We are delighted to have a stand and be presenting at this year’s hotly anticipated Agroforestry Show at Woodoaks Farm in Hertfordshire.
The big reveal is that by invitation from the farm owners, the Soil Association we planted a 60m long buffer strip of willow back in March. This includes short runs of:
The buffer strip was planted with the help of farm manager Steve Dutch and the brilliant interns from Mission EmployAble.
Will Macalpine with the 40cm willow setts planted in March 2025.(Picture courtesy of Sue Lacey).
Will, Kevin and the Mission Employable Team after a successful days planting. (Picture courtesy of Sue Lacey).
The idea behind this was to showcase the productivity, growth rate and yield potential of the SRC varieties and their ability to grow under organic conditions. However, in the longer term the hope is for the willow to be used to produce fodder for animals and provide a source of ramial wood chip for other crops.
As most farmers are only too aware it’s been a dreadfully dry summer but the willows have come through relatively unscated. They are certainly shorter than they would be in a more typical summer but have pretty much all survived. I haven’t seen the willows for a few weeks and I am hoping the recent showers will have giving them a bit of a boost. Fingers crossed they will be as tall as me!
We are hoping to change a few people’s minds this week. Our view remains that if we are trying to fight climate change we need crops that can work on a number of fronts:
We are showing people around the trial on
We look forward to seeing you there.
Watch these two videos to see the progression of the trial. We’ve certainly got a sun tan from working on this project!
