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Grazing, growth and goodbyes

Photo by Owen Jeynes

Owen reflects on the skills and experience he has gained throughout his traineeship, rounding off with learning about conservation grazing at Wyre Community Land Trust.

I can’t quite believe this is my final blog from the traineeship - the time has gone by incredibly quickly. Over the past few months I’ve learnt a huge amount, met some amazing people and gained experience that I know will be really important for my future in conservation.

Towards the end of the traineeship, we had the opportunity to visit Wyre Community Land Trust, which was a great way to round things off. One of the main things that stood out to me during the visit was their use of Dexter cattle for conservation grazing. These are a heritage breed, as well as the smallest native British cattle breed, and are well adapted to the British climate. It was really interesting to hear why they are so well suited to this kind of work. We saw some of the herd while we were there, split across different sites, which showed how the grazing is managed across the landscape rather than all in one place.

A photo of a black cow standing in a field with trees behind and newly planted trees inside

Photo by Owen Jeynes

Unlike machinery, the cattle graze in a much more natural and uneven way. They use their tongues to pull at the vegetation, which creates a varied sward structure across the site. This variation is really important, as it allows different plant species to establish and creates better conditions for insects and other wildlife. It’s a much more dynamic way of managing habitats across different sites - whether woodland, heathland, wetlands or grassland - compared to cutting everything back evenly.

It also made me realise that conservation grazing isn’t as simple as just putting cattle out and leaving them to it. Timing plays a big role - grazing at the wrong time of year can damage habitats or disturb wildlife, so it has to be carefully managed. There’s a balance between grazing enough to stop scrub taking over, but not so much that it reduces diversity. In some cases, mowing is also used alongside grazing to help manage the habitat, which shows how different techniques are often combined to get the best results. Seeing how much thought goes into that was really interesting.

We also talked about the practical side of managing the herd, from monitoring their condition to moving them between areas depending on what the habitat needs. This really showed how hands-on and ongoing this type of conservation work is.

A photo of a small herd of soay sheep standing in a heathland area with trees and scrub behind

Photo by Owen Jeynes

Seeing the Dexter cattle also built on experience I’ve gained during the traineeship on other sites, where I’ve come across different grazing animals such as English longhorn cattle and soay sheep. It was interesting to compare how different breeds are used depending on the habitat and the type of management needed and how each plays a slightly different role in conservation.

Alongside the grazing, we had a look around the sawmill. It was good to see how timber from the Wyre Forest is used, and how that links into managing the woodland in a sustainable way. We also saw bird boxes and benches that had been made from the wood, which was a nice example of how materials can be used to support both wildlife and people visiting the area.

Visits like this have helped me realise how much thought and planning actually goes into managing habitats properly. The conservation grazing especially stood out to me, and it’s something I’d be really interested in working with more in the future.

Over the course of the traineeship, I’ve built up a range of practical skills and a lot more confidence working in the field. Experiences like this have definitely helped shape what I want to do next. I’m particularly interested in focusing on wetlands and meadows in my future career and seeing how grazing can be used to manage these habitats has been really valuable.

This traineeship has been an incredibly rewarding experience, and I feel very lucky to have been part of such a supportive team. Thank you for reading my blogs over the past few months - I’ve really enjoyed sharing my journey and I’m looking forward to seeing where this path in conservation takes me next.

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