28 Farm News First > BetterFarming.com Better Farming August 2016 Another popular demonstration of sustainable agriculture on this farm features so-called “skylark windows” in winter wheat crops. These are bare patches in the growing crop made by simply raising the drill for a few seconds during sowing. The predomi- nance of autumn-sown crops such as winter wheat has steadily reduced skylark populations throughout arable Europe. Now, these “skylark win- dows” offer patches where birds can land easily in the spring and nest at the crop edges. Numbers of the field songsters have increased steeply. Other farmers have taken note, and the national German farmers union (DBV) also supports establishment of such nesting windows in winter crops. On the Bayer demo farm, the combination of flower margin strips and skylark windows has, say orni- thologists, increased breeding pairs of larks to an average of more than 11 compared with just three before. Other wildlife support systems built into demo farms such as the Olligs family unit include artificial nesting blocks for bumble bees as well as the aforementioned “beetle banks.” Apart from weekend visitors looking over the fences, Forward- Farming policy encourages organized visits, especially welcoming “opinion leaders:” groups of journalists and teachers, but also school or university classes and many other groups. In its first year, the Olligs family farm welcomed 1,200 official visitors. Other “crop windows” feature growing crop without herbicide treatment. “Nothing demonstrates so dramatically how important herbi- cides can be in some situations,” one farmer tells me. “The public usually (doesn’t) realise until that first sight just how quickly weeds can smother an otherwise promising crop.” Bayer’s Belinda Giesen-Druse says this is exactly what counts in getting the message across. Clear examples, easily understood. Dialog with consumers helping to convince that chemicals in conjunction with environment protection can mean efficient and safe food production worldwide. BF FEATURE Skylark nesting “crop windows” in winter wheat. This initiative encourages breeding of ground-nesting songbirds seriously threatened by wall-to-wall cropping. C.L. Benninger Equipment Chatham Connect Equipment Chepstow, Innerkip, Kitchener, Lucknow, Mildmay, Rockwood Dan R Plantagenet, Winchester Hawley’s Garage Belleville Hyde Brothers Farm Equipment Hensall Maple Lane Farm Service Mount Forest Marsh Bros. Tractor Dundas McKeown Motor Sales Springbrook Shantz Farm Equipment Alma W.J. Lambert & Sons Ltd. Beaverton THE COMPACT THAT PACKS A PUNCH. MASSEY FERGUSON is a worldwide brand of AGCO. ©2015AGCO Corporation,4205 River Green Parkway,Duluth,GA 30096 (877) 525-4384. Visit your dealer, and you’ll find all the power, performance and options you need. masseyferguson.us 1700E Series economy compact tractors are designed with performance in mind. With 34 to 38.5 engine horsepower, rear 540 PTO and a 3-point hitch, these tractors are formidable workhorses for any small farm or worksite. They feature higher flow hydraulics that enhance productivity — plus an open operator’s station for freedom of visibility. MF GC 1700 SERIES CoMpaCt tRaCtoR, bIG pERFoRManCE