As part of its sustainable farming scheme, the UK government is offering farmers £382 each year for every hectare of ‘herbal leys’ they grow. This mixture of grasses, legumes, herbs and wildflowers is said to produce a high volume of food for grazing animals; greater resilience to drought; improved soil fertility; and more carbon sequestration.
In this bonus episode, Neil puts these claims to the test in the company of award-winning organic farmers RACHEL and JOE HORLER. They've had herbal leys for more than ten years, and here they tell Neil: the theory behind it (2m24s); how they graze their cattle on it (4m58s); how they turn it into silage (8m21s); and the health benefits to their cattle (9m14s).
More on the government scheme here: www.gov.uk/find-funding-for-land-or-farms/csam3-herbal-leys
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