PJ Phelan: Ways to boost biodiversity on your farm without hurting your profits
You can marry messy areas of hedges and naturally vegetated margins with crop perfection
Well-maintained fields alongside hedgerows and trees. Photo: Getty
Tillage farmers have spent a lifetime seeking perfection. They have bought new machinery/technology as soon as it comes to market, waited for new chemicals to control weeds and disease, adopted crop rotations and have left no stone unturned to produce the perfect crop.
Along comes biodiversity, and a uniform crop without a weed (sorry that should be flowering plant) in sight is now a crime against nature. The goal-posts have changed — messy is the new standard.
