In or out. Not another EU thread.

[fudge]

Some of the options pay quite well at over £500/ha, and can be used on the non productive parts of a field, and left alone for five years. Pros and Cons!

Is it worth preparing an application before the 23rd of June?

 

[chipchap]

Higher tier application "expression of interest" deadline has passed.
Not sure of the requirements for middle tier.

 

[nelson]

What other things have you had to do

we've had to put wild bird seed strips around some fields. hedges to be trimed every 2 years witch is a big pain fill in some gaps in some hedges maintain some old barns put some signs up to tell joe public that there paying for it not to bad really but the payment are't that great so the grant help alot.

 

[S J H]

What's the minimum acreage to put in, we've only got 20 acres at home owned, everything else is away rented.

 

[S J H]

A chap from natural England came out to have a look yesterday. He was quite insistant that I applied for a grant to cover our muck pad, I want to add some concrete and hedging to the package so I'll see what it works out as.

He reckoned that we could put 1 hectare into a scheme to qualify to apply. Does anyone think we have a chance, or will it be too small?

 

[chipchap]

We have been invited to apply for higher tier by Natural England, as we have an expiring ELS/HLS.
For us there are three stumbling blocks
The necessity to put all hedges on fields covered by the application into one cut in two years
The necessity to take endless photos and record stocking rates etc
The drop in general level of funding from the old scheme.

We will possibly leave it a year and see what shakes out.

 

[Great In Grass]

A chap from natural England came out to have a look yesterday. He was quite insistant that I applied for a grant to cover our muck pad, I want to add some concrete and hedging to the package so I'll see what it works out as.

He reckoned that we could put 1 hectare into a scheme to qualify to apply. Does anyone think we have a chance, or will it be too small?

We're selling no end of mixtures for 1 hectare plots for those entering the scheme so I guess a hectare is not considered small.

 

[carbonfibre farmer]

Suppose I depends what bits you'll do/what the priorities are in your area etc.




We are considering going in for mid tier here.

Won't have to do much different from current.

Got 3big oaks in middle of a field...makes big difference to us because being in a priority area for them.

Also a strip of wild bird bee mix on a awkward headland plus our normal overwintered stubble (lower level-plough etc from Feb).

Already got plenty of hedges so going through and totting up figures on our little bit would be worth around a 5th of our BPS payment which a fair amount for us......

Not made any final decision's yet mind.

 

[S J H]

We're selling no end of mixtures for 1 hectare plots for those entering the scheme so I guess a hectare is not considered small.

That's good to hear, thank Kevin, I'll be in touch soon,

By the way, the lawn's growing a bit too quick!

 

[Great In Grass]

That's good to hear, thank Kevin, I'll be in touch soon,

By the way, the lawn's growing a bit too quick!

Buy the wife a lawn mower, she will love it!

 

[bobk]

Buy the wife a lawn mower, she will love it!

Sell him some amenity grass instead of silage mixture

 

[S J H]

Sell him some amenity grass instead of silage mixture

It was the free stuff! It's got ahead of father in law

 

[Badshot]

It was the free stuff! It's got ahead of father in law

View attachment 337260

Looks a bit pale. Think you need to speak some fert for him ;-)

 

[S J H]

Looks a bit pale. Think you need to speak some fert for him ;-)

That would make it choke a bit

I can't remember how much seed I put on, but it's making me think again about reseeding.

 

[Great In Grass]

That would make it choke a bit

I can't remember how much seed I put on, but it's making me think again about reseeding.

I Think it was in 10kg bags you didn't use it all did you?

 

[S J H]

I Think it was in 10kg bags you didn't use it all did you?

No, I used a bit around the ring feeder, and to patch up a customers lawn

 

[Brisel]

My ELS expires at the beginning of December, so I'm aiming for a Higher Tier application as part of a cluster with a few neighbours next summer. ELS and the boss's partridge features e.g. 11km of beetle banks, 45 acres of brood strips. There is already have 8% of the farm out of production so I may as well have some money for it.

I must admit that I hadn't looked at the capital grants yet - I need my local CSF officer out first. The river running through the centre of the farm isn't a sensitive catchment which both neighbouring catchments are (Dorset Stour & Hampshire Avon). Because we haven't been polluting ours for year means they won't pay us to safeguard it in the future! That's the wrong way of thinking but hopefully you see where I'm coming from. There's a few other tick boxes like phosphate that might be handy.