Field Corner and Buffer Strip Advice Sheet
Field boundary buffer strips help provide both new habitats and improve existing ones for a wide range of farmland wildlife. Often situated alongside existing features such as hedgerows or ditches. This not only helps protect wildlife but also improves soil erosion and nutrient run off.
Where To Establish
Buffer Strip and Field Margin mixtures are best established alongside field boundaries or hedgerows. This helps provide nesting sites and foraging corridors for farmland birds and pollinators such as bumblebees and butterflies.
How To Establish
Mixtures must be sown into warm, well drained soils in spring and allowed to establish for one full season. After twelve months the mixture may be mown every year for the rest of the agreement after the 15th of July to control annual weeds and encourage further growth.
A sowing rate of at least 20kg/ha should be used to ensure good plant stand
(This mixture must not be grazed at all during the agreement)
What To Plant
Mixtures sown should contain both short term and long term grass species such as:
- Creeping red fescue
- Cocksfoot
- Timothy
- Tall fescue
How To Sow
Buffer strip mixtures are best drilled shallow to allow fast and even germination once the soil is warm and moisture is available. It is recommended that the seed bed is then rolled to ensure good seed to soil contact.
Record Keeping
Agreement holders will need to keep the following records and supply upon request:
- Correct seed invoices for mixtures used and (including mixture contents)
- Field operations at the parcel level. This should include and associated invoices issued if contractors where used.
You should also be aware that at the start of each claim year a percentage of agreement holders will be asked to take and submit the following:
- Photographs of blocks and strips making up their claimed area
- Photographs of establishment techniques used
