Owls, Owl Houses & Organic Farming

Using barn owls to fight rodent populations is an old idea that is getting a second look by many sectors of the agriculture industry. As an organically certified Rooibos farm, we believe that nature can often be a farmers best ally in his battle against pests.

Making space for raptors –

Over the past six months, I have been in contact with various passionate researchers and environmentalists who have studied how to best create habitat for raptors on a farm.

The simple idea being that raptors eat rodents > the more raptors > the less rodents > the healthier the Rooibos fields. Conversely, by poisoning rodents – which is the conventional approach to the problem – farmers inevitably end up killing raptors (who eat the poisoned rodents), thereby increasing the challenge – and creating a greater problem which loops and builds upon itself.

With the advice of Zoologist Leigh Potter, and the services of the wonderful Gerry Cassidy – who designed and built all of my barn owl boxes (at cost of materials only!), we’re proudly about to erect the first 16 barn owl boxes on our farm in the next few weeks. To my knowledge, we will be the first farm within the entire Rooibos farming industry to develop barn owl habitat (as an organic control for rodents) on a significant and meaningful scale.