Re: Wild bird seed mixtures on organic farms

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Wild bird seed mixtures on organic farms

Gallinago 28 Sep 2009, 9:14 AM
A farm I work with has been struggling with several WBSM plots. It is an organic grassland farm on Oxfordshire clays in the Cherwell Valley.

Does anyone have any thoughts on suitable mixes for this type of site and ground preperation / establishment?

Re: Wild bird seed mixtures on organic farms

Richard Barnes 29 Sep 2009, 9:48 AM

For an overview of organic seed crops please see an article posted on our website via the following link http://www.kingscrops.co.uk/kc/pages/page.jhtml?section_name=500002&page_id=700012 - it is aimed at game cover crops but the principles highlighted still apply.

We tend to work with crops that work reasonably well in low fertlity and have few crop pests such as triticale, fodder radish, gold of pleasure, linseed (can have flea beetle problems but does well on poor soils), white millet, dwarf sorghum and reed millet (the latter two produce no seed but provide good structure supplying staging posts and prevent the seed crops from lodging).

Farm yard manure is essential (if available) and consider a green manure crop such as red clover, phacelia and mustard to trap and create fertility as part of the rotation.

Richard Barnes, Kings Game Cover and Conservation Crops
www.kingscrops.co.uk

Re: Wild bird seed mixtures on organic farms

Gallinago 30 Sep 2009, 1:18 PM
Thanks Richard for the advice and the link.

They have tried kale, trit and quinoa but it was fairly distastrous. It is a good tree sparrow area so triticale and millet would work nicely.

The plots are fixed, but presumably if they include phacelia & mustard these would act quite nicely as green manure at re-establishment. I have asked about FYM but they don't house and so it is not necessarily available.

As an aside, I have also been to a conventional farm virtually next door which has fantastic WBSMs, best I have seen this autumn (don't tell George Eaton!). Heaving with birds, with lots of seed but also lots of open patches for access. They have used a fodder radish, buckwheat, millet and quinoa mix.

G

Re: Wild bird seed mixtures on organic farms

Richard Barnes 30 Sep 2009, 5:10 PM
The farmer in question used a good dose of fym but had applied no herbicides once the crops were planted. Half the plots are on fresh ground which always helps whatever the system.

Richard Barnes, Kings Game Cover and Conservation Crops
www.kingscrops.co.uk

Re: Wild bird seed mixtures on organic farms

emberiza 30 Sep 2009, 5:12 PM

Richard nailed it, but just as an indication of the mix used for Tree sparrow on poor organic land in Yorkshire with good success:

35% Barley

40% White Millet

20% Mustard

5% Phacelia

@ 50kg per ha

at the following rates per ha

17.5kg Barley

20kg White Millet

10kg Mustard

2.5kg Phacelia

= 50kg per ha