Best practice with 'hedge fodder'

[neilpw]

Being a responsible detectorist means unless there's an arrangement with the farmer/landowner to leave scrap in a designated place, leave only your footprints behind Eric

Thanks Eric, this implies we should stop using the term 'hedge fodder' and promote the NCMD code.

[neilpw]

I found these 2 big lumps in the middle of a field. Messaged the landowner to say I had found them and that I would be leaving them in the field next to the power line pole. He took them away next time he was in the field. Wasn't going to carry them too far!

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Thanks f8met, it sounds like the landowner preferred to make a trip to retrieve the objects rather than let them be thrown in a hedge. Again this suggests (at least some) landowners are unhappy about large iron (or anything wlse) being 'hedge fodder'.

[neilpw]

I often at the year end when delivering the Christmas bottle to farmers take along a photo of the rubbish cleared from their land. All are very supportive that i remove this material and it helps cement the relationship.

This is exemplary, do you retain all rubbish for a year or just large iron? Also, what are the benefits to the landowner of clearing different types of rubbish?

[neilpw]

Makes me so angry when I seen unfilled holes and the bit of junk left on the surface........

Yes this is an insult to the landowner. Also every person who sees this will think badly of metal detecting as a hobby.

[f8met]

Thanks f8met, it sounds like the landowner preferred to make a trip to retrieve the objects rather than let them be thrown in a hedge. Again this suggests (at least some) landowners are unhappy about large iron (or anything wlse) being 'hedge fodder'.

More likely he would be looking at them to see if he could reuse them.

[liamnolan]

The landowner is the one to decide where we can/cannot leave unwanted rubbish, metal or otherwise. so just ask him/her, simple as that. Large lumps of iron such as ploughshares or parts off tractors and trailers etc can be left on the side, visible to the tractor drivers, Liam

[geoman]

This is exemplary, do you retain all rubbish for a year or just large iron? Also, what are the benefits to the landowner of clearing different types of rubbish?

Always done it dropping the bits in a bin behind the shed and before it goes to the tip take a photo on my phone to show the farmer along with the returned finds for the year. Always gets some comments especially about the amount of crap that turns up in the human sewerage waste that they spread on the fields in my part of the country.

The benefit of removing the rubbish is simply to make sure that i wont be digging it up again in coming years. On the odd rally i have been on the usual practice for many is to leave the rubbish by the hole or rebury it. For the landowner there is always the issue of large iron damaging machinery such as seed drills.

Now i could always save it for the FLO

[neilpw]

The landowner is the one to decide where we can/cannot leave unwanted rubbish, metal or otherwise. so just ask him/her, simple as that. Large lumps of iron such as ploughshares or parts off tractors and trailers etc can be left on the side, visible to the tractor drivers, Liam

I suspect very few of us specifically ask the landowner what to do with large iron such as ploughshares. I'd be interested to hear what they say.

[neilpw]

For the landowner there is always the issue of large iron damaging machinery such as seed drills.

Thanks for reply. Good point about large iron being a hazard to farm machinery.

[f8met]

A couple of years ago the landowner shared a picture of a flat tyre with a piece of rusty metal poking out so damage is a real possibility and can cost £100s or low £1000s in damage. I did say i was surprised I hadn't found it.

[neilpw]

A couple of years ago the landowner shared a picture of a flat tyre with a piece of rusty metal poking out so damage is a real possibility and can cost £100s or low £1000s in damage. I did say i was surprised I hadn't found it.

Thanks f8met, it seems important that we remove large (and small) iron and other rubbish from the field to reduce risk of future damage. By doing this we are providing a (small) service to farmers/landowners. I come back to my original question: Is it generally acceptable to farmers/landowners that we leave 'hedge fodder' (including large iron) in hedges?

[Red Fred]

I give a bit of a shudder every time I hear "hedgerow fodder."The notion of detectorists discarding items in the hedge simply because they are iron fuels the idea that they are just treasure hunting and don't really care about the history of the farm. Most farmers will find as much interest in an ancient tool, horseshoe or part of grandad's tractor as in an anonymous coin. So as well as the litter aspect, there is also the image to think of.

[neilpw]

I give a bit of a shudder every time I hear "hedgerow fodder" ... as well as the litter aspect, there is also the image to think of."

I agree with you Red Fred, and so does the NCMD:

'Dispose of all rubbish responsibly. It’s tempting to just throw anything you find that is of no interest into the hedge or leave it where you found it, but again it sheds a bad light on the hobby. Always take it home and bin it.' https://www.ncmd.co.uk/beginners-guide/

Every time we use the term 'hedge fodder' it encourages new detectorists (and each other) to throw rubbish in the hedge and sheds a bad light on the hobby generally. Instead we should encourage everyone to 'take it home and bin it'.

[SimplexSimonx]

I give a bit of a shudder every time I hear "hedgerow fodder."The notion of detectorists discarding items in the hedge simply because they are iron fuels the idea that they are just treasure hunting and don't really care about the history of the farm. Most farmers will find as much interest in an ancient tool, horseshoe or part of grandad's tractor as in an anonymous coin. So as well as the litter aspect, there is also the image to think of.

I agree. I recently found a bit of scrap metal that happened to be part of a 1930's electric fence energiser. The landowner remembered his dad using it in the 1960's and was quite touched to be reminded!

[sweepstick47]

Thanks Eric, this implies we should stop using the term 'hedge fodder' and promote the NCMD code.

Absolutely right, as long ago as the early/mid 1970s responsible Detectorists have operated within the spirit of the code of conduct which was published in every copy of Treasure Hunting Magazine. In more recent years it has been updated and adopted by the NCMD, and now features prominently on their web site for adoption by their members.

Using the term Hedge Fodder flies in the face of the Code of Conduct which we responsible Detectorists have followed and abided by for some 50 years or more so it's very disappointing to see the term is still being used by some experienced operators
Cheers Eric