Agriculture. Arable Land There is a decline in the amount of arable land.
Arable farming
Transcript of Arable farming
Arable Farming
Source:
Arable Crops
• Cereals – Wheat, Barley, Oats
• Oilseeds– Oilseed Rape, Linseed
• Legumes– Clover, Peas, Beans
• Root Crops – Potatoes, Sugar Beet, Field Veg
• Forage crops– Stubble Turnips, Maize
Source: www.ecifm.rdg.ac.uk
Crop Rotation
• Soil fertility
• Crop weeds, pests, diseases
• Spread risk
• Timing & workload
• Crop use – bi-products
Production Cycle
• Cultivation • Planting• Nutrition
• Crop protection• Harvest• Storage
Cultivation
• Bury trash
• Loosen soil
• Plant into clean soil
Planting
• Fine, firm tilth
• Seed rate, depth
• Tramlines
Nutrition
• Fertilizer• FYM and Slurry• N,P,K
• Timing• Pollution• Cost
Crop Protection
• Weeds – competition
• Pests – damage
• Diseases – damage
• Human/animal health
• Quantity – yield
• Quality – use
Harvest
• Timing• Weather• Crop condition
• Trafficking• Aftermath• Storage
An Arable Year
Month Wheat Potatoes OSR Sugar Beet
Sept Cultivate Drilling Campaign begins
Oct Drilling
Nov/Dec Sprays Sprays
Jan/Feb Cultivate
De-stone
Cultivate
March Fertilizer Cultivate Fertilizer
Spray
Drilling
April Fertilizer
Spray
Planting Flowering Sprays
May Spray Spray Spray Sprays
June Spray 1st Earlies harvested
Swath/
Dessicate
Sprays
July Harvest 2nd Earlies harvested
Harvest
August Harvest Main crop harvest
3 signs of Environmental Improvement
• Pollution incidents caused by farming have fallen by 92% since 1990
• Levels of pesticides detected in rivers have declined
• Some farmland wildlife species have begun to stabilise and recover (otters and stone curlews)
Source: Good Farming, Better Environment by EA and NFU
Top 3 Concerns
• Nutrients, pesticides and sediment from farms are still polluting watercourses
• Some farmland species are still in decline– 6 out of the 9 most threatened farmland bird
species (starling, turtle dove, yellowhammer, linnet, grey partridge, and skylark) continue to decline.
• Climate change implications still unknown
Source: Good Farming, Better Environment by EA and NFU
Dramatic Decline in Farmland Birds
89%Since 1970
55%Since 1970
88%Since 1970
Population Decline
What changes in farming practices have led to species decline?