Come and find the cows
Our small herd of cows conservation graze for the Isles of Scilly Wildlife Trust on the north side of St Martin's. We've been experimenting with cutting fence lines through some pretty rough terrain using our remotely controlled flail. This has allowed us to let the cows graze more extensively on land where gorse and bracken have become rather too dominant, shading out smaller plants and reducing biodiversity.
We've been really surprised how content the cows are to burrow through the gorse to find pockets of grazing. The first time we did this, we estimated there would be enough grazing for about 10 days. Three weeks later we finally needed to move them.
As the cows tunnel through the gorse and bracken they help to break it down, letting in light and disturbing the soil. All things that will encourage a more diverse flora and fauna. The only downside is that it can make checking on their welfare a little tricky, as they are so well hidden and camouflaged.