Island Life Magazine Ltd December 2009/January 2010 | Page 71

COUNTRYSIDE, WILDLIFE & FARMING life insect loving birds. The educational walk ended with an invite for everyone to return to the Kings Manor Farm Shop and enjoy complimentary drinks with delicious home made snacks from the farm’s own café. Kings Manor Farm is a shining example of how a successful farming operation can be run in harmony with nature. This organic farm resonates with the sound of bird song and much time and effort has been put into land management practices that are guaranteed to conserve wildlife on the farm. As a result, grey partridges abound in the beetle banks; redshank, snipe and lapwing – a bird of conservation concern – thrive in the wetland areas; and skylarks, kingfishers and owls benefit from under-sown stubbles, the wild flower mixes and well managed woodlands. It is estimated that farmland on the Isle of Wight could support at least 400 – 500 grey partridge pairs. However, this year only 15 grey partridges were monitored for the Partridge Count Scheme. It is therefore vitally important to get more people counting their partridges, even if research into Britain’s game and wildlife. they only have one or two partridges on The Trust is also responsible for a number their land. Joining the count scheme will of Government Biodiversity Action Plan potentially help this extremely threatened species and is lead partner for grey bird. partridge and joint lead partner for brown The Game & Wildlife Conservation Trust is an independent wildlife conservation charity which carries out scientific hare and black grouse. The Game & Wildlife Trust tel: [phone], email: [email protected] Gold top' tasting for children on world school milk day By Tony Ridd Thirty youngsters from Wootton Primary authority support School celebrated ‘World School Milk Day’ for an island School at Briddlesford Lodge Farm, Wootton, by Milk Scheme. kind invitation of the Griffin family. Island NFU chairman Laurie “Parents want their children to drink milk, which included the children seeing where Calloway said: “Milk is an enjoyable and and it makes sense to give Island children the cows where milked, they then got naturally good source of calcium for locally-produced milk. When children to sample the farms finest gold top milk growing bones and teeth. It makes sense visit dairy farms they always enjoy a drink from their award-winning Guernsey herd, for Isle of Wight primary school children of milk, but when milk comes to school during a presentation in the education to have Island milk available to them in a carton which might have travelled room at the farm. After this they all at break time. It has been shown that hundreds of miles, they don’t drink it. jumped at the chance to meet the farms children who drink milk at break time We on the Economic Partnership hope young calfs. maintain better concentration levels in to build on the success of World School lessons.” Milk Day, encouraging schools to consider After a guided tour of the farm dairy, The event was supported by the Isle of Wight Economic Partnership, DairyCo and the NFU, and is to gain local John Hobart & designed Wally Farmer Judi Griffin, a director of the Isle of Wight Economic Partnership, explained sourcing local milk, with help from the local authority.” 71