Farmers and lorry drivers in North Yorkshire are being urged not to leave mud on the roads.

North Yorkshire Council said today people have been in touch reporting muddy roads following the recent wet spell.

It prompted the council to call on drivers of agricultural and construction vehicles to be responsible when using public routes.

Cllr Keane Duncan, the council’s executive member for highways and transportation, said:

“We understand that this is a busy time in the farming calendar, and that this year the prolonged period of rain is likely to have made conditions worse than usual.

“However, that makes it more important than ever that if farmers or construction vehicle drivers do need to use public roads, they take their responsibilities seriously.”

Cllr Duncan added drivers leaving mud risked legal action:

“If mud on the road results in injury, damage to property, loss or inconvenience, legal action can follow, with penalties ranging from fines to imprisonment.”

The council said farmers or construction vehicle operators must:

• Keep to their own farm roads whenever possible.
• Keep to low speeds and prevent mud from being deposited by removing any excess before driving on to roads.
• Be prepared to hire equipment to promptly remove deposits.
• Use authorised signs prominently positioned for road users to see.
• Clean the road as necessary during the working day and always at the end.
• Ensure that equipment and labour is available and is suitable for the soil and weather conditions.
• When using a contractor, ensure agreement is reached beforehand on who is responsible for mud on the road (signs, cleaning etc) and that suitable public liability insurance is in place.

You can report mud on the road here.

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Business Breakfast is sponsored by Harrogate law firm Truth Legal. 

Farmers and landowners are being offered free advice and grants to help boost woodland creation in Nidderdale.

A partnership between the Nidderdale Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB) and Skell Valley Project Team aims to create new areas of woodland this winter.

Anyone with a small area of land – just over an acre or less – can access grants covering 100% of the planting costs.

Alice Crosby, woodland creation project officer at Nidderdale AONB, said:

“It might be a field corner, a shelterbelt or something bigger, it is more about making trees work for you and your farm.

“Grants can be tailored and could include new fencing, gates, buying and planting trees, tree protection, and money for ten years of maintenance, to ensure that your new woodland gets off to the best start.”

Funds are available to people living in the Skell Valley catchment area for projects this winter. The AONB is also keen to speak to people in other parts of the district who might be interested in planting next winter and beyond.

More than 400 farmers live in Nidderdale AONB, which covers more than half of the Harrogate district.

Currently 8% of the AONB is woodland, including 1,245 hectares of ancient woodland. An area of 1,872 ha is planted conifer woodland, 187 ha is mixed woodland and 2,527 ha is broadleaf.

Ms Crosby said:

“As landowners will know, trees can help improve soil health, boost animal welfare, manage water flow, cut pollution and improve energy efficiency. They are also a lifeline for wildlife.”

She added:

“It’s important to increase the number of trees planted in the AONB, but we want to emphasise quality planting, as 50% of the land in the AONB is not suitable for woodland creation. We can help identify priority areas for future planting sites, as well as help safeguard ancient woodland and other special habitats.

“It’s counter-intuitive but trees can have a negative impact on wildlife if they aren’t planted in the right spot. For some species, like wading birds and adders, woodland can be damaging. So, it is important to get advice.”

To find out more, email nidderdaleAONB@harrogate.gov.uk.

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Fencing company in two-year sponsorship deal with football team

A Harrogate fencing company has signed a two-year sponsorship deal with a local junior football club.

Adam Healy at Harrogate Premier Fencing has provided a new team strip and training tops for Pannal Ash Whites Under 12s, who play in the Garforth junior league.

Andy Pears, from the club, said:

“We have 15 boys signed up for this season. We have won all our games, and are unbeaten in the league, currently into round three of the Leeds & District cup – we got to the final last year.

“We are also in the West Riding County Cup and are into the divisional league cup third round. So overall a really successful start to the new season.”

The team is set to move to the new training facilities at St Aidan’s on a Tuesday night after half term. The boys also play on a Sunday morning at the Pannal Ash Juniors club at Almsford Playing Field, next to Oatlands Junior School.

Harrogate fire station has urged farmers to check the temperature of baled hay and straw after a fire this week.

Knaresborough and Harrogate firefighters used breathing apparatus to tackle a blaze affecting dung heaps and about 70 hay bales at Thorpe Underwood on Wednesday.

There was also a large amount of straw used for bedding in the pile that caught fire.

Harrogate fire station said in a social media post that its thermal imaging camera identified hot spots at over 500 degrees. It added:

“Piles of straw like this can spontaneously combust. They self-ignite because of heat produced by bacterial fermentation. Once ignition temperature is reached, combustion occurs.”

The thermal imaging camera picks up the hotspots. Pic: Harrogate fire station

Hay spontaneously combusting is a common cause of summer barn fires. They usually occur just after the hay or straw has been baled.

Firefighters urged farmers to monitor the temperature of their hay and straw by using temperature meters, especially after collecting it from fields, and then taking steps to cool it if necessary.

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Almost 400 tractors took part in Knaresborough Young Farmers Club‘s annual tractor run yesterday.

A large crowd gathered for the start of the event, which returned after a covid interruption last year, at the Great Yorkshire Showground in Harrogate.

The tractors left at 9am and drove around Nidderdale, stopped for lunch in Pateley Bridge at noon then finished in Knaresborough by late afternoon.

The event combines fun and fundraising, by raising money through entry fees and donations for Yorkshire Air Ambulance — a cause close to the heart of many farmers working in isolated areas.

The previous event in 2020 attracted about 360 vehicles and raised over £20,000.

Passing Mother Shipton’s Inn in Knaresborough. Pic: Charlotte Gale

Showing support for Ukraine.

This event exceeded that, with 383 tractors taking part and raising £21,000.

It started as a private club event in 2012 but was opened up in 2018 to allow anyone to take part and has grown in scale since.

People lined the streets in towns and villages to cheer on the farmers, some of whom had decked their tractors out especially for the occasion.

Passing through Birstwith. Pic: Ann Lilley

Some had adopted yellow and blue to show support for people in Ukraine.

Donations to the air ambulance can be made here.

Leaving the showground.

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Nidderdale farmers and land managers are being encouraged to apply for grants of up to £150,000 as part of a government scheme to improve the area.

The Farming in Protected Landscapes grant programme has been running since July but the team at Nidderdale Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB) are eager for more people to apply.

The programme offers a financial boost for one-off projects that support one of four areas; nature recovery, mitigating the impacts of climate change, providing better access or engagement with the landscape or increasing the business resilience of farms.

The scheme will run for three years until March 2024.

In the first year alone, until January 2022, around £575,000 has been earmarked for projects in the Nidderdale AONB.

Matthew Trevelyan, Nidderdale AONB’s Farming in Protected Landscapes officer, said:

“Since the grant programme launched in July 2021, we’ve been able to provide support for a huge variety of projects ranging from habitat restoration to farm business diversification.”

“One of the great things about this programme is that we are able to help fund projects that fall outside the scope of existing agri-environment schemes. The best Farming in Protected Landscapes supported projects fulfil more than one of the outcomes.”

“We’re also keen to get project partners working together at a landscape level – after all wildlife doesn’t care much for where one farm stops and another starts.”

Some of the projects that have recently received funding include a group of dairy farmers monitoring soil carbon levels and experimenting with the new machinery to prevent soil becoming too thick to work with.

Another project will see several neighbouring farms working together to encourage endangered birds to nest on their land.

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The programme is open to all farmers and land managers, including from the private, public and charity sector, in the Nidderdale AONB, or where activity can bring benefit to the AONB.

Other organisations and individuals can apply but they must be working alongside a farmer or land manager.

Funding has also been set aside under the same scheme in the Yorkshire Dales National Park and North York Moors National Park.

It all forms part of the government’s Agricultural Transition Plan.

Those wanting to apply can contact the AONB team.

Farmers and land managers in Nidderdale are being urged to access new grants as European Union subsidies are phased out.

Payments through the EU’s Basic Payment Scheme, which supports farmers, reduce this year and will be phased out completely by 2027.

Applying for Countryside Stewardship can maintain payments during the transition to the government’s new Environmental Land Management scheme.

Nidderdale Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty is offering free guidance to help farmers and land managers with the transition.

Marian Wilby, Nidderdale AONB land management team leader, will host four free online webinars for farmers and landowners in March, along with Farming and Wildlife Adviser, Claire Foster.

Ms Wilby said:

“It’s actually quite daunting for farmers to do their day jobs and keep up with the changes and bureaucracy.

“Our aim, via e-newsletters and free webinars, is to keep farmers fully informed and up-to-date, as well as answer any of their questions on the new grant schemes to help farmers and land managers keep payments coming in during this transition period.”

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The webinars will cover Countryside Stewardship options, as well as the latest updates on the Environmental Land Management scheme, which will promote nature-friendly farming practices, and the new Farming in Protected Landscapes scheme due to launch this year.

Ms Wilby added:

“Due to this upcoming transition, our land management team is extremely busy, and it may not be possible to help everyone in the AONB on a one-to-one basis.

“Attending one of our free workshops will help you decide what options are available for you.”

These changes have an impact on all land management practices, including farming, moorland management and woodland creation and management.

Under the new schemes, farmers and land managers will be paid grants to improve the natural environment, animal health and welfare, and reduce carbon emissions.

Farmers and land managers in Nidderdale AONB can register for the webinars by calling 01768 868615 or emailing admin@thefarmernetwork.co.uk

Webinar dates
March 8 7.30pm – Upland Focus

March 11 7.30pm – Mixed Farming

March 15 7.30pm – Upland Focus

March 18 7.30pm – Upland Focus