Conservation Headlands

These are a strangely controversial habitat. Mention ‘conservation headland’ to an arable farmer and you are likely to get a less than favourable response! We have also found that a badly managed conservation headland has little wildlife benefit. However, a conservation headland managed correctly can provide the ultimate insect larder for foraging hens and chicks. If you utilize funding from ELS or HLS to supplement the cost of the conservation headlands then you are tied to the management prescription in the agreement. However, having worked with conservation headlands for several years now we have developed a few techniques to help provide the best habitat. It is generally the autumn sown crops that are the most difficult to get right from a farming point of view as there is a longer period for weeds to develop. One way round this is to surround an autumn sown crop with a spring sown conservation headland. However, that can cause problems at harvest so we have found adopting the following principles will help:

1. When you have a conservation headland in an autumn sown crop drill the headland on wider rows i.e. if the standard row width is 12cm block every other coulter to make the rows 24cm wide.
2. Treat the whole field the same in the autumn i.e. ensure the headland has the same base fertiliser and herbicides as the rest of the field in the autumn.
3. Apply no further fertiliser to the headland in the spring.
4. Avoid using any herbicides in the spring unless absolutely necessary and then only use very selective herbicides and if possible spot spray.

Where the conservation headland is being managed in a spring sown crop we recommend the following:

1. Drill on wider rows (as per autumn sown) or, if the farmer/contractor does not have time to change the set up then at least cut the seed rate to half the normal rate.
2. Try and use glyphosate, pre-drilling, to create a stale seedbed
3. Unless it is particularly hungry ground then avoid applying fertiliser to the spring sown conservation headland. However, if you know it is poor soil then apply half the rate of N, P and K that is being applied to the rest of the field.
4. Avoid using any herbicides unless absolutely necessary and then only use very selective herbicides and if possible spot spray.

 Avoid using any insecticides on your conservation headlands with the possible exception on early drilled autumn cereals which may require a BYDV spray in September/October.

Unharvested conservation headlands – in our view these cause more problems than good as they allow a greater build up and spread of weeds and also harbour and feed a large number of rodents. Generally speaking we recommend spraying conservation headlands with glyphosate pre-harvest to assist with harvesting and to minimize the weed burden in the following crop.