Growing Skills – Conservation and Biodiversity

Dear Reader

Whether you're an Agronomist, Land Agent, or Agricultural/Rural adviser, conservation and biodiversity are issues that concern us all. Understanding our environment and biodiversity is essential for making proper agronomic decisions and the BASIS qualification in Conservation Management gives a solid base to that understanding. We run BASIS courses here at the Rural Skills Centre and this month we've decided to give you a snap shot of one way to protect biodiversity: the cultivation of conservation headlands.

So, with winter approaching if you'd like to find out about any of the courses we offer on conservation management contact James Foster now on 01285 889873 or click here to email us.

If you know anyone who'd enjoy reading this newsletter please feel free to forward it onto them.

Best wishes,

James


Conservation headlands

More than 75% of the land in the UK is farmed and thousands of years of agriculture have created complex habitats and resources. Also, the way farming is practised is constantly changing and currently the move away from production subsidy to countryside management reward is impacting on all of us involved in agriculture. To implement effective farmland conservation management in line with the current climate, you need to pay careful attention to a wide range of issues such as soil, air, water, wildlife, the environment and biodiversity. The focus is on us to help maintain the natural balance that is disrupted by human activity, and conservation headlands are one of the ways you can preserve and encourage ecosystems and biodiversity.

Pioneered by the Game Conservancy Trust, conservation headlands are commonly seen as a useful way of encouraging biodiversity in fields. They are constituted of an area between the crop edge and first tramline and approximately 4-6metres wide (the width of a sprayer boom) so that pesticide application can be avoided. They are treated less intensively to ensure they facilitate the survival of a broader range of broad leaved weeds and beneficial insects. Once well established, they provide an excellent habitat for insects and the birds that feed on them, although they vary depending on how they are managed.


Tips on conservation headlands:

Despite not being treated with pesticides, beneficial weeds can still struggle with the alongside crop. In this instance, sowing the crop bordering the headland at half the conventional rate will provide better light penetration and a thinner area of crop, leading to a more successful conservation headland.

By June broadleaved weeds in the headland will be in flower. Poppies, corn marigolds, corn flowers and corn chamomile may be found. This rich floral diversity then provides an excellent source of nectar for insects, which in turn provide a rich source of nourishment for the birds.

However, this rich biodiversity also holds a contamination risk for the grain sample which can lead to crop rejection. No-one can afford this in the current economic climate. Cutting the conservation headland after you've cut the rest of the crop is one solution (by treating the grain as foodstuff for stock ultimately returns beneficial weed seed back to your land.)

Conservation headlands can flower well into October continuing to provide food for insects and other species in the food chain. If they are cut high by the combine harvester, you'll find that most of the broad leaved weeds will continue to flower and set seed in September or later.

Conservation headlands are just one way to manage and encourage biodiversity and ecosystems. To find out more information contact us here at the Rural Skills Centre.


Finally – some management ideas for winter

Plan conservation work on your farm this year. If winter is relatively quiet for you, it could be a perfect time to contact a conservation adviser, such as FWAG, for advice on environmentally friendly practices or ideas about funding and grants.

Thin overcrowded woodland. Selectively fell trees that crowd others, leaving the strongest and any that are dead or dying – dead wood is valuable to wildlife and the health of wood.

Buy seed for wild bird seed mixtures. Buying seed mixes now will enable you to establish an area of wild bird cover this spring. The Game Conservancy Trust recommends mixtures of kale and cereal or kale and quinoa for a two-year mix.

Here at the Rural Skills Centre we can provide you with all the training you need to practice responsible and effective conservation management. For more information about our courses click here, or phone James Foster at the Centre on 01285 889873.


Forthcoming conservation courses:

BASIS Conservation Management

17-19 January 2011
8-10 June 2011

BASIS Nutrient Management

11-13 October 2010
18-20 January 2011

BASIS Soil and Water

29 November – 3 December 2010
7-11 March 2011

FACTS

8-11 November – Exams 16 November 2010
14-17 February – Exams 22 February 2011

Remember: All FACTS qualified advisors need to update with the NMP course in the next 4 or 5 years to continue practising. Contact James for more information.

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