In message l.net,
Dave Liquorice writes
On Thu, 23 Jan 2020 21:24:31 +0000, Tim Lamb wrote:

I have had Sheep grazing for the last few weeks and am now running out
of suitable weather (no rain/drizzle as you then can't see out of the
cab) and preferably no bright Sun for the same reason.

Get yer billhook out an' lay 'em properly. Stock proof, RSPB
friendly. Of course you can't lay 'em properly as there's nothing to
lay, having been flailed for the last few decades... B-(

Hedge laying died out with WW2 on this farm. Food production took
priority and Land Army girls did not have the skills.
I took on linear spinneys!
A downside of laying a hedge is that it can only then be flailed *down
the grain* otherwise the machine picks up and eats whole limbs!
An upside here is that no hedges have been lost and birds do find enough
cover to nest.

Various permutations of CAP payments have encouraged a range of managed
hedges to cater for nesting preferences.


--
Tim Lamb