Farming with wildlife

By Lucy Bates, Nature Recovery Champion

Wiltshire is leading the way in showcasing agro-ecological farming practices that allow nature to thrive whilst still producing great food.

Chalk and Cheese

Farming is the dominant land use in Wiltshire, covering 80% of the county. The even split between arable and grazing leads to us sometimes being referred to as ‘chalk and cheese’. Moreover, Wiltshire farmland is highly productive: cereals and oilseeds thrive on the chalk which is resistant to both waterlogging and drought.

Objectives shared by The Wildlife Trusts and the government’s 25 Year Environment Plan include halting species decline and protecting 30% of land for nature by 2030. How this will look in the farmed landscape will depend largely on new agri-environment schemes and rules still under discussion. But we can already see changes on Wiltshire’s farmland that reflect new, and sometimes a return to old, ways of working with nature.

Visible Changes

In recent years, there has been an emphasis on increasing year-round green cover to reduce erosion and compaction. As more cover crops are being planted after harvest to mop up leftover nutrients and protect the soil from winter weather, less soil is being washed into rivers.

Due to the financial and agronomic benefits of direct drilling (i.e. when the seed is drilled into unploughed soil), over the past few years you may have noticed fewer ploughed fields and more crops emerging from stubbles.

Though not always possible, this approach leads to fewer carbon emissions and better soil biodiversity, as organic matter is kept in the ground and less fuel is needed.

Photo: Grazing at Coombe Bissett Down, Louise Hartgill

As the cost of fertiliser goes through the roof, more farmers are adding nitrogen fixing crops such as clovers, peas and beans into rotations to reduce the need for synthetic fertilisers. Pulses like peas and beans not only shrink the carbon footprint of animal products by replacing imported soya in animal feed, but also provide a more sustainable plant-based source of protein for humans. Growing techniques such as intercropping (i.e. growing a crop among plants of a different kind) also increase diversity and add value.

Many more farmers have adopted Integrated Pest Management (IPM) as a sustainable way to manage pests with less reliance on pesticides. Agrichemical overload has played a part in the steep decline of insects. Using a broader toolbox, including encouraging beneficial insects, introducing disease resistant varieties and targeted spraying, offers the opportunity for pollinators and pest predators to help crops to thrive with fewer chemicals.

Maize and hybrid rye are common in Wiltshire’s fields. With a late harvest window that can coincide with wet weather, resulting in mud lost onto roads and into rivers, maize farming has a poor reputation. However, a growing emphasis on soil care is giving rise to more undersowing (i.e. sowing a crop on land already seeded with another crop) so that less damage is done at harvest and nutrients are added rather than lost.

Future Farming

Tree planting is not appropriate everywhere in Wiltshire, since much of our unique biodiversity depends on grassland habitats. But there is still scope for more trees by joining up existing woodlands, planting alongside watercourses or introducing trees as part of agroforestry systems.

Photo: Agroforestry, Organic Research Centre, Agricology

A joined up network of hedgerows, cut less often, act as ‘wildlife corridors’ between islands of biodiversity. Hedgerows are already a growing feature of Wiltshire, allowing wildlife to travel across the landscape and providing food and shelter for birds, insects and other animals.

The extensive grazing of cattle keeps grasslands clear of invasive scrub whilst supporting the production of high quality meat through more resilient mixed species swards. Increasing the amount of Wiltshire used for this type of farming will make an important contribution to the 25 Year Environment Plan habitat restoration target.

The edges and corners of fields are also being given over to pollinator and wild bird seed mixes, managed as scrub or new wetland habitat, or left to regenerate naturally, sometimes to fulfil Biodiversity Net Gain and Nutrient Neutrality requirements to offset housing development across the county.

Photo: Field edge with hedgerow and wildflowers, Martin Lines, Agricology

Wiltshire Wildlife Trust is working with farmers to join the dots and integrate best practice for wildlife into our productive landscape.

Check out the Agricology website for more information and resources on nature friendly farming: www.agricology.co.uk