In upland areas, land on the valley floor is precious. Valley glaciers widened valley floors and made them flatter; also it was on the valley floor that the melting glacier left most of its load, giving a greater thickness of soil. Soils formed of boulder clay vary greatly, but some are quite fertile and their high clay content favours grass growth. Land around the farm on the valley floor is used intensively for growing crops and making hay and silage, particularly if the aspect (the way the slope faces) is south-facing for greater warmth from the sun.
Further away from the farm, the land is only suitable for pastoral farming (keeping livestock). Cattle farming (dairy if possible, beef otherwise) is more likely to be carried out in the lower parts of the valley, while sheep rearing dominates on the steeper slopes and moorlands, where the physical conditions are suitable only for rough grazing. Farming in upland areas is often described as marginal, which means that it is difficult for the farmer to make a profit or a good living from farming there. Rocky land around and below the peaks may be useless.
In some areas, especially on north-facing slopes and on lower slopes too steep for farming, confierous trees have been planted. Some of the forests are now mature and on the steep slopes of a glaciated valley is one example of diversification; diversification means that farmers are creating new and additional sources of income.
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