SRA Annual Report 2023-24: Highways referrals and soil visits
Highways referrals
The point of ‘highways referrals’ is to assess whether road flooding problems could be reduced through better management of land nearby.
Places visited by Farming & Wildlife Advisory Group SouthWest (FWAG SW) advisers in 2023-24 included Burton, Podimore, Roadwater, Spaxton and the south side of the A39 Quantock Road west of Wembdon. Ideas discussed (along the A39, for example) included ditch clearing and improvement, reducing run-off, and digging out a pond.
Soil visits
Better soil husbandry helps to reduce the run-off of surface water. Keeping soil in good health also brings obvious benefits to farmers.
So SRA funding allows for some specific visits focused on soil condition to be made by FWAG SW advisers, aside from the usual calculations about ground conditions that feature in other schemes, for examples ones to do with tree or hedge planting.
Places visited in 2023-24 included Horsehill Farm, Batcombe; Lipgate Farm, Brewham; The Newt near Bruton; Lower Farm, Shepton Montague; Withiel Farm, Withiel Florey; and Chorleys Farm north of Langley Marsh near Wiveliscombe.