December 2024
Farm Walk
28/12/24 15:17
A sunny morning walk in early May.
Despite a runny nose from a head cold the smell of glyphosate from a neighbours field still assails me.
The farmers friend and wildlife’s foe.
"You could pour RoundUp on a ladybird and it wouldn't hurt it" says my friend Robert, a retired crop spraying contractor. "But what will it do to the vegetation the ladybirds sitting on" says I. "Oh it'll kill all that" says Robert. "So the ladybird will starve" says I. "Oh" says Robert.
I sit by the drainage ditch to compose this and see the heavy algae on the water, evidence of fertiliser run-off. I look across at my neighbours field of wheat, not a blade out of place, totally uniform not a weed in site.
But I am no paragon, stepping in our field called Peartree to see how the grass is doing and thinking about haymaking I step on a hen pheasant who is nurturing her clutch of eggs. I crush several but it's a large clutch so hopefully she will return and raise the rest. I feel guilty.
Despite a runny nose from a head cold the smell of glyphosate from a neighbours field still assails me.
The farmers friend and wildlife’s foe.
"You could pour RoundUp on a ladybird and it wouldn't hurt it" says my friend Robert, a retired crop spraying contractor. "But what will it do to the vegetation the ladybirds sitting on" says I. "Oh it'll kill all that" says Robert. "So the ladybird will starve" says I. "Oh" says Robert.
I sit by the drainage ditch to compose this and see the heavy algae on the water, evidence of fertiliser run-off. I look across at my neighbours field of wheat, not a blade out of place, totally uniform not a weed in site.
But I am no paragon, stepping in our field called Peartree to see how the grass is doing and thinking about haymaking I step on a hen pheasant who is nurturing her clutch of eggs. I crush several but it's a large clutch so hopefully she will return and raise the rest. I feel guilty.
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