The Kennet Valley is leading the way in adopting water friendly farming practices, with farmers like George Hosier and estates including Ramsbury Estate trialling new methods all the time.
Latest events and workshops are listed here.
During 2015-16 Action for the River Kennet, in partnership with Catchment Sensitive Farming, Thames Water and the Campaign for the Farmed Environment is running a series of cover crop trials and free demonstration workshops for farmers.
A cover crop is a crop planted primarily to manage soil erosion, soil fertility, soil quality, water and weeds.
The farm trials are testing how different species and mixes of crops perform, by sowing plots with different combinations of crop, then analysing the soil and measuring the water quality of water runoff from each plot.
For more details contact Tim Clarke 07713 333196.
The project also provides advice on safe use of pesticides, particularly ‘metaldehyde’, which is used to control slugs.
Metaldehyde is a problem in the Kennet Valley because traces have been found in the drinking water supply to Reading.
