WELCOME to
Holistic Land Management
A little bit about us
CONSERVATION GRAZING - LAND MANAGEMENT
FENCING & BOUNDARY - PLANTING
What we do
Holistic Land management are a small company involved in Conservation grazing and land management.
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We can supply grazing animals to fit your requirements. We know in conservation grazing
one of the most important factors is when to stop, we don't want the grazing animals to eat seed heads, this will remove any annual seeds for next years flowers, we will guarantee their removal within a small window of time.
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We can also attend to many of the maintenance and repair tasks on your estate. Fencing and boundary repairs, gates and fences, rights of way infrastructure, grazing, planting, beat up and general assistance in any land based situation.
Conservation Grazing
Conservation grazing is the use of livestock to improve the floristic nature of land. The way this happens is livestock graze on the dominant vegetation, break up the thick grass, create bare soil and allow other vegetation to invade. This creates vegetation of differing heights creating a wide range of habitats and increasing biodiversity.
Removal of livestock is important as this will allow the seed to drop and secure the plants for the next season although livestock can be used over a number of years if the area is particularly poor in vegetation and scrub has been allowed to grow.
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Traditionally Highland cattle or any of the other rare breed beef cattle are suitable grazing animals. Dairy cattle wouldn’t be used for this purpose as their digestive system cant cope with the rough vegetation.
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Highland cattle are suitably hardy animals and can usually cope with bad weather, poor vegetation and calf without assistance.
HLM have had a long association with woodlands through the Forestry Commission and the Woodland Trust being managers in both organisations. Supported by academic and land based skills therefore any maintenance, planning, advisory, grant application or management is well within our remit.
Boundary Types
Field boundaries come in different forms.
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Stock fencing:
​Traditionally posts at fixed intervals and stock wire with either plain or barbed wire as a top wire. Typically used for smaller livestock
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Post and Rail:
Upright posts at a fixed interval with rails at a fixed distance apart. Unsuitable for small livestock as they can get through the gaps.
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Electric Fencing:
This form of boundary management consists of a ring of wire supported on removable plastic stakes, a pulse of electric energy, usually 12v, through the wire. Animals receive a small shock if they touch the wire deterring them to approach it.
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Hedging:
Hedging can provide a green barrier and also a habitat for birds and insects, they also provide shelter for livestock from inclement weather and strong sunshine.
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Dry Stone Walls:
DSW are used to secure stock but also offer shelter from the elements. DSW’s have been used for approx. 200 years now which is testament to their durability however trees going near by can push them over and surprisingly moles that burrow towards them and then along them can leave the bottom of the wall unstable and prone to collapse.
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Nofence Collars:
Nofence collars were trialed in 2016 in Norway and have been improving ever since. It allows the owner to create a virtual boundary meaning you can concentrate your grazing in one particular area.
Cattle are best trained in the system. As they get close to the virtual boundary a melody rings out from the collar, if they continue they get a small shock similar to an electric fence, they get used to hearing the melody and quickly turn away
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HLM can provide repairs to most boundary infrastructure.
Planting
As part of our previous woodland management planting and woodland creation has been overseen, observing best practices, using only the best proven contractors to carry out this vital part of woodland creation and beat up.
Our Highland Cattle history
Our first two pedigree cows were purchased in 2020 now with the intent to use them in conservation grazing. Over that time, we have built the
numbers up and can now hire them out in numbers sufficient to tackle any vegetation night mare. Our cattle are regularly inspected as per industry standard and raised with high welfare standards. That said Highland cattle are a sturdy breed and can withstand tough conditions. We have some “show” cattle potential that we will explore later as our
stock is from a good bloodline, our resident bull has had a successful career in the ring, however, retired now from shows, still producing good calves.
Meet the Team
Co Director
John Butler
Having spent most of my career in Industry we moved from Manchester to the North East in 1989, I was still in industry but would break out into the countryside later.
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In 1993 I enrolled as a volunteer with Durham County Council countryside ranger service, in 1998 enrolled on a HNC Countryside Management distance learning course.
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In 2004, after 11 years, the volunteering paid off when I applied and was offered a part time ranger post with the Countryside Service which went full time some years later. In that time, I boosted, at my own expense, my HNC to a HND in Countryside management, took on a part time post with the Forestry Commission as Assistant recreation ranger, whilst there achieved a HNC in Forestry and achieved many land-based skills:
CS30-31A-31B Maintenance, cross cutting
CS36 Breakdown of a broad leaved crown.
CS48 Award in Safe Use of a Powered Pole Pruner
CS50/0021-05 Emergency Tree Work Operations
PA1-PA6.
ATV/4WD awareness
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In 2016 I landed a post with the Woodland Trust as Assistant Site Manger that progressed to Site Manger later. I was with them nearly three years and whilst there, covered in house skills, data awareness, internet security plus field skills such as:
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AWR (Ancient Woodland Restoration) Level 1
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Volunteer Management
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EPS (European Protected Species) Awareness
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Tree Safety
Co Director
Richard Wilson
Having spent my childhood playing in the countryside, climbing trees and building dens, I have managed to continue my passion for the natural environment into a career.
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My first taste of working in natural environment and conservation sector, was when as a teenager, I volunteered at a local Country Park every weekend, assisting the Countryside Rangers carry out the maintenance around park. These tasks varied so much and were outside, I knew this was an area that I wanted to work in.
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I continued my studies and I enrolled at the University of Wales, Bangor where I gained a Batchelor of Science Degree in Rural Resource Management. This gave me a broad academic understanding of Forestry, Farming and Conservation in the UK. I spent a year out of my studies at a University in America, working as a Field Assistant for some projects linked to the University of Reno, Nevada. One project was looking at the foraging behaviour or the North American Pika and the other was looking at the effects of prescribed burning on pine seedling germination within the Sierra Nevada Mountains. Both these projects involved extensive fieldwork in the mountains.
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After graduating with my degree, I moved to America to travel and assisting on more ecological surveys. These surveys were wide ranging in both geography and skills requirements. Nighttime spotlighting surveys for endangered Black-Footed Ferrets in Wyoming. Live mammal trapping in Colorado and Bald Eagle monitoring in Idaho to mention some.
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On return to the UK in 2004, my search for work meant developing and acquiring additional practical skill. Therefore, work included fencing, planting and some training with the National Trust for Scotland, getting a Scottish Vocational Qualification in Environmental Conservation specialising in Upland Footpath Construction and Maintenance. My self-employed work was mainly around the Highland of Scotland where I had moved.
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In 2006 I was offered some summer work with Forestry Commission Scotland and this was the start of my journey into commercial forestry. The training and practical qualifications I gained in this year employed by the Forestry Commission gave me the opportunity to be exposed to the highest of industry standards.
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After a move south in 2007 and a short time as a trainee tree surgeon, I managed to secure a permanent role in the Forestry Commission, based in East Anglia as a Forest Craftsperson. Within a year I was awarded the temporary promotion opportunity as a Works Supervisor. In 2010 I took the permanent position of Work Supervisor and Coldstore Manager within the Forestry Commission, which is when the family moved to Northumberland.
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While at the Forestry Commission I was promoted again to Harvesting and Marketing Forester, where I was line managing 11 staff. One Works Supervisor and 10 Machine Operators who were harvesting 100,000m3/year.
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In 2017 I took the decision to leave the Forestry Commission and my Harvesting Foresters role to gain a wider range of skills and experiences. I was successful in becoming a Site Manager for the Woodland Trust and I was responsible for the Woodland Trusts sites within the North East of England. This role was one of huge variety and variation. From manging volunteers to organising harvesting contracts on ancient woodland sites or speaking to donors wanting to buy a woodland for the Trust or a neighbouring landowner that doesn’t like the leaves dropping into their garden from the trees on our land!
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After 5 years with the Woodland Trust, I wanted to utilise my skills further than the Woodland Trusts land, so I moved back into the Forestry Commission, where I am embedded in the grants and regulations team and advising landowners on grants for woodlands.
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In 2020 during the covid times, we moved to a tenant farm in the North Pennines National Landscape. While at the farm I have been involved in the Sustainable Farming Incentive Pilot Scheme and helped shape the future grant funding, to hopefully cater better for upland farms. I have also been building my skills and understanding of livestock husbandry by managing the growing Highland Cattle Fold, as well as numerous other types of animals including rare breed sheep, pigs, alpacas, goats, chickens and bees.
