Working with farmers - Herbal Ley

Herbal Ley is diverse herb rich swards, with a mixture of grasses, herbs, and legumes which provides habitat and food for pollinators and other invertebrates, which in turn provide food for farmland birds and small mammals.

Soil condition

Herbal leys can be highly beneficial to soil health, increasing biological activity and organic matter content. In addition, improved water permeability through the action of the deep rooting plants can reduce surface runoff.

Benefits for livestock

Herbal ley provides valuable protein and mineral rich fodder for livestock. Growth rates of 0.7–1.6 kg per day can be achieved with rotational grazing. Nitrogen-fixing legumes enhance soil fertility and deep rooting plants improve soil structure and organic matter content. Certain herbs like Borage, Chicory, Common Bird's-foot-trefoil can have an anthelmintic effect, and provide alternative solution to control parasites in livestock.

Herbal ley management

The sward can be managed by cutting and or rotational grazing. This option is providing greatest biodiversity value when it is allowed to flower, and management will need to allow this, with it being best left in the ground for four years. 

Herbal ley benefits

• Build fertility, reduce the need for inorganic nitrogen (up to 180 kgN ha-1)
• Natural drought and waterlogging resistance
• Natural worm control (anthelmintic properties)
• Over yielding effect
• Improvement of soil structure, reduce compaction, increase organic matter level
• Carbon capture and storage
• Wildlife benefits
• Natural high mineral feed