Jersey farmers are being invited to take part in a competition to grow the best cover crop, thus supporting and increasing pollinators, bird feeding and soil health.
The new competition, launched by potato supplier Albert Bartlett, has four cover crop categories – best bird, best visual, best pollinator and best soil health. The organisation will be working with growers, sponsors, seed suppliers, wildlife organisations and the States of Jersey to encourage farmers to expand current practices and biodiversity.
Albert Bartlett Chief Operation Officer Colin Campbell said the competition intended to ‘celebrate and further encourage the excellent work undertaken by the Jersey farming community through best practice and biodiversity to support and increase pollinators and bird feeding’.
Growers will be offered support and advice to identify fields and cover crop mixes next month with judging for early crop expected in August and later season crop in September and October. An awards ceremony will be held at the annual growers meeting in October.
A combination of organisations will be involved in the judging including Jersey Birds of the Edge, Normans seed suppliers and the States’ Enhancement Land Resource Management section.
The project also aims to engage with the work of such initiatives as the Pollinator Project, the fit count pollinator monitoring programme, Jersey Biodiversity Centre and Samarès Wildlife Hub.
