Brush up on your knowledge of pollinators
We are all aware of how important pollinators are to agriculture and the countryside and most of us have a good knowledge of some of the things we can do to encourage them. However, there are so many facets to consider that I suspect that many of us have not considered all the options available.
Source of information
There is a wealth of information on the website of The Campaign for the Farmed Environment (CFE) and it is well worth a detailed read. To encourage us to do this CFE has developed an online training module for pollinators for which 4 BASIS CPD points are available. Whether BASIS registered or not, all of us involved in farming should set aside a little time to browse the CFE website’s pollinator module and then undertake the test.
Wider benefits
Understanding pollinator’s habits and habitats can be very rewarding (both visually and financially) when planning environmental action on the farm. In many cases, we can make beneficial tweaks to work we have already undertaken or create a new area on some less productive land. There is a wide range of options that are compatible with other initiatives; I for one was not aware of how encouraging small mammals can also help pollinators. Also being more aware and knowledgeable of pollinators that are on our farms is important when we are promoting what the farming community is actually doing to help the environment.
Help CFE in its work
Finally, CFE will be compiling reports on numbers completing the module as part of their reporting to the National Pollinator Strategy, so take the test and help them in their work to show farming cares.
Mike May is the former Deputy Director of Brooms Barn Research Station and the current chairman of the joint BBRO / BSPB sugar beet recommended list committee. He also works as a PR consultant for Bayer CropScience on seed treatments.