The proposed new agri-environmental scheme GLAS (Green Low-Carbon Agri-Environment Scheme) is part of the new vision of Ireland being a green food producing nation as contained in Food Harvest 2020.
The GLAS scheme seeks to preserve our traditional hay meadows and low input pastures, low – carbon as it retains its carbon levels in soil through margins and habitat preservation and practices such as minimum tillage and agri-environment as it promotes agricultural actions which enhances the rural environment.
The provision of wild bird cover or flower cover crops mixes is a tier one priority environmental action initiative covered under the scheme. This is where you sow a seed crop that provides winter cover and a food source for farmland birds and insects. You may sow a combination of one or two year mixes during the schemes duration.
After the crops are sown it is usually recommended as it would in any environmental scheme that pesticides are not used. Generally at least two types of crops are grown (cereals & brassicas) and half the designated land area given over to each crop.
Wild Bird Cover Crop Mixes
Wild bird cover can be made up of a mix that is sown every year or a mix that is sown every second year. One year mixes generally contain oats or triticale and at least one of the following: mustard, linseed, oilseed rape or phacelia. Where brassicas are sown as part of a one year mix it would be recommended they be sown separately to prevent the brassica dominating over the cereal crop.
Two year mixes generally contain kale with one of the following: linseed, triticale or oats. By comparison to the other crops, kale is a biennial plant and only sown bi-yearly. Varieties such as ‘Caledonian Kale’ should be sown for clubroot resistance. Kale’s appeal is due to production of vegetation (cover) in the first year and flowers / seeds (food) in the second.
The following crop options need to be considered under the GLAS scheme:
- Maize
Drill at 20 – 30 inch rows. Plant seed at 2 -3 inches deep. Plant in May at about 45,000 seeds per acre.
Advantages
A reliable crop for holding game birds and allows excellent control of broad-leaved weeds, therefore very useful as a cover crop rotation.
Disadvantages
Does not provide food for small song birds. Can attract rats and badgers
- Sorghum/Dwarf Grain Sorghum
Drill at 22lbs and acre in May or June. Different varieties vary widely, so advice needs to be taken. Most suited to areas in Munster or South East of Ireland with a favourable climate. It is recommended to add a feed element such as millet, linseed or triticale to encourage and provide supplementary feeding for farmland birds.
Advantages
Similar to maize without the cobs, so therefore does not attract rats. Stands well throughout the winter and some varieties provides seed heads.
Disadvantages
Most varieties have no feed value so hopper feeding will be required. Does not tolerate cold or wet summers very well.
- Millet
Drill 11lbs an acre of seed at half an inch deep in May or June.
Advantages
A first class source of feed and cover that provides a good alternative to sorghum. Farmland birds and small birds love the seed. Red millet ripens and sheds first, so it is good for Grey Partridge cover. White millet lasts in the head much longer and can still be available to eat in January. Provides an opportunity for weed control and performs well in cooler growing conditions. A visually striking feed producing crop. Should be considered adding millet within maize growing areas due to its wide range appeal to farmland birds.
Disadvantages
Does not like heavy, wet soils.
- Kale
Drill or broadcast (treated seed should be drilled) from April to mid-June depending on conditions. Rate of seed varies from 2kg an acre depending on whether it’s drilled/broadcast or included in a mix.
Advantages
If the crop is grown well it is the ‘king of cover crops’, especially in the second year. It has the potential to provide two years of cover. Kale can be a cost effective option and delivers a valuable canopy during the spring. It provides warm cover, is very hardy and produces lots of small seeds that many birds love to eat. Great crop to include in a mix. Caledonian kale is recommended as it is resistant to clubroot disease.
Disadvantages
Kale can be a challenging crop to grow. You need to keep an eye on the crop as slugs and flea beetle can all cause problems during the early stage of growth. Advisable to buy treated seed to help beat flea beetle attack on all kale straights or as a mixture.
- Triticale
Drill winter varieties in the autumn and spring varieties from March to the end of May. Check seed rate with supplier as it varies depending on various factors. Generally sown at a rate of 50kg an acre. A hybrid wheat/rye crop that is versatile and increasingly popular seed producing crop. Will grow in the poorest of soils with pH as low as 4.9.
Advantages
Stands well throughout the winter and only heavy snow will bring it down. Grows well on poor ground and does not need rich soil. Excellent as part of a mix. Unpalatable to deer, rabbits and hares. Offers a good food supply well into the new year for a wide range of birds. Provides a great habitat for a number of declining species of songbird e.g. Corn Bunting, Linnet & Skylark.
Disadvantages
It can attract rats, rooks and pigeons.
- Quinoa
Drill or broadcast at around 4kg an acre from April to June. Ideally should be mixed with another crop such as kale. The ratio of seed is 1.5kg of quinoa and 1.5kg of kale per acre. Carmen Quinoa is the best variety for early vigour and standing, it can produce over 1 tonne/acre of high protein grain.
Advantages
Extremely palatable and nutritious food for both game and song birds. Closely related to fat hen it will grow in any type of soil.
- Sunflowers
Can be sown in May or June, once soils have warmed up sufficiently. Sow at the rate of 5kg an acre. Should be included with other crop mixes.
Advantages
Great source of colour and interest throughout the summer. Seed is attractive to both game and farmland birds. Dwarf sunflowers offers multi-headed varieties and excellent standing ability. Produces copious seeds which birds love to eat.
Disadvantage
Does not offer much cover so include other crops to provide warmth.
- Fodder Radish
Easy to grow with a seed rate of 3kg/acre. Suitable for situations where a late sowing is required.
Advantages
A much underrated cover crop and a fast growing brassica ideal to include in a mix. Provides a leafy canopy, a valuable pollen and nectar source along with robust seed pods that can supply seed throughout the winter. Its slow ripening process ensures it provides seeds late into the year which are loved by many bird species. Large leaf canopy provides plenty of room for birds to shelter underneath.
Disadvantages
Can become too much of a good thing if too high a seed rate is used, thus dominating other species in the mix.
Dr. Roger Drycott of the Game & Wildlife Conservation Trust says “We advocate a selection of game covers, some based on annual mixes like maize, others on biennial mixtures, including kale plus a proportion of perennials such as chicory or reed canary grass to give a bit of insurance”. These provide food and shelter, not only for game birds but also for songbirds, particularly during the harsh winter months. According to Dr. Drycott, the ‘holy grail’ cover crop would hold birds right up to late season and provide a useful food resource as well: “Crop feed value is often used up by the end of the year, leaving January and February, which are very lean months for all birds. There is still much work to be done on producing a cover crop that is going to hold birds very late and still provide food”.
Keeping it simple is the key. Perennial crops are an essential element of the conservation cover portfolio and complement the more common crops such as maize, kale and other mixtures. Incorporating perennial crops such as artichokes, crops complement mixtures nicely in terms of keeping the base of the crop warm.
Conservation grass mixtures are a key element of farmland habitats, protecting hedgerows and water courses from farm inputs. Grass margins offer cover for nesting birds, supply an over-winter sanctuary for invertebrates and are important in limiting or preventing soil erosion. Certain grass mixtures can be used for wild flower rich margins to provide a nectar rich habitat for a wide range of beneficial insects.
The creation of a beetle banks can help to naturally control crop pests by providing a habitat for pest predators e.g. ladybirds, hoverflies and beneficial insects. The banks provide habitat for a variety of wildlife such as the harvest mouse, butterflies and beetles as well as many birds such as the grey partridge, finches and buntings.
A beetle bank mixture is a blend of tussocky forming grasses suitable for beetle banks or two metre margins against watercourses or hedgerows. The mixture contains cocksfoot, red fescue and timothy. Beetle banks can be created across large fields or they can replace redundant field fence lines. Create a ridge about 40cm high and 1.5-2m wide using two plough inversions. The elevation from the surrounding crop provides improved drainage and a special microclimate. Ideally hand sown in the spring or autumn on a clean seed bed.
Pollen and nectar mixtures can contribute positively to the fortunes of key pollinators species and when well managed can help to sustain and increase their numbers from the spring through to the late autumn. Grass free pollen and nectar mixes offers an agronomic management option where grass weeds are a problem or where grasses predominate over time. The traditional pollen nectar mix (grass legume mix) can aid the establishment, particularly on heavy soils.
The grass free pollen and nectar mixes is the most popular mix and has the potential to last 5 – 10 years if well maintained. The traditional grass legume mix is made up of two grasses (meadow fescue & timothy), four clovers (red, alsike, crimson and white), birds-foot trefoil, sainfoin, vetch yellow trefoil and lucerne. The seed rate for sowing is 8-10kg an acre. It is recommended the crop be topped at least twelve months after planting to encourage deep rooting and to suppress weeds.
Research to date on crop pollination indicates that the traditional pollen nectar legume lay mixture support’s over four times more grey partridge chick food insects and almost twice as much farmland bird food and pest natural enemies compared to wildflowers or grass only habitats.
In conclusion it is probably best to implement a complimentary strategy of providing a two year wild bird seed mixture offering shelter and food accompanied with a conservation grass mixture to enhance biodiversity within your eco-system. A wide range of seed mixtures are available from companies such as Kings Crops or Bright Seeds. Take advice from your agricultural advisor, seed supplier, neighbouring farmers, to help match crops to local conditions and the relevant GLAS schemes.
Mervyn Walsh©
Gorteen Wildlife Conservation Trust 