Furbank, Ian has spent more than two decades setting Oakbank up for success as a centre of exce

When planning new tree planting, increasing the diversity of our woodlands is an important way of strengthening them against future threats, such as changing temperature, pests, diseases, wildfires and winter storms. This diversity includes the age and species of trees and the provenance of the plants (i.e. where they come from). Different species will adapt in different ways, so planting lots of different species spreads the risk and increases resilience to a wider range of

As the next Ashes series looms on the cricketing calendar, it’s timely to reflect on how the iconic contest between England and Australia creates a broader spotlight on the raw material behind cricket bats. The sport depends on quality timber from English willow and growing that timber may offer opportunities for landowners. When a bat made from prime English willow is used in Tests, from the famous stroke-play of national heroes to the domestic grass-roots club games that fe

There’s never a day without food on the ground at Brewery Farm, Suffolk. That’s how farmer and keeper Graham Denny has managed to ring over 80,000 birds across his 200-acre holding - proof that when supplementary feeding is done right, it transforms the fortunes of farmland wildlife. Graham’s approach is simple but relentless. Most mornings through winter, he’s out on the quad scattering seed by hand; feeding along the hedgerows and into the cover crops where the little birds

Defra confirms a one-year Countryside Stewardship Mid-Tier extension for over 5,000 English farmers, offering payment continuity and environmental delivery support.

At Oakbank, we spend a lot of time helping clients design and establish new hedge plantings. Done well, they can transform a farm - in...

We spend most of our time working away, alongside farmers, landowners and estate managers, helping to design and deliver habitats that...

Supplementary winter feeding bridges the "hungry gap" for farmland birds from December to April, when natural seed sources run low. Under Countryside Stewardship (AB12) and Sustainable Farming Incentive (SFI, AHW2), farmers supply a compliant seed mix weekly across a minimum of two feeding sites per hectare. Using small seeds alongside cereals, feeding little and often and placing feed near existing habitat helps support species such as yellowhammer, corn bunting, linnet and

The start of August saw us welcoming our newest member to the Oakbank team. Max Cowell is currently studying at Harper Adams University...

This season is the first where growing a cover crop after maize is funded under the Sustainable Farming Incentive (SFI) 2024, offering...

You can hardly go to an arable farming event without hearing about "cover crops" and "catch crops". But are they worth the space, time...

August is a critical month for game cover management. By now, the season’s early optimism has given way to reality: some plots look...

Version 3 of the Woodland Carbon Code (WCC), the quality assurance standard for verifying woodland carbon credits in the UK, was unveiled...

Herbal leys are more than just a latest fashion in livestock grazing swards - they play a strategic role in arable rotations, delivering...

Discover how to make the most of the England Woodland Creation Offer (EWCO) including tree survival during extreme drought - with innovative mulching, GPS planning and sustainable grant-backed solutions.

Harper Adams placement student Louise Webster reflects on her year with Oakbank - from woodland planning and environmental surveys to Groundswell and social media strategy.

Maximising IPM and soil health with well-designed companion crops under IPM3 / CIPM3. Establishment guidance, research and practical tips.