Catherine Keena, Environmental Specialist in Teagasc joins Michael Hennessy on the latest Tillage Edge podcast to talk about hedges on tillage farms and how best to manage them.

Catherine explained that hedges are excellent for both biodiversity and carbon capture. She pointed out that it’s the linear length that matters most, in that normal hedges around smaller fields are more beneficial than a larger hedge surrounding a very large field.

Catherine recommends leaving hedges a little scruffy i.e. not cutting every year, but it is important to modify hedge trimming to allow the hedge to grow to more than 1.5 metres and allow the base of the hedge to grow outwards giving an “A” shaped hedge.

For more episodes and information from the Tillage Edge podcast go to:

https://www.teagasc.ie/crops/crops/the-tillage-edge-podcast/