River Tud Farming Cluster
About this cluster
River Tud Cluster Group
Farming is faced with numerous challenges, from climate change, biodiversity decline, and loss of subsidies through to the uncertainties of global commodity prices, and the benefits of large-scale cooperation amongst farmers is becoming ever more apparent.
Reflecting on many successes of cluster groups around the country, farmers and landowners in the River Tud catchment have come together with a focus on water quality improvement and biodiversity enhancement within the wider farming landscape.
The River Tud Cluster Group begins with the headwaters of the River Tud to the southwest of Dereham, following the path of the river until it joins the River Wensum at Hellesdon. Initially, the group is funded through Anglian Water’s Get River Positive campaign.
Cluster groups
Interests of the Cluster
- Nature-based solutions to water quality and availability
- Species monitoring, and improvements to habitats on a farm-scale
- Delivering biodiversity improvements on a large scale across the cluster
- Increasing resilience through changing farming practices
Meetings take place roughly quarterly, with external speakers and experts on topics the group are keen to increase their knowledge on. Farm walks provide the opportunity to put new information into a farm context.
Rewarding
Why join this Cluster Group?
Meet other local farmers and hear how they are operating in one of the most difficult areas to farm in the country
Hear from topical experts, sharing best practice on a variety of farm capital from woodland, to ponds, to soils
Access unique funding opportunities, coordinated by Norfolk FWAG, as they leverage landscape-scale funding streams
Visit other farms in the area and identify collaborative opportunities, such as equipment sharing
Share your challenges with others who understand
Contact Us
How to join a Cluster Group
The cluster is free to join, and there is no obligation on attending. If you are a farmer or landowner farming in the River Tud catchment area and are interested in joining the cluster, please contact Sasha Wells.
Projects
Our Current Projects
Working with Water
Funded through the Royal Countryside Fund, and in partnership with Water Resources East and the Norfolk Ponds Project, the Working with Water programme is a series of events which focuses on how farms can utilise Nature-based Solutions and ponds to protect, manage, and restore ecosystems, including water and soil. Climate change is intensifying
Conservation in Schools
Bringing Conservation to the Classroom At Norfolk FWAG, we believe that conservation belongs not just on farms and in nature reserves – but in the classroom, too. That’s why we’re proud to launch our Conservation in Schools programme: an exciting six-week educational initiative designed to connect children with the natural
Norfolk Venison Strategy & Norfolk Deer Strategy – Crowdfunding Seeking Support Now!
Norfolk FWAG are currently seeking financial contributions, via a crowdfunding campaign, to develop a Norfolk strategy to better manage deer populations, and ensure venison can enter the local food chain. Through working with our membership and partners, including the Broads Authority and Forestry Commission, it has been identified that deer