Sunflowers put on a spectacular show on Dannevirke field

A field of sunflowers hide a multitude of other plants.

Just off SH2 and before the railway line on Laws Road a spectacular crop of sunflowers is drawing local attention as they bloom in the sun.

But the field does not just grow sunflowers — turnips, fodder maize, buckwheat and phacelia are all planted together.

It is the inspiration of Daniel Hartridge, who is conducting an experiment in regenerative agriculture.

The idea is to farm the land more holistically, farming so the whole ecosystem is strengthened and the environment enriched.

Daniel says planting a diversity of crops firstly improves the soil, encouraging the development of different microbes.

He says it also brings the bees.

When he planted a mix of phacelia, clovers, plantain and grasses on the aerodrome there was a bee virtually on every purple flower at Christmas time.

It's not only bees — other beneficial insects like ladybirds and beetles are also encouraged, which act as a natural pesticide against unwanted bugs.

Birds are also encouraged.

From the production perspective the sunflower combination is popular with the stock which eat all the crops.

The cows like the sunflowers and trample the stems as well as grazing the other crops.

The yearling heifers demolished the phacelia with gusto back on the home farm and the airstrip was cut for baleage.

The stock also benefit from a varied diet.

The variety of crops also shield them against weather extremes.

Although the weather has generally been very good for cropping, a late frost damaged the buckwheat but others crops thrived early, and the buckwheat is now coming back into its own in the hot summer sun.

Daniel is still experimenting.

He will try other different combinations next season on smaller plots.

He put in 20ha this season — his first trial.

He says regenerative farming is catching on around the world, especially in the USA and Australia.