Jordan's Mill Visit

 

Over the Christmas Break I visited Jordan's Mill with family, originally it was just for lunch but as I walked around I realised there was lots of useful information for someone on a course such as Countryside Worker. I learned a lot from the Info Boards below:

• A Wholegrain is made up of 3 separate sections: Bran, Germ and Endosperm, which all contains different vitamins and minerals - often the bran and germ are removed during milling
• Agricultural intensification has lead to a decrease in wildlife and biodiversity as nature could more easily coexist with traditional farming methods.
• Try not to cut hedges in spring/ summer when they are flowering and birds are nesting
• Trim berrying hedges every other year to allow them to fruit in alternate years and so provide food for wildlife
• If you plant a new hedge, try to use a mixture of native hedge species like hawthorn holly and field maple to encourage wildlife
• Most Birds have a food storage organ called a 'Crop'
• Many farms have a 6 Metre 'Buffer' Strip between the field and waterways surrounding or through it. This increases space for wildlife, reduces runoff from agricultural products such as fertiliser and pesticide and stabilises the soil too.
• Field Margins are a popular hunting spot for Bar Owls
• Wildflower meadows are better established on poor soil. This is because poor soil conditions provide a more suitable environment for wildflowers to thrive, as they prefer low fertility and nutrient-poor conditions. Rich, fertile soils can lead to strong growth of grasses and weed species, which can out-compete wildflowers.