The Results of an Ongoing Innovative Farmers Field Lab Indicate That Diverse Winter Grazing Crops Offer Major Benefits to Soil Health
The trial involves farmers comparing their usual winter forage of a brassica mono-culture with a diverse, 16-species fodder crop mix – including clovers, hairy vetch, ryegrass, spring oats, kale and linseed.
The aim is to investigate whether the multi-species mix can reduce soil erosion and increase biodiversity by creating wildlife habitats while providing a nutritional crop that maintains animal health and performance.
According to project coordinator Sarah Whaley from the Farming Wildlife Advisory Group (FWAG), the beneficial effects provided by the diverse mix were evident from very early on following establishment. When compared with adjacent mono-crop fields, there was significantly greater pollinator presence on the trial side, owing to the greater amount of forage available for these species.
Invertebrates in general were also far more abundant in numbers and diversity on trial fields, which had a knock-on effect on bird numbers.