Available to farmers this week, it includes a comprehensive guide of seed mixtures that will create wildlife opportunities including a new section about the Countryside Stewardship options.
“We have highlighted the environmental benefits of each option and the particular seed mixtures that fulfil these benefits,” says Limagrain’s Martin Titley.
“We’ve grouped the mixtures into specific areas and clearly identified them as crops for pollinators, wild birds, grass field margin and buffer strips. Particularly important is the range of seed mixtures suitable for pollinators which service other crops and help the environment. We include five mixtures here with slightly different key benefits but all that can supply valuable feed to farmland wildlife like butterflies and bees.”
Also included are eight wildflower mixtures, all of which contain UK native wildflowers.
“And among the wild bird mixtures is the highly successful Jack Russell mixture that is herbicide tolerant, sheds seed from early autumn and is winter hardy making it a superb feed resource for wild birds.”
HiBird Gamecover options including maize, sorghum, kale, brassicas, millets and sunflower mixtures are also included. A new addition this year is the brassica Carbon that is a kale and mustard hybrid that provides rapid cover within three months and is frost resistant. “Carbon is planted in June or July and can be even planted into cereal stubble,” adds Mr Titley. “By November it will have produced an excellent cover which will last through winter, making it a superb cover crop.”
Limagrain’s HiBird and Environmental Crops publication is available from Sophie Li on 01472 370173 or sophie.li@limagrain.co.uk or by downloading a copy from here