BPS 2020

[Adeptandy]

Anyone submitted it yet ?
I see the windows open for applications ?

 

[radar]

Which cropping plan due you use on first draft?

 

[Adeptandy]

Fallow ?

 

[Henros]

Always smile through gritted teeth, at the irony of being able to apply for the following year when you haven't been paid for this one yet.

 

[teslacoils]

I'm asking my agent to open it up and check the fields are at least all there.

 

[yellow belly]

Entered the current cropping plan on land use need to input the area to the nearest square metre and then match it up to the stewardship claim will submit in May when we know all the idiosyncratic rule changes

 

[Wombat]

Done the land use boxes and will fine tune a bit further down the line. Waiting for some entitlements to transfer for some land we bought. Land is there but entitlements aren’t yet

 

[Barleymow]

Did it with agent 3 weeks ago

 

[Two Tone]

Anybody else having problems getting connected to the sign-in just now?

I was getting on fine sorting out this year's Land Use section and all of a sudden it stopped accepting any changes.
Tried to re-start and sign in again and it won't reload.

 

[Two Tone]

Please could anybody confirm the following 2020 BPS land-use codes when land is used for CS Mid-Tier Stewardship:

For Stewardship land-use Code - use - BPS land-use code
Winter Bird Mix AB9 -use- AC58
Wild Flower Margin AB8 -use- FA01
Nector Mix AB1 -use- FA01
Herb&Legume Rich Pasture GS4 -use- TG01

 

[redsloe]

Went through it with the agent and submitted it last week.

 

[B'o'B]

Please could anybody confirm the following 2020 BPS land-use codes when land is used for CS Mid-Tier Stewardship:

For Stewardship land-use Code - use - BPS land-use code
Winter Bird Mix AB9 -use- AC58 correct
Wild Flower Margin AB8 -use- FA01 or the same as bulk of field
Nector Mix AB1 -use- FA01 or the same as bulk of field
Herb&Legume Rich Pasture GS4 -use- TG01 correct

Codes for Countryside Stewardship options with multiple crops

Countryside Stewardship option	Description	Code(s) to use for BPS
AB1	Nectar flower mix	as per rest of cropping, FA01 or TG01
AB3	Beetle banks	Record as per rest of field cropping
AB4	Skylark plots	Record as per rest of field cropping
AB5	Nesting plots for lapwing and stone curlew	FA01
AB6	Enhanced overwinter stubble	FA01
AB8	Flower rich margins and plots	as per rest of cropping, TG01 or FA01
AB9	Winter bird food	AC58 to AC62 or FA01
AB11	Cultivated areas for arable plants	FA01
AB15	Two year sown legume fallow	TG01 for years not in arable cropping
AB16	Autumn sown bumblebird mix	AC58 to AC62 in the years when the mix is established
WD3	Woodland edges on arable land	Record as per rest of field cropping
HS2	Take historic and archaeological features out of cultivation	TG01 and then PG01 after 5 years
SW1	4 to 6 metre buffer strip on cultivated land	Record as per rest of field cropping, TG01
OP2	Organic wild bird seed mixture	AC58 to AC62
SW3	In-field grass strips	Record as per rest of field cropping, TG01 or PG01
SW4	12 to 24 metre watercourse buffer strips on cultivated land	Record as per rest of cropping, TG01 or PG01
SW6	Winter cover crops	As per the rest of the field cropping during the period 1 May to 30 June
WT2	Buffering in-field ponds and ditches on arable land	Record as per rest of cropping, TG01 or PG01

Published 5 March 2019

 

[Two Tone]

Codes for Countryside Stewardship options with multiple crops

Countryside Stewardship option	Description	Code(s) to use for BPS
AB1	Nectar flower mix	as per rest of cropping, FA01 or TG01
AB3	Beetle banks	Record as per rest of field cropping
AB4	Skylark plots	Record as per rest of field cropping
AB5	Nesting plots for lapwing and stone curlew	FA01
AB6	Enhanced overwinter stubble	FA01
AB8	Flower rich margins and plots	as per rest of cropping, TG01 or FA01
AB9	Winter bird food	AC58 to AC62 or FA01
AB11	Cultivated areas for arable plants	FA01
AB15	Two year sown legume fallow	TG01 for years not in arable cropping
AB16	Autumn sown bumblebird mix	AC58 to AC62 in the years when the mix is established
WD3	Woodland edges on arable land	Record as per rest of field cropping
HS2	Take historic and archaeological features out of cultivation	TG01 and then PG01 after 5 years
SW1	4 to 6 metre buffer strip on cultivated land	Record as per rest of field cropping, TG01
OP2	Organic wild bird seed mixture	AC58 to AC62
SW3	In-field grass strips	Record as per rest of field cropping, TG01 or PG01
SW4	12 to 24 metre watercourse buffer strips on cultivated land	Record as per rest of cropping, TG01 or PG01
SW6	Winter cover crops	As per the rest of the field cropping during the period 1 May to 30 June
WT2	Buffering in-field ponds and ditches on arable land	Record as per rest of cropping, TG01 or PG01

Published 5 March 2019

Thanks for that. I have also now found the 2020 published codes and they are all the same as 2019.
It seems utterly daft that we can’t use the CS codes for BPS.
My BPS return will show several FA01 subsections in some fields, where we have both Wild flower margins and Nectar mix in the same field. This tends to prompt CS to want evidence and it always seems to be these same fields they want the evidence from each year.

Why do they not make life a lot simpler for both us and them and allow us to use CS codes on the BPS forms?

 

[Hindsight]

At last today thank f---.Started sowing for combinable harvest 2020 on the 21st september last year and what with catch crop rule being moved to mid oct the awful weather through to end of jan and then a window in the first week of feb ( a waste of effort but made me feel better at the time) most of that feb attempt has been resown, finally now got a crop sown on every acre apart from 2acre ish of wet holes strategic misses ,broken drains etc in various spots across the farm(mostly on the roadside in full view for the added amusement of others . Now a drought ffs. Have ended up with some spring barley which 30 odd years ago said I would never grow again till the hole in my a------------ up and some sp osr which has to be the biggest gamble of my 50 plus years farming life a field of ww that is borderline and the rest early sown wheat approx 2/3rds which to be fair looks fine, time will tell wether weve done right just got to hope that old maxim god loves a trier holds true

Hi, can I ask you a question please.

I have followed your posts over the years. I was aware you had used catch crops as EFA which suited you when the first destruction date was Oct 1st, and were irritated when the destruction date was pushed back to Oct 15th. As you liked the catch crop before planting a cereal. I appreciate this past autumn that 15 day delay in date may well have scuppered your sowing plans last year.

My question is why you continued with catch crops for EFA when I expect you could easily meet EFA requirement with buffer strips and hedges. Then if you had wanted a catch crop it would not be encumbered by the Oct 15 first destruction date.

Do tell me to mind my own business. Just curious, thats all.

Cheers.

 

[4course]

Hi, can I ask you a question please.

I have followed your posts over the years. I was aware you had used catch crops as EFA which suited you when the first destruction date was Oct 1st, and were irritated when the destruction date was pushed back to Oct 15th. As you liked the catch crop before planting a cereal. I appreciate this past autumn that 15 day delay in date may well have scuppered your sowing plans last year.

My question is why you continued with catch crops for EFA when I expect you could easily meet EFA requirement with buffer strips and hedges. Then if you had wanted a catch crop it would not be encumbered by the Oct 15 first destruction date.

Do tell me to mind my own business. Just curious, thats all.

Cheers.

No problem .The reason we /I continued with the catch crops was we have found a significant benefit in yield and cost of growing the following crop , even though the 15th of oct date was to the end of our sowing date target like to be finished by the 20th or there abouts I thought /hoped the benefits would outweigh the negatives as we could have sown other fields i.e those with muck applied or even ploughed out leys however as you say the weather scuppered our plans, We have very few hedges around the arable fields and one100 block and another 85 plus acre doesnt have any other than a short 1/2 section which is almost 1/2 of our wheat acreage.We have nothing to buffer up to as the farm /blocks of land are bisected by roads i.e. no ditches and as above not many hedges around the arable fields .We do have some arable land away from the main holding subject to short term tenancies and for various reasons both ours and landlords try to avoid any interference from hedges/buffers etc so catch crops worked in those situations, hope that solves your curiosity its all about different views and practices / circumstances . The big question ive got to face is what to do next /this year any help would be appreciated but surely we wont have another back end like this one plus I along with the rest of us will be ramming it in early

 

[Hindsight]

No problem .The reason we /I continued with the catch crops was we have found a significant benefit in yield and cost of growing the following crop , even though the 15th of oct date was to the end of our sowing date target like to be finished by the 20th or there abouts I thought /hoped the benefits would outweigh the negatives as we could have sown other fields i.e those with muck applied or even ploughed out leys however as you say the weather scuppered our plans, We have very few hedges around the arable fields and one100 block and another 85 plus acre doesnt have any other than a short 1/2 section which is almost 1/2 of our wheat acreage.We have nothing to buffer up to as the farm /blocks of land are bisected by roads i.e. no ditches and as above not many hedges around the arable fields .We do have some arable land away from the main holding subject to short term tenancies and for various reasons both ours and landlords try to avoid any interference from hedges/buffers etc so catch crops worked in those situations, hope that solves your curiosity its all about different views and practices / circumstances . The big question ive got to face is what to do next /this year any help would be appreciated but surely we wont have another back end like this one plus I along with the rest of us will be ramming it in early

Thank you for your reply. I follow what you say.

But please do not take me wrong but I fear you are muddled in your view of the EFA buffer strips. I complete a number of BPS forms. The EFA buffer strips are only a 1 metre protection zone against any boundary, so watercourse, hedge, road any boundary. Not to be confused with 'proper' buffer strips for stewardship that stick out into the field.

I would expect even with large fields you would get a substantial amount of required EFA using the buffer option. Thus not require to use all of your catch crop for EFA and making to destruction timing more flexible. But as I say I am sticking my nose into something that is not my business.

Apologies if this comes over as a criticism. Not meant to be. Just as I use buffer strips to attain most if not all EFA requirement on pretty much all the BPS forms I complete am always curious when someone does it a different way. And when that upsets what was a good system before.

Regards,

 

[Brisel]

@Hindsight beware of heavy handed inspectors who take their own views on the state of EFA 1m buffer strips. Hawthorn, dogwood type hedges that put a lot of suckers out can fall foul of what they perceive as a buffer strip, especially for inspections later in the year.

I use a lot of hedges and buffer strips for EFA and fortunately have more than enough to meet my EFA requirements. I do take 10% off every one for a safety margin. Also, you can’t use buffer strips next to CS field margins as they are of the same kind. I got pulled up on this last year when they did a remote inspection. I lost the CS money on one margin where I forgot to reduce it for the SW1 6m grass margin in one field.

 

[Hindsight]

@Hindsight beware of heavy handed inspectors who take their own views on the state of EFA 1m buffer strips. Hawthorn, dogwood type hedges that put a lot of suckers out can fall foul of what they perceive as a buffer strip, especially for inspections later in the year.

I use a lot of hedges and buffer strips for EFA and fortunately have more than enough to meet my EFA requirements. I do take 10% off every one for a safety margin. Also, you can’t use buffer strips next to CS field margins as they are of the same kind. I got pulled up on this last year when they did a remote inspection. I lost the CS money on one margin where I forgot to reduce it for the SW1 6m grass margin in one field.

Hi, yes there are some issues as you point out. But all can be managed, providing one knows and understands about them in first place. Can I just ask you for clarification about EFA buffer strips being ineligible next to CS field margins. That was not my understanding. My interpretation is an EFA field margon/buffer strip can be adjacent to a CS field margin but the two needed to be identifiable on the ground to an inspector, and that does not mean to a remote sensing satellite. So, yes a nuisance and preferable to not use if loads of other EFA.

As ever, on here it is difficult to be fully aware of individual practical issues that become apparent when one is actually on a farm and can see and discuss with the farmer.

I presume with the SW1 6 metre margin you had not put in the extra 1 metre for the EFA margin? Easily done. And it is difficult to manage when staff do not really understand the importance of widths of strips and gamekeepers / shoot captains drive across anything and everything. Hey ho.

Cheers.

 

[Brisel]

Hi, yes there are some issues as you point out. But all can be managed, providing one knows and understands about them in first place. Can I just ask you for clarification about EFA buffer strips being ineligible next to CS field margins. That was not my understanding. My interpretation is an EFA field margon/buffer strip can be adjacent to a CS field margin but the two needed to be identifiable on the ground to an inspector, and that does not mean to a remote sensing satellite. So, yes a nuisance and preferable to not use if loads of other EFA.

As ever, on here it is difficult to be fully aware of individual practical issues that become apparent when one is actually on a farm and can see and discuss with the farmer.

I presume with the SW1 6 metre margin you had not put in the extra 1 metre for the EFA margin? Easily done. And it is difficult to manage when staff do not really understand the importance of widths of strips and gamekeepers / shoot captains drive across anything and everything. Hey ho.

Cheers.

I'm dragging this off topic, so will quote you in a BPS 2020 thread in the right forum if that's ok. @JP1 @Clive @Shutesy can you punt the relevant posts above on this subject across too please?

 

[Brisel]

@Hindsight - I'm continuing our conversation from the Drilling Anyone thread here;

BPS rules 2020 link

The bottom line is where you're coming from, I think. It was worded a little differently in the 2019 rules which was where I got pulled up by the RPA for not having something distinctly different despite the strip edge being 8m from the field boundary i.e. 1m of straggly hedge, 1m of buffer strip under the 2m rule plus the 6m SW1 grass margin.

Here's the 2019 rule with subtly different wording: