Take Cover

I know Winter seems like a long way away but as farmers we have to make preparations for crops sometimes years in advance, crop rotation (remember that from school history lessons, the Agricultural Revolution, Jethro Tull & all that) is a real thing and we really need to know what we will be growing in which field in years to come.

We try to do our bit for wildlife and the birds, we fed tons of Wild Bird food during the snow and most of the Winter down our fields to keep the hedgerow birds fed and healthy as well as filling our bird feeders in our garden, it’s just bird feeding, but on a much larger scale.

This year we are planting some crops that won’t be harvested so that the birds have food for the winter and they can feed themselves, this cover crop also provides the birds with shelter and hopefully this will support the local wildlife too. I’m sure that we will be posting photos as this unusual crop grows and is left after all the other crops are harvested on our farm. This is a most unusual idea and hopefully it will be a success and we will continue this for years to come.

We have planted the equivalent of over seven football fields in size and the seeds we have sown into this is a mixture of Millet, Linseed, Buckwheat, Mustard, Wheat, Barley, Triticale and Oats. These are seeds that some of you will recognise from our ingredients in our bird foods and has been specially mixed to provide the best nutrition and shelter for as many birds as possible.  We planted this cover crop this week and some of you will have seen my Facebook post all about how I rolled this crop in, it’s been all hands on deck this week as we have been super busy here on the farm and in the manufacturing shed too.

The garden birds are so busy at the moment, baby birds are everywhere, we spotted some house martins just arriving and a pair of swallows were seen in the farmyard last week too so although they are much later in arriving than in previous years at least they are here and busy nesting in their usual spots in the old farm buildings where they won’t be disturbed.

Hopefully you are all enjoying your birdwatching at the moment and with the lovely weather we are enjoying, the summer feels like it’s here already. I have to keep filling the bird bath, which is a nice change from all of the rain and cold weather of previous months. Its also a good idea to keep your bird tables clean and not leave uneaten food about as it can attract rodents or cause disease , plus bird droppings can transmit parasites which could be fatal to young or indeed any birds.

Our Laverock High Energy Wild Bird Food is a great food for this time of year as it provides all of the nutrition needed for all types of birds and is a good source of high energy food as it contains sunflower hearts, groats, pinhead oatmeal and mealworms which are loved by most garden birds.

https://www.laverockhallfarm.co.uk/wild-bird-food/high-energy-wild-bird-food-12-55kg-detail