The Queen of Foraging Plants

THE QUEEN OF FORAGING PLANTS

So, once upon a time, the Vale of Glamorgan was pink. These days the predominant colour in the fields is yellow with Oil Seed Rape. But before tractors arrived and up to the 1950s you could expect to see acres of a pink, reddish crop. It is estimated that one in seven fields was planted with it. This was Sainfoin and is seldom seen these days. However, it is a great fodder crop and was known as the queen of foraging plants. Here are some of its benefits:

Sainfoin is a high-yielding, drought-resistant plant which needs no nitrogen fertiliser and little phosphate. It won’t cause bloat, is a natural anthelmintic and, with rumen protected protein, produces top quality meat and milk. Sainfoin has deep penetrating roots making it highly suitable for the dry, alkaline soils. Sainfoin has many positive characteristics as a forage. In ruminants, these are the result of its content of high levels of chemicals called condensed tannins.

However, Sainfoin has another great benefit – it is very attractive to bees and other insects and is great for beekeepers because of the quality of the honey it produces. For this reason, the Wildlife Group is planting it in different locations, including the Upper Orchid Field, Bee Loud Glade, Goldsland Orchard and Cae Ysbyty.