Great-horned Owl perched in a farm hedgerow (David Bradbeer) Short-eared Owl hunting voles over a grassland (Hank Tseng). A farm lane in Delta, BC (Tyler Garnham). A Marsh Wren singing atop a hedgerow (David Bradbeer). A diversity of food grown in Delta, BC (Markus Merkens). Coopers Hawk perching on a fence (Markus Merkens). Barley growing in a Delta field (Tyler Garnham). Trumpeter Swans feed on a cover crop (David Bradbeer). Spring plowing on a Delta farm (Markus Merkens). Snow Geese taking off from a farm field (David Shackleton) Ladybird beetle on a barley plant (David Bradbeer)

Hedgerow & Grass Margin Stewardship Programs

Hedgerows

Native trees and shrubs are planted on Delta farms through the Hedgerow Stewardship Program. These hedges provide year-round wildlife habitat along field edges. Over half of the bird species found on a typical piece of farmland can be attributed to hedgerows, even though the hedges may comprise only a small portion of the available habitat. Hedgerows provide a number of benefits, including:

• Providing habitat for a diversity of songbird and raptor species
• Acting as "insectories;" providing habitat for a host of beneficial insects, including pollinators like bumblebees and predators like lacewings
• Creating microclimates conducive to improving field productivity; hedgerows act as wind barriers, preventing soil erosion
• Creating shaded resting places for livestock
• Providing nesting sites for Red-tailed Hawk and Bald Eagles in mature hedgerow trees like alder, cottonwood, and douglas fir.

For more information on the Hedgerow Program, read our 2009 Annual Report and our Hedgerow Fact Sheet.

 

Grass Margins

The edges of farm fields can be planted with a mix of forage grasses through the Grass Margin Stewardship Program. These margins are beneficial to both wildlife and farming because they:

• Provide habitat for small mammals, which are in turn preyed upon by raptors and wading birds
• Provide nesting habitat for bumblebees
• Provide refuges for beneficial insects, like predatory Carabidae beetles
• Reduce the need for ditch cleaning by trapping sediment before it can run off of the field
• Act as a buffer between organically-certified crop fields

For more information on the Grass Margin Program, read our 2009 Annual Report.