The cereal harvest in underway and as we know, this is an important time for every arable farmer across the country. Hopefully, the weather behaves for us, and the harvest is a success. This would be against the odds of a very difficult sowing and establishing season.
But, as we know, the work doesn’t stop with the harvest. Many farmers will already be thinking of what to get in the ground to follow the cereals.
Some will opt for a cover crop, whether this is within a Sustainable Farming Incentive (SFI) scheme or not.
Regardless of whether it is part of a scheme, it is imperative to make use of the time and get it right.
What is Cover Cropping?
Traditionally, cover cropping – also known as green manuring – is making use of a crop that grows over a single winter in order to cover bare soil or stubble following a cash crop, to prevent run-off, leaching and improve soil health. This isn’t to be confused with a catch crop, which is established as soon as possible behind the combine in the summer with a view to a cash crop being drilled before Christmas.
The multiple benefits consist of increasing levels of soil organic matter, preventing run-off and flooding, capturing nutrition, improving soil structure, and increasing soil organism populations (such as earthworms and mycorrhizal fungi).
Both the new SFI and CSS schemes now enable farmers to cover to cost of the seed establishment and termination of these cover crops, meaning there are practical benefits, as well as financial ones.
Popular Post-Cereal SFI Options:
SAM2/SW6 – Multi-Species Winter Cover / Winter Cover Crops
The actions aim is to produce a well-established multi-species cover crop over the winter months in order to protect soil surface run off, nutritional leaching, and increase soil health.
This options pays £129 per HA per year.
NUM3/ AB15 – Legume Fallow / Two-Year Sown Legume Fallow
This actions aim is to establish legume fallow with plants that provide green cover in the winter months. This helps to increase nutrient efficiency, improve soil health, provides a much-needed nectar source for farmland pollinators, and can help to reduce problematic grass weed populations.
The benefit of this scheme under SFI is that you can use it as an annual legume fallow and move it around the farm every year, meaning farmers can use it as a profitable break crop.
This option pays £593 per HA per year.
For any advice on cover cropping or SFI schemes, please get in touch with us and we can help…