A field of scarlet clover attracts more than a thousand visitors in a few days

Last week, since the scarlet clover sown by the farm “Krastmaļi” began to bloom in Dunalka on an area of almost 30 hectares, in a few days it has already gathered hundreds of visitors who have come to admire the “sea of red flowers”. In turn, beekeepers have brought and placed beehives at the edge of the field, because bees really like scarlet clover. Scarlet clover is an intercrop plant that helps improve soil fertility and reduce the growth of weeds, as well as pathogens. Until now, it has been grown in relatively small areas in Latvia, mainly for seed production and animal feed.

"It seems to me that this field fulfills a kind of social function. Perhaps it is precisely thanks to the field of scarlet clover, this bright miracle of the result of nature and human labor, that we will be able to demonstrate how, with smart, correct and modern farming, including the use of plant protection products, it is possible to obtain such a fantastic result," tells Mārtiņš Flaksis, member of the board of SIA “Krastmaļi sējas” and the association “Zemnieku saeima”.

Three years ago, when they sowed a field with clover, it was destroyed by snails. Despite this, last year they decided to take a risk, sowing 30 hectares and investing considerable funds in the spring to spray the field.

M. Flax: "Everything costs money. Seed, labor, and the purchase of plant protection products. Unfortunately, this intercrop is very sensitive to high humidity and frost. It survived the last one, but due to the humidity, almost half of the sown field died. Now we are hoping for a good harvest, and if everything works out, we will sell some of the seeds in Latvia and export some."

The company has been selling scarlet clover seeds for several years, until it came to the conclusion that it should try to grow the seeds itself, rather than buying them from foreign growers. M. Flax: “This particular cross-culture has only gained popularity in Latvia in recent years, because it is an unknown and risky culture.

At the same time, I am convinced that scarlet clover will be used more and more in agriculture in Latvia. Of course, not as a main crop, because this is an annual plant and will continue to be more of a niche product. We will consume part of the harvest ourselves, and the rest will be sold in Latvia for intercropping and animal feed. So far, we have already used this type of clover, adding it to flower meadow mixtures.”

Many Latvian farmers have already expressed their desire to sow part of their fields with clover for beauty, so I think that in the future the industry will delight people not only with blooming rapeseed, but also with fields of scarlet clover.