Sunflowers....an incredibly versatile crop...

Sunflowers are a highly versatile crop and thrive in hot dry conditions, They are an excellent source of nutrients and the entire plant is highly palatable to livestock. Due to their deep tap root they help to aerate the soil, improve drainage and gain acess to deeper nutrients and minerals that are just below the root structure of grasses. They are also able to clean the soil of contaminents like a build up of heavy metals through phytoremediation.

The large flower is highly attractive as a food source of pollen for a wide variety of bees, butterflys and lady bugs. The young sunflowers follow the sun which warms the flower and provides an even more inviting environment for all the pollinators.

Once the flowers mature they are an excellent source of food to birds. Sunflowers are mostly well known for the high quailty seeds they produce that can be turned into oil. Sunflower oil when taken internally has anti-inflammatory properties, anti-oxidant qualities and high levels of Vitamin E. It can also be used externally on your skin.

Here at Windvale Farm, I am using the crop to remove any heavy minerals in the soil of a horse paddock and I have sown a specialised mix of old horse grasses that will come through once the sunflowers have finished. I have two goats Bill & Ben absolutely loving the crop and their coats look very shiny and silky. I have also just put in five young Wagyu Steers to help eat the sunflowers but due to the size of the paddock and huge volume there is avaliable, there is plenty to go around and there will be lots of mature flowers providing seeds for the birds. Of course there are plenty of flowers to be picked for friends and family to enjoy as well. I'm sure the cows will also be sent in to tidy up a bit later on.