Bar Tech September 2021

Herbal leys are grasslands made up of legume, herb and grass species and can be sown on arable and horticultural land, vegetable fields and temporary grassland. Herbal leys easily fit into arable and mixed farming rotations.

The benefits of grass and herbal leys

• provide more flowers, so they are a better food source for pollinators like bees, butterflies and hoverflies
• improves soil structure, which benefits soil fauna and increases soil organic matter
• increases soil fertility, as legumes add nitrogen to the soil
• captures more carbon from the atmosphere and transfers it to the soil as organic matter
• reduces runoff, as better soil structure means more water can get into the soil

You can increase the diversity of forage and reduce the need for supplements. Diverse forage includes:  

• grasses that provide energy 
• legumes that provide protein 
• herbs or wildflowers that provide minerals
• plants like sainfoin, chicory or bird’s-foot-trefoil that control parasites naturally

Herbal leys:   

• lower manufactured fertiliser and herbicide costs
• increase crop yield and quality due to improved soil health
• help control weeds like blackgrass in arable rotations
• protect against adverse conditions like drought, as deep-rooting species can reach water deeper in the soil

Grass & herbal leys at Groundswell