Over 30 farmers and land managers made their way to the Trinley Estate near Andover yesterday to find out more about the best ways of providing food for birds throughout the winter. Speakers included host Andrew Hughes, winner of BBC Food and Farming Award's Farmer of the Year 2011, Peter Thompson, Game and Wildlife Conservation Trust; Harold Makant, Natural England and event organiser Diane Nicolle from the North Wessex Farmland Bird Project.
http://www.trinley.co.uk/
Trinley Estate has established many different areas across the farm for the benefit of birds and other wildlife some through the Higher Level Stewardship Scheme and some voluntarily for the Campaign for the Farmed Environment. It was clear to all present, Andrew Hughes's passion for wildlife and farming, employing the latest techniques to manage the land profitably yet sustainably, whilst leaving space for nature.
The visit involving looking at many of the habitats created on the farm for birds farm particularly those associated with provision of winter seed food. As well as maize game cover crops for the shoot there are several areas of wild bird seed mix. These can be annual crops containing cereal, quinoa, millet etc or biennial mixes containing kale left for 2 years. The annual plants provide seed in the first winter and the kale in the second. Grey partridge is one of the target farmland birds on this estate and kale is grown to encourage them as it provides food and valuable cover.
The kale mixes (also containing millet, triticale, quinoa and linseed) provoked much discussion. Peter Thompson explained that kale had a reputation for being difficult to grow but many farmers made the mistake of rushing to get kale mixes in the ground in March/April. He went on to say that "many of the best kale crops I have seen are second plantings to replace failed early crops."
My Top Ten Tips for Growing Kale....
1. Good seedbed preparation is essential - get it right first time and the crop will be in place for 2 years saving you time and money over annually sown wild bird seed mixes without kale. Use stale seedbeds to clean up the ground and consider rotating with blocks of maize where more herbicides are available.
2. Soil Fertility - very important for good yields of any crop, whether for birds or us. Kale in particular is very hungry so add plenty of N; at least 60kg/ha and also think about sewage sludge and/or farmyard manure - this will help soil structure and soil moisture retention. A sprinkle of top dressing in the spring of year 2 can help boost seed production. Increasing N from 30kg/ha to 90kg/ha can increase seed production by up to 19 times!
3.Use treated seed (Ultrastrike/Combicoat) - it must be drilled rather than broadcast but it will help with flea beetle. Monitor for attack following planting so you can catch it early and treat accordingly.
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| Good crop of kale planted in early summer 2011 |
4. Do not plant too early!! Sowing kale into coild soils in early spring is a recipe for failure. It grows very slowly and is vulnerable to pigeons and slugs. Flea beetle can also be problematic as numbers peak when oil seed rape is in flower. As with any crops, soil moisture is also important. Remember kale can be planted right through to Midsummer's day (21 June).Where your mix contains cereals such as triticale which does need planting in early spring, this element can be planted earlier in the year in the same area or in a seperate block. This can help with weed control. Elements such as millet, sorghum, linseed and quinoa can all be planted later.
5.Roll to help conserve soil moisture.
6. Try not to leave plots in the same place year after year.Soil fertility will suffer, weeds will increasingly be a problem and you could have problems with club root.If you cannot rotate, consider splitting the kale out of the mix and growing in separate blocks/strips which can be swapped with the pther components of the mix.
7.Do not sow too much kale - the seed rate should not exceed 5kg/ha but 3-4kg would suffice. Dense crops can smother out the other ingrediants and make access for birds more difficult.
8. When growing more than 1 block of kale, stagger the planting dates. E.g. plant some in 2012 and in the remaining areas choose an annual mix for 1 year then plant the kale mix in 2013. This ensures continuity of cover throughout the year - essential for grey partridge (GP). GP mortality rates soar in late Jan/Feb when coveys break up and pairs form (much of it due to female sparrowhawks). This also coincides with the end of the shooting season when game cover on farms is destroyed.
9. If the kale is a little thin, sprinkling in some fodder radish or mustard in the spring of year 2 can increase seed production and cover.
10. Consider growing more than 1 variety of kale to ensure success.
More tips next time! Please feel free to add your own to the list in the comments section! Free advice on this in the Cotswolds/Dorset/Wiltshire/Hampshire/Berkshire Downs area is available through various farmland bird projects.
Contact details
http://www.naturalengland.org.uk/regions/south_west/ourwork/farmlandbirds/default.aspx
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