Cover Crops Day

In England, cover crops have become an important component of either an Entry Level or Higher Level Scheme. In Wales, they are an option within a Tir Gofal agreement but the forthcoming Glastir agri-environment scheme, beginning for some in 2012 and which will have entirely replaced both Tir Cynnal & Tir Gofal by the start of 2014, has a much greater emphasis on the place of cover crops as a mechanism to break up the monoculture of grassland. Under Glastir, farmers will able to buy into a package of options for songbirds or butterflies/bumblebees for example by using cover crops.

With Glastir very much in mind, FWAG Cymru & the Green Shoots (North Wales) project of the British Association for Shooting & Conservation (BASC) got together with Kings Game Cover and Conservation Crops and the RSPB to look at the range of crops available to the farmer and land manager at a piece of land near Bronington, Whitchurch in early November by kind permission of Gerard Williams.

Lesley Cowhig of RSPB told delegates of the wide variety of songbirds attracted to cover crops and explained how some species such as finches preferred grains whilst others such as the buntings preferred the smaller, oilier seeds such as quinoa or millet. By using the RSPB "key bird species map" it was therefore possible for farmers and their advisers to tailor the cover crops to the specific species likely to occur within their locality.

Out by the plots, Richard Barnes & Meehal Grint of Kings Game Cover and Conservation Crops took the delegates through the range of crops available to them, the agronomy of each crop and explained how Kings are able to bespoke cover crops to each situation by working hand in hand with farmers although often they have suitable mixes within their extensive catalogue. This starts with simple grass and flowering plant mixes for conservation headlands through to 5 way mixes or more tailored to give a food source throughout the winter months. It was pointed out that it was especially beneficial to have about 1/3 of any cover crop as a perennial and Kings have recently developed a mix called "Kings Leave it" that develops more and more seed as it matures over the years.

Incisive questions explored crops at over 1200 feet to the best crops to negate the problems of pest damage caused by corvids to badgers playing in a stand of maize to using cover crops to provide windbreaks.

By having the opportunity to see all the types of crops being grown, delegates took away new ideas, new crops that perhaps they had not thought of and many expressed a keen interest in trying something new on their land.