The wildlife and workings of Hope Farm
Find out more about Hope Farm and why we are interested in farming, read the latest updates from the farm, and see how our work is benefiting the birds and wildlife that make lowland farms their home.
About the farm
In 2000, we purchased Hope Farm, an arable farm in Cambridgeshire. It is contract farmed by one of our neighbouring farmers.
Bird numbers taking off
Since 2000, we have seen a steady rise in numbers of arable farmland birds breeding at Hope Farm.
Setting a baseline
In our first two years, we collected baseline data on the farm’s wildlife in order for us to see the effects of our experimental techniques.
Latest news
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Agriculture Bill – things are about to get real
Tom Lancaster, Principal Policy Officer, provides an update on the Agriculture Bill This week, the Government’s new Agriculture Bill will get its second reading in the Commons. As the first opportunity for MPs to debate the Bill, and all that it mean...
Posted 09/10/2018 by Kathryn Smith -
Squeaky bum time for farming and wildlife
By Tom Lancaster - Principal Policy Officer, Agriculture for the RSPB As conservationists, we’re sometimes accused of being hyperbolic, evoking the threat of ecosystem collapse in every tweet, blog or magazine article. With recent studies suggesting ...
Posted 23/08/2018 by Kathryn Smith -
Movement on rural policy in Scottish Government
A Scottish Government consultation on a transition to a new rural policy closed last week. The theme was ‘Stability and Simplicity’, setting out plans to make the next few years as smooth as possible for land managers and rural businesses as we trans...
Posted 17/08/2018 by Kathryn Smith -
A hard year for crops and wildlife means early preparation for winter at Hope Farm
Blog post by Derek Gruar, Senior Research Assistant, RSPB Centre for Conservation Science and Georgie Bray, Hope Farm's Assistant Manager. Farming is a rewarding but very challenging test of resilience for many reasons. This year has been particularl...
Posted 16/08/2018 by Kathryn Smith