PGP SERVICES

We can provide help at two levels.: ADVICE and MACHINERY HIRE. This page sets out both aspects.

There are many local people who provide independent services and resources of a varied nature to be found on the OTHER SERVICES page.

ADVICE

Our experts can, if requested, give three kinds of advice:

(1) Botanical survey. We can identify the flowers and assess the condition of the grassland for wild plant species.

(2) Management options. We can advise on the possible courses of action, on the basis of the present condition of the fields and the owner’s objectives. We would also advise on the suitability of our machinery for management.

(3) Sources of help, such as grants, buyers of hay, availability of stock for grazing.

If you would like to request advice, Click here to go to the contact page.

MACHINERY HIRE

Our management operation concentrates on small, irregular fields with poor access, on rough or steep ground. These fields are difficult and expensive to manage with machinery, which is why many have fallen into disuse, or have been under-used and have degenerated into bracken, bramble and scrub. We are also willing to help with "ordinary" fields within our capacity, though we do not want to compete with other contractors, and we are happy to pass on jobs if we cannot fit them in.

If you wish to discuss the management of your grassland we will be pleased to offer you advice.  There is no charge for that service; the cost of machinery hire, including personnel, is currently £28 per hour.

Our machinery is operated by trained and experienced personnel who are covered by the insurance that we hold with the NFU.

We currently operate the following machinery:

Vithar 700 AR Tractor	An Italian Alpine articulated tractor with 4 wheel drive
Dragone Flail front mounted	Pulverises bracken, bramble and scrub
Bracken Bruiser	Small ridged roller which crushes bracken
Disc Mower front mounted	Cuts hay very efficiently
Hay Turner and Rower Up	Rear mounted
Fence Post Basher	Drives fence posts into soil efficiently
Large Trailer	Long wheel base
Strimmer, Brush Saw	To cut areas not accessible to tractors

The machinery can only be hired by members of the Parish Grasslands Project, and used by designated operatives.

Work that we can carry out for you:

Flailing

At various times in the year the flail can be used to control the growth of bracken and other invasive species, typically round field edges.

Topping

This can be carried out on fields with rough tufty grass.

Hay

If we have not worked your field before we would like to make a visit before commencing.  It is vital to be sure that the field is free of ragwort. Some fields need to be flailed round the edges to control bracken. Other fields may have overhanging branches which make it difficult to dry the hay. We are currently using the Cowshill Farm Welger baler for haymaking, which can reach fields which are inaccessible to a conventional baler. This produces large round bales, of about 4 feet in diameter and 4 feet wide. Please indicate whether you want the bales to be taken away. We should point out that haymaking is the most weather-dependant, time-consuming, and therefore costly of our operations.  In recent summers it has also been difficult to find a suitable timeslot. We need to start in dry conditions, with the prospect of a run of about five following dry days. This gives us time to cut the hay, return a day or two later to turn it, and finally to come back to row-up, bale and cart the hay. 

Clearance

For fields which have become seriously overgrown, the flail is the most effective way of controlling thick bramble, bracken and scrub. If we can push over scrub and small trees the flail will reduce these to small pieces.

Fencing

We can put in a line of fence posts using the post basher and tractor. This is a relatively quick operation which saves hard labour.

Charges

All work will be carried out at an hourly charge of £28, which commences when the equipment leaves Cowshill Farm, and ends when it returns. If equipment is left in your field overnight you are not charged.

To hire the machinery, or to obtain advice on managing your grassland, in the first instance contact Mike Topp, Harthill Cottage, Hewelsfield, Lydney, GL15 6TZ, tel 01594 531496, mike.topp@yahoo.co.uk

The machinery was purchased with grant aid from the following bodies:-

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