Herbal Ley Establishment & Management

Interested in how herbal leys feature in SFI options? Explore the many benefits to forage, livestock health, soil fertility and resilience of introducing low-input herbal leys into your rotations. This one day course, brought to you by the FarmED team and Cotswold Seeds, will give you the confidence to introduce and manage herbal leys in your own system.

Is this for me?

This course is designed for arable and livestock farmers and growers who are interested in working with herbal leys but want to learn more about how to start integrating these seed mixtures into their current operations.

About the Event

Newman Turner, one of the great advocates of herbal leys, described these mixes as his ‘fertiliser merchant, food manufacturer and vet all in one’.

With increasingly volatile weather patterns and growing demand to reduce chemical inputs to farmland, there's never been a better time to consider establishing herbal leys in your operation.

Herbal Leys can be incorporated into arable, livestock or horticultural operations. These complex seed mixtures of grasses, legumes and herbs can include a mixture of up to 17 species and the benefits are as diverse as the species they contain, from building soil fertility and improving water resilience to fostering better animal health and boosting biodiversity.

But where do you start?

This workshop aims to answer this question by providing an opportunity to:

- Observe a herbal ley system in action in our eight-year arable rotation.

- Learn about the costs involved and other management considerations when transitioning to herbal leys.

- Have your questions answered about establishing and managing herbal leys by experts and practitioners.

- Learn about the Sustainable Farming Incentive (SFI) options.

By the end of the course, you can expect to be able to:

- Appreciate the benefits of herbal leys in terms of soil, environment and animal health, resource conservation, and biodiversity enhancement.

- Be able to plan a herbal ley system that is appropriate for your farming operation.

- Be able to manage a herbal ley system, from establishment to grazing and termination

Tickets include refreshments and a seasonal lunch from the FarmED Kitchen.

This is a full-day course running from 10 am to 4.30 pm.

Testimonials

"I want to encourage more farmers to sow herbal leys." - Attendee, 2023

"[I was] very happy to find out more about the logistics and practicalities of herbal leys and farmer perspectives." - Attendee, 2023

"I feel better able to advise farmers" - Attendee, 2023

"I learnt the importance of selecting the correct seed mix for a herbal ley to suit the ground and purpose for which it is going to be used rather than just buying an off-the-shelf mix." - Attendee, 2022

Tiered Pricing

Delivery of our mission is a collective effort and our values embrace inclusivity and diversity. We don’t want price to be a barrier to anyone visiting FarmED or attending our events. Read more about our tiered pricing policy here.

North East Cotswolds Farmer Cluster & Cherwell Farmers Group

We can offer discounted tickets to NECFC and Cherwell Farmers Group members, please email kate@farm-ed.co.uk for a discount code.

If cost is a barrier to you attending, then please do ask us for financial support. The FarmED Bursary offers free or subsidised places to those that will benefit most.

We like to take photos and occasionally videos of our events to use on our website and social media, please let us know if you do not want to be photographed.

Cancellation Policy

We understand that there may be times when you need to cancel your booking.  Our cancellation policy is outlined here.