Churchyard Scything with Austrian Scythes – and manual baling
by Angus, 9 June, 2013, 4 comments
Sion Jinkinson has two aims in life: to promote biodiversity and to keep traditional crafts alive. So scything old churchyards satisfies both objectives - these churchyards are often neglected habitats which are havens for wildlife and scything means the grass is cut unevenly and not too short.
This is part of The North Wales Wildlife Trust's "Living Churchyards" project and has led to a way of baling up the cuttings into what Sion calls "Holy Hay Bales". Instead of relying on mechanised large-scale baling machines he uses a manual hay baler (as pictured below). These are a sort of alternative technology which is now also adopted in Africa and plans for such balers are available on the internet. Read more...
