Albert Bartlett is inviting Jersey growers to showcase their cover crop expertise in an inaugural competition.
Family-owned Albert Bartlett has packed and marketed Jersey Royal potatoes for multiple generations and it hopes this initiative sets a standard increasing soil health as well as bringing some colour to the island’s countryside.
Celebrating the hard work and dedication of Jersey’s farming community and coinciding with the much-loved local Battle of Flowers tradition, the new competition has been created to promote best practices and biodiversity. It will support and increase pollinators, bird feeding and soil health – ultimately benefiting the island’s environment and wildlife.
Jersey growers will battle it out for the award of best cover crop based on a range of criteria across four categories:
- Best Bird Cover Crop
- Best Visual Cover Crop
- Best Pollinator Cover Crop
- Best Soil Health Cover Crop
Paddy Graham-Jones Procurement Director at Albert Bartlett, said: “The competition has been launched to celebrate and further encourage the excellent work undertaken by the Jersey farming community through best practice and biodiversity to support and increase pollinators and bird feeding.
“We see this as an opportunity to expand current practices and enhance the reputation of the best farming practices within the island’s community.”
Albert Bartlett will be working closely with growers, sponsors, seed suppliers, wildlife organisations and the States of Jersey throughout the project, to support and increase the positive impact of the Jersey farming community’s efforts.
Early judging of entries will take place on 9th and 10th August to coincide with the Jersey Battle of Flowers celebrations, followed by late judging on 25th October. The winners of each category will be announced at an award ceremony at Le Manoir de Rooster in Jersey on 20th November.
As the competition progresses, growers will be offered advice and guidance from joint sponsors and judges, Jersey Birds on the Edge, Normans seed suppliers, the Enhancement Land Resource Management section within States of Jersey, and the Jersey Bees association.
The project also aims to engage with the work of initiatives such as the Pollinator Project, the Fit Count pollinator monitoring programme, Jersey Biodiversity Centre, and Samares Wildlife Hub.
