Arable Farms

Arable farmers in the North York Moors grow a variety of crops:

• Wheat and oats provide us with cereals and flour to make bread and cakes;
• Barley is used to feed cattle and sheep;
• Turnips and sugar beet provide winter food for sheep and cattle;
• Potatoes are sold as they are, or are used to make chips and crisps.
• Oil seed rape is used to make margarine and cooking oil.

Arable farms are found mainly in the south of the National Park and along the coast where the land is flatter and the soil is more fertile. Arable farms often have large fields surrounded by hedges or fences.

Many years ago arable fields provided an important habitat for wildflowers such as cornflower and birds such as skylark.

Today however there are not so many wild flowers and birds living on farmland. This is due to a variety of reasons.

In many areas herbicides are sprayed onto crops to kill weeds and this can kill wild flowers too. Pesticides may also be used to kill bugs and insects that damage the crop. This means less food for birds that eat the insects.

The National Park Authority works with farmers and helps them to look after hedgerows which provide an important habitat for wildlife and also encourages farmers to use less herbicides and pesticides where possible.