A total of 2357 trees and shrubs have been planted around the recently created storage pond.
John and Kai are part of the Sustainable Farming Fund (SFF) project Building Better Biodiversity on Arable Farms, a project embraced by several arable farmers in Canterbury.
Beneficial insects and bees are valued in cropping systems for the work they do pollinating crops and as predators and parasites of insect pests. John and Kai have been incorporating integrated pest management (IPM) into their cropping system for some years and over time have been able to significantly reduce pesticide use.
Providing habitat for bees and beneficial insects without harbouring insect pests is a challenge and part of the SFF project is determining the habitat preferences of different insect species.
Plant & Food Research entomologists are monitoring the various sites to increase their understanding of insect communities. The plants selected for the project are unlikely to support exotic insect pest species or become weeds in arable crops. John and Kai have enlisted the help of local tree expert Stephen Brailsford to plan and carry out the plantings on both sides of the pond.
Plant & Food entomologist Melanie Bates points out that because the biodiversity plantings are on commercial farms they need to have a functionality –a purpose to justify the expense.
“They need to contribute in some way to the functioning of the farm.”
Cost-wise it works out at about $10/ plant. This cost includes herbicide spray, the site planting plan, the plant, fertiliser, the cost of planting, and the protective Combiguard.
On the “bee” side of the pond all the plants produce high-quality pollen with the idea that the trees and shrubs will provide feed for bees during autumn, winter and spring but not over summer when the bees will be working on the farm crops.
Stephen says the pollen-producing plants have pollen with high protein levels – some as high as 32% – whereas the protein level in wind-blown pollen is about 3-5%.
The different plant species have been clumped together so that it is easier for the bees to find them. Canopy construction has been an important consideration in the planting plan as the incorporation of low shrubby plants helps keep weeds at bay.
Birds are the scourge of arable farmers but they are something the Marrs live with because trees play such an important role in wind protection.
While the native trees and plants will encourage birds as well as insects, Ian hopes the birds will be of the native variety. Ultimately he would love to see a colony of New Zealand falcon established on the farm.
These predatory birds decimate introduced species and as Ian says, there is nothing an arable farmer enjoys more than watching a NZ falcon in full flight killing the birds that can cause so much damage to their crops.
