GAME COVER AND STEWARDSHIP MIXTURE
DEMAND STILL ALIVE
The shooting community has seen high levels of uncertainty
over the past few months due to the Coronavirus pandemic.
Unfortunately, there are reports that some landowners have
made the decision to cancel their shoots this year. But what
should be done with the cover crops plots?
We spoke to Chris Bright, managing director of Bright Seeds,
to ask him how the seed industry is looking and to talk about
the importance of getting something in the ground – even if a
shoot is cancelled.
Orders Still Coming In and Going Out
Working within government guidelines, Bright Seeds have
been able to continue processing a vast amount of maize, game
mixtures and stewardship wild bird crops as demand for such
products has barely stalled.
With three months or so to go to the shooting season, many
shoot owners have their eyes set on next winter’s field sports.
Not unreasonably they believe matters will have much
improved by then; or certainly sufficiently so for an outdoor
pursuit such as shooting to proceed relatively unhindered.
Whatever arrangements are being made for next season’s
shooting, the countryside and all that goes with it continues,
and those who tend our wildlife and conservation can do so
largely unimpeded by current restrictions. Gamekeeping is one
profession that can continue proficiently in self isolation.
Of those shoots that have altered plans, Bright Seeds has seen
the vast majority intend to uphold measures that protect and
sustain wildlife. This might mean replacing some crops with a
mixture predominantly aimed at feed supply for farmland
birds or the planting of a catch crop to enhance soil fertility and
structure. The options are numerous.
Get Something in the Ground
There are options to sow throughout the summer and several
crops that will provide a feed source later on during the hungry
gap for the birds.
Obviously, those shoot owners who have decided to continue
with running their shoots as normal don’t need to change what
they have done in previous years – it has been as important as
ever to get game cover crops in at the right time and to look
after them as part of the usual cycle.
However, for the minority who are overly concerned and have
decided to cancel their shoots this year due to the pandemic,
there is still much that can, and should, be done.
As touched up on previously, there is still a varied population
of wildlife that need food and cover, their world will not stop
due to the Coronavirus. Farmland birds require seed, insects,
and brood nesting habitat to keep them safe and healthy,
something that wild bird mixtures and stewardship crops have
been designed for.
14 | Rural Life