AHL2 - Winter Bird Food

[Huno]

If you read the DEFRA science based evidence spreadsheet you will see that all SFI options are nothing to do with farming at all but they do at least acknowledge loss of production depending on what you select.

 

[chipchap]

Why aren’t the seedsmen incorporating more cheap ingredients into these SFI mixtures?

I reckon there’s a place for more white mustard, linseed, phacelia, borage, quinoa, sunflowers etc.

The good lord will also provide plenty of species of his own.

 

[Humble Village Farmer]

Why aren’t the seedsmen incorporating more cheap ingredients into these SFI mixtures?

I reckon there’s a place for more white mustard, linseed, phacelia, borage, quinoa, sunflowers etc.

The good lord will also provide plenty of species of his own.

Let me ask you the same question in a different way: Why can't farmers work out their own mixes to suit their own land and system?

I have been buying straights and mixing my own for years and saved a fortune.

The ready made mixes are full of cheap ingredients; they're just not sold cheap.

 

[Huno]

Government ensures food production remains primary purpose of farming

The government is introducing new measures to limit the amount of land farmers can take out of productive actions under the Sustainable Farming Incentive (SFI)

www.gov.uk

 

[Steevo]

Let me ask you the same question in a different way: Why can't farmers work out their own mixes to suit their own land and system?

I have been buying straights and mixing my own for years and saved a fortune.

The ready made mixes are full of cheap ingredients; they're just not sold cheap.

Excellent point. The suppliers know what farmers are being paid so are producing mixes to extract as much of that money from farmers as possible. Once again it's a managed margin situation.

The farmers are the ones being farmed.



Most farmers lack experience (and time!) and rely on the "advice" of others.....which costs dearly because the suppliers know farmers lack the experience and so are able to rip them off.

Convenience costs an awful lot nowadays - and trust is severely lacking throughout the supply chain.

I think the experience and market will develop more in the coming months/years.

 

[Derrick Hughes]

I'm afraid this is a load of tosh
Seeds are no dearer in fact some are cheaper than they have been for a few years and Herbal leys are certainly cheaper

 

[JCfarmer]

Government ensures food production remains primary purpose of farming

The government is introducing new measures to limit the amount of land farmers can take out of productive actions under the Sustainable Farming Incentive (SFI)

www.gov.uk

Interesting what happens to farmers that have already had their whole farm accepted into an sfi?

 

[4course]

Interesting what happens to farmers that have already had their whole farm accepted into an sfi?

from reading the defra update --nothing stays the same

 

[Steevo]

from reading the defra update --nothing stays the same

For now.

But who knows what the future might hold.

 

[e3120]

Annual review time will be interesting. Surely no upward addition to total of 'big 6' options - will there be downward pressure to(wards) 25% for existing agreements?

 

[Derrick Hughes]

AHL2/AB9 AUTUMN SOWN WINTER BIRD FOOD

5.50

kgs Winter Barley (could replace with rye for AD)

5.50

kgs Winter Triticale

1.00

kgs Rebound Rape Kale Hybrid

1.00

kgs Late Flowering Fodder Radish

1.00

kgs Diana Forage Rape

2.00

kgs Gold of Pleasure Camelina

2.50

kgs Linseed

1.00

kgs Phacelia

0.25

kgs Choice Chicory

0.25

kgs Brown Mustard

20.00

kgs per acre

 

[Huno]

AHL2/AB9 AUTUMN SOWN WINTER BIRD FOOD

5.50

kgs Winter Barley (could replace with rye for AD)

5.50

kgs Winter Triticale

1.00

kgs Rebound Rape Kale Hybrid

1.00

kgs Late Flowering Fodder Radish

1.00

kgs Diana Forage Rape

2.00

kgs Gold of Pleasure Camelina

2.50

kgs Linseed

1.00

kgs Phacelia

0.25

kgs Choice Chicory

0.25

kgs Brown Mustard

20.00

kgs per acre

Havent you seen the news? Farmers cant afford fancy mixes now we are all rolling barley into mud this week now

 

[Huno]

Annual review time will be interesting. Surely no upward addition to total of 'big 6' options - will there be downward pressure to(wards) 25% for existing agreements?

Yes .... downward pressure on existing SFI agreements in 3 yrs time after those agreements started..BPS is gone and DEFRA have stopped playing games with our industry... in the interim.. the name of the game is RISK

 

[farmerm]

It’s an interesting question as to what is the truly natural diet of a truly native British bird.
I’d imagine grass seed mostly.
It also begs the question as to what bird numbers were like before cereal growing arrived on these shores. Has farming really caused a decline in numbers or did early farming methods with wastage cause a big rise in numbers of small seed eating birds which have now fallen back to natural prefarming levels as combines waste less and grain stores are better sealed.
Every time the RSPB moans about a decline in bird numbers it’s probably only a result of tidier farming not any kind of active thing we’ve done against the birds. Certainly we lost a lot of sparrows here when RT got fussy about the grain store and I think the bird flu has hammered them as well. Domestic cats cause huge losses as do raptors but never mind it’s £750 /ha so crack on.

there does seem to be a lot of birds feeding in my 2 year CS wild bird patches this week.. not sure there are enough to justify an overnight 5 fold jump in the area grown though, they will need to breed a lot this summer!

 

[Huno]

there does seem to be a lot of birds feeding in my 2 year CS wild bird patches this week.. not sure there are enough to justify an overnight 5 fold jump in the area grown though, they will need to breed a lot this summer!

If you dont supplimentary feed birds during late winter then you only breed them in summer to die by next spring.. poor birdies

 

[farmerm]

If you don't supplementary feed birds during late winter then you only breed them in summer to die by next spring.. poor birdies

I don't disagree... and a good reason to try make 2 year mixes work, plenty of feed still in mine and the brassicas are already in flower now for early winter feed. This spring drilling will then supply later winter and though next spring..

 

[Huno]

I don't disagree... and a good reason to try make 2 year mixes work, plenty of feed still in mine and the brassicas are already in flower now for early winter feed. This spring drilling will then supply later winter and though next spring..

Good choice but many do annual mixes... 2yr mixes good until end of 2nd year!!

 

[Huno]

Good choice but many do annual mixes... 2yr mixes good until end of 2nd year!!

Supplimentary feeding helps.. of course in an SFI option this would be capped at 1 hanging feeder per farm in future for a max of 1 day per week

 

[Heathland]

@Hindsight
Looking at a possible rotation is this doable W Barley,drill straight after harvest with AHL2,spring sownNUM3,WWheat?
I've been advised its possible,is it? or are/have they clarified this.
Thanks

 

[Hindsight]

@Hindsight
Looking at a possible rotation is this doable W Barley,drill straight after harvest with AHL2,spring sownNUM3,WWheat?
I've been advised its possible,is it? or are/have they clarified this.
Thanks

As the RPA computer system currently stands yes, it is possible as in year one you can enter AHL2 now on an area upto 25% of farmed area. And we presume in year two on that land parcel use NUM3 either introduced new or carried over from initial application. NUM3 current excluded from area restrictions. And may I assume why was advised this sequence. Whether Defra will look further into this ‘wheeze’ in light of this weeks announcement, I have no idea. You will see on TFF discussions and I presume one or two notable posting farmers say that is what they intend doing. Defra are in my view now in a complete muddle. Whether They either foresaw these sequences and didn’t think many would take them up, or had no idea the ingenuity of farmers when faced with a pot of cash. And whether Defra will change rules I have no idea.