WILDLIFE FRIENDLY FARMING GUIDE |
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JANUARY Trim hedges on a 2-3 year rotation to save time and money and allow berrying plants to flower and fruit. Cutting in January or February leaves fruit and cover as late as possible. Do not spread livestock manures when the soil is waterlogged, frozen, snow-covered or on steeply sloping fields or within 10m of watercourses. Restrict supplementary stock feeding to agriculturally improved land, avoid areas of high botanical interest, steep or wet ground, woodland and watercourses. Scatter surplus grain/tailings on farm tracks, in farmyards, stubble fields or set-aside for birds. Do not plant trees on valuable wildlife habitat such as boggy field corners, flower-rich grassland and steep banks, and seek advice before digging new ponds in wet areas (these may already be valuable for wildlife). Retain old and ivy-covered trees, and avoid ploughing and other operations near veteran trees. Keep standing dead and fallen trees where they are not a safety hazard. Move dirty water sprinklers regularly to avoid run-off, ponding and worm kills. Carry out swaling of Culm grassland and heathland in suitable weather conditions. See The Heather & Grass Burning Code (MAFF, 1992 PB1029 Free). If planting new hedges, use a mix of native, locally-sourced species. Repair drystone walls when convenient during the year, but avoid frosty conditions - agri-environment schemes can fund this, and other field boundary works.
FEBRUARY Every farm is important for wildlife and action at little or no cost can enhance this value. Consider a Whole Farm Management Plan for your land - several source of advice are detailed on the front page of this guide. Avoid overstocking and poaching grassland in wet periods to reduce sward damage and colonisation of thistles and docks. Agri-environment grant aid is available in upland areas for stocking level control (e.g. Dartmoor ESA). To avoid pollution, do not spread livestock manures when the soil is waterlogged, frozen, snow covered or on steeply sloping fields or within 10m of watercourses. Manage hedgerows, scrub and trees (e.g. pollarding) on a staggered rotation over several years. Do not cut all hedges in the same year and avoid annual trimming where possible. Complete any swaling of moorland/heathland/scrub/rough grazing/Culm grassland by mid March to avoid destroying ground-nesting birds, insects and reptiles. Maintain a field margin adjacent to the hedge, preferably left to self seed, or consider sowing wild flower species. Create or maintain any sterile strips between the field margins and crop by cultivation or applying herbicide to control problem weeds during February and complete by early March to avoid damaging ground-nesting birds. Keep fertilisers out of hedge bottoms and ditches
- drive further out from edge when spring dressing headlands; preferably leave a field margin. Check the T-SUM 200* progress when considering spring nitrogen
applications. Prune old trees in orchards to increase longevity and fruit production but retain dead wood where possible. Add barley straw to control algal blooms in new or recently restored farm ponds - seek advice first. Roll/harrow grasslands and arable fields before mid March to avoid damage to nests (especially lapwing, which can nest early), but be wary of wetter soil conditions with changing climate. Consider planting wild bird cover crops. This can be done under a set-aside option or through the Countryside Stewardship scheme. Maybe use these on your field margins.
MARCH Bird nesting season underway by mid March - grass margin cutting/scrub clearance should be left until August to allow birds to fledge successfully. Finish any moorland/grassland burning by mid March to avoid destroying breeding wildlife (follow local voluntary cessation dates). Hedge, scrub and woodland management (eg, coppicing) season ends. Keep sprays away from field margins and hedges. 15 March is deadline for use of insecticides in Conservation Headlands. Wherever possible, avoid broad-spectrum insecticides and herbicides (these kill more than the target weed or insect, including rare arable plants and beneficial insects). Whenever possible, leave winter stubbles unploughed until the end of March to enable birds to feed on seeds. Take note of increasingly wetter soil conditions when planning spring cultivations. Avoid overspread of fertilisers into hedge, ditch or field margins - use border disc or adjust spreader. Only apply slurry or nitrogen fertiliser to land in spring when nitrogen can be used by crops, if applied too early there is a high risk of
nitrate leaching. Consult the NVZ (Nitrate Vulnerable Zone) regulations, which, even if they do not apply to you, illustrate best farming practice for everyone. Use the T-SUM 200*
calculation to work out when it is safe to apply nitrogen to crops, and note that this date is changing with climate change. Do not apply within 10m of surface water, including field ditches
and ponds. Wide grass buffer zones along watercourses help to reduce agricultural pollution and run-off from fields, and create new wildlife habitats, improve fisheries and stabilise river banks. The Countryside Stewardship Scheme can fund these and set-aside allows for the establishment of 10m strips alongside watercourses. Beetle banks can be created when cultivating large fields (plough two furrows against each other across the middle of the field, sow resulting bank with native tussocky grass-seed mix and do not spray). Take care with pesticides. Follow the label instructions and Defra's Green Code of Practice for the Safe Use of Pesticides on Farms and Holdings (MAFF, 1998 PB3528 Free). Observe Local Environmental Risk Assessments for Pesticides (LERAP) rules for 'no spray' buffer zones next to watercourses (MAFF, 1999 PB4168 Free). Select suitable free-draining land when planning to grow late harvested crops to avoid having to work wet land and subsequent problems of soil compaction and run-off. Be aware of changing rainfall patterns and consequently different soil moisture conditions. Pay careful attention to soil wetness, land traditionally cultivated for spring crops may well need to be left until later in the season due to the increasingly wet winters. |
