High Weald AONB

Crops

Agriculture is the main High Weald land use, covering 65% of the area in 2007. About 60% of the farmed land is grassland and 20% is arable. Our 'Crops' on line spotters guide will help you work out how today's farmers are ensuring that the High Weald remains a productive landscape.

Improved grassland Improved grassland has had fertilizer added to it or has been ploughed up and reseeded. There are only a few species of grass and flowers that grow here and it has a lower wildlife value. The field lo... Read more	Unimproved grassland Unimproved, or wildflower, grassland has been grazed/cut for hay for 1000 years. It has a great variety of grass and flower species and supports lots of insects and other animals. This type of grass... Read more
Silage Silage is grass which has been preserved or 'pickled'. It is made during the summer months when there is a lot of surplus grass i.e. not needed for grazing. Grass is cut 2 or 3 times a year, stored in... Read more	Oats Oat looks like a tall grass until it ripens and becomes golden in colour. After the oat kernels are harvested, the grass part (straw) can be used for animal bedding. Oats are either rolled or crushe... Read more
Barley Barley is striking because of the long spikes (awns) that emerge from the end of each grain. Barley is easily identifiable on breezy days in the early summer when "waves" blow through the crop. Lik... Read more	Wheat Wheat is a grass with a very swollen grain that can be ground to produce flour. Flour is used in the production of bread, biscuits, pasta and cakes. Wheat is a particularly useful crop in terms of hum... Read more
Oilseed rape Oilseed rape is widely recognised by its bright yellow flowers that can be seen from late April onwards. Today's varieties of oilseed rape have been bred to provide oil that is widely used by the food... Read more	Beans Most of the bean crop is grown for stock feed and is used as a locally grown GM-free alternative to protein crops like soya. When the roots decay, the nitrogen in the root becomes available to the fo... Read more
Peas Like beans, when the roots decay, the nitrogen in the root becomes available to the following crop as a fertiliser. The biggest market for peas is animal feed, where they are useful because of their G... Read more