SFI and Potentially not achieving aims

Rookie

Member
Arable Farmer
Location
Lincs / Notts
If you've entered into SFI but potentially cant meet aims due to weather difficulties / ground conditions , what options do you have ?
I've entered SFI with a start date of Feb this year and one of the options was no insecticide (IPM4) which is planned for fields coming spring barley. The ground conditions are still too wet to plough / travel even though we are on sand (has gone bottomless). If it gets to a point where its not worth drilling due to late drilling date / potential yield, where do we stand ?
Can you reduce area or change to different field parcels. How does it affect the rest of your SFI agreement ?
 

Rookie

Member
Arable Farmer
Location
Lincs / Notts
But will the no insecticide option be ok on fallow.
For example you can put it against a field with winter bird food cover but not Num 3 (legume fallow).
 

Badshot

Member
Location
Kent
But will the no insecticide option be ok on fallow.
For example you can put it against a field with winter bird food cover but not Num 3 (legume fallow).
If you've not put fallow down, you'll not be paid for that either though.
Not sure you can do it retrospectively later in the year or not.
 

e3120

Member
Mixed Farmer
Location
Northumberland
The 'no insecticide' is a right bugger's muddle, with some cases of no insecticide being more worthy than others.

I foresee similar with no til: "I didn't plant my spring barley - can I still claim no til?"

The answer is probably "yes, as long as you didn't leave it as grass" :(
 
Last edited:
If you've entered into SFI but potentially cant meet aims due to weather difficulties / ground conditions , what options do you have ?
I've entered SFI with a start date of Feb this year and one of the options was no insecticide (IPM4) which is planned for fields coming spring barley. The ground conditions are still too wet to plough / travel even though we are on sand (has gone bottomless). If it gets to a point where its not worth drilling due to late drilling date / potential yield, where do we stand ?
Can you reduce area or change to different field parcels. How does it affect the rest of your SFI agreement ?
Still plenty of time to plant barley
in 2013 my highest yielding barley we’re planted in the second half of April
best beans 14 and 15 April
all with no spring cultivations
I intend to use no insecticide option on every available acre
 
If you've entered into SFI but potentially cant meet aims due to weather difficulties / ground conditions , what options do you have ?
I've entered SFI with a start date of Feb this year and one of the options was no insecticide (IPM4) which is planned for fields coming spring barley. The ground conditions are still too wet to plough / travel even though we are on sand (has gone bottomless). If it gets to a point where its not worth drilling due to late drilling date / potential yield, where do we stand ?
Can you reduce area or change to different field parcels. How does it affect the rest of your SFI agreement ?
If you do not use insecticide a crop or fallow makes no difference
 

e3120

Member
Mixed Farmer
Location
Northumberland
In the SFI handbook under eligible land types for IPM4 it says 'Arable land, excluding temporary grassland and fallow land'
Therefore i would have to sow a cover crop or something to comply ?
Yep, the bullsh1t reason for not rewarding the non-use of insecticide on temporary grass is that none would have been used anyway so hardly credible to pay it on fallow. How much was ever used on spring barley anyway?
 

Badshot

Member
Location
Kent
In the SFI handbook under eligible land types for IPM4 it says 'Arable land, excluding temporary grassland and fallow land'
Therefore i would have to sow a cover crop or something to comply ?
Worst case it'll be a year end adjustment by telling them you didn't do that particular part.
Be cheaper than spending money to try to get that little payment.
 

Steevo

Member
Location
Gloucestershire
Surely the same could be said if anyone planted wild bird seed mix in April, it germinated and then hit a drought so it didn't grow. Or the slugs came along and munched it all.

There's a huge amount of unknowns.....and if you've already been paid some money (and possibly spent it!) then it's a really tricky one.
 

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