Farmers - what's this crop?

[nepia]

On the south slope of the North Downs.  Is it a form of flax?  It's not linseed - I would have noticed a bright blue hillside!

 

Cheers,

 

Jon

Edited July 30, 2018 by nepia

[Paul in the woods]

I'm not a farmer but at a guess would be some sort of canary grass of similar. Phalaris canariensis

 

 

[nepia]

Good shout.  A surprising choice it seems; the plant has limited commercial use (birdseed).

It wouldn't be a green manure would it, to be ploughed in as a soil conditioner?  I wouldn't think so; half the seeds would germinate next year!

[drinksloe]

It doesn't look like reed canary gras anyway.

is the whole field planted with it or just the strip next to the woodland??

 

If its only the strip it could be some kind of game/conservation crop for shooting or some stewardship scheme

[nepia]

No, it's the entire field - 15 acres maybe.

 

That's just a hedgerow to the right and the bare strip of soil is a public footpath.

 

It doesn't look like Reed Canary Grass but it's at least a very close match to Canary Grass!

[Sheepy]

I’m no massive grass expert but I’d say some kind of cocks foot, not 100% off memory