Relaxed Farming - our farm in your classroom

We keep things tidy and help prevent erosion: as well as eating grass we also keep weeds at bay because we nibble at the young, tender shoots as they come up which often means the weeds cannot develop. This is different to grass as the more grass is nibbled (grazed) the more it grows and the stronger the root gets. The roots of grass help to 'bind' the soil together, preventing it from being washed away in heavy rain. When land is washed away it is called erosion. This means that our grazing helps to prevent erosion. Having said that if we 'overgraze' this can cause erosion because the grass gets too thin and patchy!!

We also eat all round the edges of our grazing areas (sticking our heads through the fences) and so keep them looking neat. Our way of eating keeps the landscape looking good. Can you imagine what moorlands and hills would look like if everything was just left to grow??