WaterSource Collaborative Partnership
Working together to protect our water for the future
Herefordshire Rural Hub is delighted to be working with Dŵr Cymru Welsh Water as a Silver WaterSource Collaborative Partner.
Through this partnership, we will work together to support farmers, land managers, rural businesses and communities in understanding how the way we manage land and water can influence water quality and the wider water environment.
Why is this partnership important?
Welsh Water owns less than 5% of the land within its catchments. The majority of the land that can influence water quality is therefore managed by farmers, landowners, businesses and communities.
Working together is key to protecting our drinking water sources now and for future generations.
The WaterSource programme brings people together to better understand the challenges facing our water environment and to identify practical ways in which we can all help to protect it.
For Herefordshire Rural Hub, this partnership provides an opportunity to bring together local knowledge, practical farming experience and specialist advice to support farmers and land managers across the county.
What will we be doing?
As part of the partnership, Herefordshire Rural Hub will deliver a programme of practical, farmer-focused activities and information.
We will explore how different aspects of farm management can affect water quality and look at practical approaches that can benefit both the farm business and the environment.
Our sessions and resources will focus on a number of key themes:
Whole Farm Planning
Use FarmGate outputs to understand system-wide nutrient flows.
Linking enterprise decisions to environmental and financial outcomes.
Soil Health
Improving structure, organic matter and infiltration.
Reducing compaction and run off risk in the conext of real farm challenges.
Nutrient Management
Interpreting Total P and nutrient balance data.
Identifying where inputs can be reduced without impacting performance.
Livestock Management
Grazing strategies, manure management and livestock interactions with water.
Practical approaches to reducing risk around watercourses with stock exclusion.
Grazing management to reduce compaction and run off.
Grassland mamangement including weed wipers.
Inputs (Fuels & Pesticides)
Managing input use effciently and safely.
Encouraging reduced reliance and improved handling practices.
Practical advice for farmers
The WaterSource programme is about practical action rather than adding unnecessary work.
Our farmer-focused sessions will provide opportunities to hear from specialists, share experiences and explore measures that can be realistically incorporated into farm businesses.
We will also highlight examples of good practice and share useful information and resources through the Herefordshire Rural Hub website and newsletter.
WaterSource in the Herefordshire Rural Hub Newsletter
Each month, our newsletter will feature a WaterSource theme or topical article, providing practical information and advice on issues that are relevant to farmers and land managers.
This webpage will act as a central place to find those articles, as well as information about upcoming events, workshops, resources and other WaterSource activities.
Soil Health — improving soil structure to mitigate erosion and compaction, thereby enhancing water infiltration..
It has been a summer to remember for the wrong reasons. Soils have been hot, hard and bare for a prolonged stretch, and harvest ran on ground that carried machinery without leaving much of a mark. That is a mixed blessing. Dry soil resists rutting, so the damage is...
New articles will be added throughout the year, so check back regularly.
Find out more
To find out more about the WaterSource programme and Welsh Water’s work to protect drinking water sources and the wider water environment, visit the Dŵr Cymru Welsh Water website.
[Find out more about WaterSource →]
You can also keep up to date with the Herefordshire Rural Hub’s WaterSource programme through our monthly newsletter, website and social media channels.
Working together for healthier farms and healthier water
Protecting our water is something we can all contribute to.
By working together with farmers, land managers, rural businesses, communities and organisations, we can share knowledge, support good practice and help protect the quality of our water sources for today and for future generations.