Wildfire of 76

[Stubby]

On 06/10/2025 at 20:36, openspaceman said:

Galloways have been used on all of Surrey Wildlife trusts sites for about 20 years and there are about half a dozen on the site in question. They don't seem to have much effect on bracken. 

 

The are using the gps neck collars on their Chobham common reserve which is much bigger.

I have just been told by a farming mate that the GPS trackers on the cattle on Harting Down are a little bit more than just trackers . With a PC and mapping you can set up a virtual fence line . If they get within 20m of it they get a small tingle if they get within 10m they get a bigger shock and hopefully turn away . 

[openspaceman]

1 hour ago, Stubby said:

I have just been told by a farming mate that the GPS trackers on the cattle on Harting Down are a little bit more than just trackers . With a PC and mapping you can set up a virtual fence line . If they get within 20m of it they get a small tingle if they get within 10m they get a bigger shock and hopefully turn away . 

Yes that is how they keep them in an area, I thought it was a sound that they associated with the shock but don't know.

[openspaceman]

4 hours ago, nepia said:

Current thinking on ragwort is that it's much less of a problem as a live standing plant; it's dangerous when dried and hiding in a hay bale

That's right, when standing and green it is unpalatable to animals but dried mixed in with forage it gets eaten.

[nepia]

It still has a place though; the exclusive foodstuff of three species of moth caterpillar that I know of and probably some niche micro insects

[openspaceman]

1 hour ago, nepia said:

It still has a place though; the exclusive foodstuff of three species of moth caterpillar that I know of and probably some niche micro insects

Of course but not in hay fields. Silage I'm not sure about, whether the toxin survives the  pickling