OAKBANK NEWS AND BLOG

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

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

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...

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...

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.

[APPLICATIONS NOW CLOSED] Defra's offer of £150m capital grants for farm investment in England.

With hot, dry days dominating much of the UK and some combines already rolling across the South and East before the end of June, many...

Local Nature Recovery Strategies (LNRSs)  are spatial plans, stemming from the Environment Act 2021, to drive habitat restoration,...

There is no hiding the fact that our wildlife is in need of some help. In the UK, 41% of species have experienced declines since 1970. Farmland birds have been some of the hardest hit, with an overall 56% decline in populations in the same 50 years. Corn bunting, grey partridge, turtle dove and tree sparrow have all declined by over 90%, with the turtle dove fast approaching extinction in the UK. As farmers, gamekeepers, and land managers, many are well placed to contribute t

What is a living mulch? A living mulch typically consists of low-growing plants - often clovers or another legume - sown between or...

We held our second annual demonstration evening at Pilsgate, Stamford, on the 4th June 2025. An audience of almost 100 people gathers in...

At Hadleigh Castle, a new chapter in the landscape's history is unfolding. Beneath its ancient ruins, over 100 hectares of tired arable land are being transformed into vibrant wetland through a Higher-Tier Countryside Stewardship project. Designed to support lapwing, redshank and other wildlife, the scheme blends ecology with regenerative farming, using native grazing livestock, predator-proof fencing, and expertly crafted habitats.

The term " regenerative agriculture " has rapidly gained traction in recent years, for better or for worse, but what does it really mean?...