Mid tier capital grants

[onthehoof]

Reading the guidance it Appears for a 5 year mid tier scheme you can apply for a separate capital grant for hedge planting/ fencing etc to be completed within first 2 years of agreement but it doesn’t say whether there is a limit on how much you can claim, I think the catchment/water grant is £10k limit, anyone she’d any light on this ta

 

[Rob Garrett]

Reading the guidance it Appears for a 5 year mid tier scheme you can apply for a separate capital grant for hedge planting/ fencing etc to be completed within first 2 years of agreement but it doesn’t say whether there is a limit on how much you can claim, I think the catchment/water grant is £10k limit, anyone she’d any light on this ta

Not sure about max claim, but have you looked into water catchment grants from your regional water company? Seven Trent for us, grants are a LOT more agreeable than stewardship options.

Had some capital options in Mid Tear for headging etc but due to weather, resources etc missed 2yr deadline & they would not extend

 

[Pan mixer]

I have put in for 2500 metres of hedge planting, went through fine. Only problem is getting it done within the 2 years.

 

[onthehoof]

I have put in for 2500 metres of hedge planting, went through fine. Only problem is getting it done within the 2 years.

So £25000+ grant??

 

[Cows 'n grass]

I don't think there is a limit. I was involved in an application recently that was awarded a £240k capital grant on 500acres. Most of it was for concreting outside areas and roofing over outside areas that were already concrete.

I've just put in an application for 33k of fencing on 55 acres that is all in tiny fields.

 

[redsloe]

I don't think there is a limit. I was involved in an application recently that was awarded a £240k capital grant on 500acres. Most of it was for concreting outside areas and roofing over outside areas that were already concrete.

I've just put in an application for 33k of fencing on 55 acres that is all in tiny fields.

I was led to believe that applications are point scored. If there are lots of applications, which there will be this year, then applications with big capital grants may be weeded out.
Everyone and his dog are applying this year, myself included.

 

[Cows 'n grass]

I was led to believe that applications are point scored. If there are lots of applications, which there will be this year, then applications with big capital grants may be weeded out.
Everyone and his dog are applying this year, myself included.

I think they are. My latest application doesn't have a particularly big annual payment either so there's a good chance I won't get it but it's always worth a try.

 

[farmerm]

I was led to believe that applications are point scored. If there are lots of applications, which there will be this year, then applications with big capital grants may be weeded out.
Everyone and his dog are applying this year, myself included.

If so it will be the first year when the point scores matter! I have chanced it and put in for 4000m of fencing. One would like to think it would be for the benefit of all parties that if the scheme is oversubscribed this year some would be offered the opportunity to drop high value capital items from their application... but when has common sense and some flexibility ever come into these things! Its nonsense that capital items are offered but that included them in the application may greatly increase the risk of your whole application being rejected. The funds should be allocated to ensure as many environmental options are funded as possible and then capital claims be distributed from any remaining funds in the scheme budget.

 

[steveR]

Not sure about max claim, but have you looked into water catchment grants from your regional water company? Seven Trent for us, grants are a LOT more agreeable than stewardship options.

Had some capital options in Mid Tear for headging etc but due to weather, resources etc missed 2yr deadline & they would not extend

Agree with your comment about the private water Companies offerings. I binned off the mid tier offerings this year, and lobbed a largeish chunk of arable land into STEPS from Severn Trent.

Similiar money, essentially zero hassle and no smart arsed Inspectors from the RPA!!! Win, win, win! Will put in more next year if available still for the 5 years.

Takes me nicely into ELMs... if it ever happens in these financially challenged times!

 

[Rob Garrett]

Agree with your comment about the private water Companies offerings. I binned off the mid tier offerings this year, and lobbed a largeish chunk of arable land into STEPS from Severn Trent.

Similiar money, essentially zero hassle and no smart arsed Inspectors from the RPA!!! Win, win, win! Will put in more next year if available still for the 5 years.

Takes me nicely into ELMs... if it ever happens in these financially challenged times!

Did you get any into STEPS029 - Diverse herbal leys - £1500/ha/5 years, not sure if it was a one off, but pays whole amount in the first year.

 

[steveR]

Did you get any into STEPS029 - Diverse herbal leys - £1500/ha/5 years, not sure if it was a one off, but pays whole amount in the first year.

I did indeed. As you say a one off payment. Been put onto stiffish land, scattered around close to home mostly to aid grazing management. Although one block replacing short term grass ley is cutting only except mainly a bit of sheep grazing. Hope to buy weanlings in the new year to top up our own youngstock. Scarily expensive for the seed mind...

Also put a substantial (for us) area into Bee and Bird mix which I am quite excited to see how it pans out. Mostly stiff land again this time, but it will move around the farm a bit. The STEPS prescription (and cost) is lower than the Mid Tier options. Kevin Tregunna came up with a very affordable mix* for me at a fraction of AB16 seed costs!! Based on the stated requirements from STW, and tweaked a bit here on farm.




* Pitched to allow Autumn drilling and now all in using SS or Min Till... Should really have been 2-3 weeks ago, but harvest dictated otherwise!

 

[onthehoof]

I was led to believe that applications are point scored. If there are lots of applications, which there will be this year, then applications with big capital grants may be weeded out.
Everyone and his dog are applying this year, myself included.

Is that because its coming to the end of the first lot of 5 year agreements

 

[redsloe]

No, I don't think so. BPS is winding down and want to replace it with something at least. Also it now appears that elms might not be ready until 2027 so there's no point in waiting for that.

 

[steveR]

* Pitched to allow Autumn drilling and now all in using SS or Min Till... Should really have been 2-3 weeks ago, but harvest dictated otherwise!

Should of course been "DD" not "SS"... The curse of the moving keyboard...