Sustainable Farming Incentive - Pilot Information (including PAYMENT RATES)

[Northern territory]

Apologies I was over simplifying and there's a lot to digest... seems not all watercourses have to be included and of those included not all need buffers so it's actually fairly workable?

Establish water body grass buffer strips next to at least 50% of the total length of water bodies in the agreement.
6m wide at the introductory level (£16/100m).
For intermediate (£29/100m) and advanced level (£34/100m):
6m wide buffer strips on at least 20% of the total length of water bodies in the agreement
10m wide buffer strips on at least 30% of the total length of water bodies in the agreement
For advanced level add a wildflower mix to at least 20% of the total length

£340 per km, sounds inviting, not!

 

[holwellcourtfarm]

I've just read through DEFRAs new guidance on how we should manage grazing published here: https://www.gov.uk/guidance/graze-with-livestock-to-maintain-and-improve-habitats

I wonder who wrote it and what their background is? It reads to me like it's been written to suit a typical Wildlife Trust grazing scheme applicant. What do you think?

 

[neilo]

Couple of things jump out after scanning through that.
firstly it seems Cultivation’s are encouraged to help alleviate compaction ( doesn’t this go against the no till mantra.
And I thought they said Elms would be simple for farmers to comply WITHOUT using advisors ( not if the second pic is anything to go by, where it seems you need a Basis qualified soil assessor )View attachment 972425View attachment 972426

I read that differently. It says you ‘can get advice from’, not ‘you must get advice from’. That seems fair enough, telling you where you can get advice if you can’t do it yourself?

 

[Wombat]

I read that differently. It says you ‘can get advice from’, not ‘you must get advice from’. That seems fair enough, telling you where you can get advice if you can’t do it yourself?

I read it as that, as part of my degree was in soils I shall refer to myself and they can feck off

 

[Badshot]

£340 per km, sounds inviting, not!

It's in the region of £500/ha.
Give or take as I haven't done the sums on it to take account of the 10m bits, but it's somewhere in that ballpark.
For doing a bit of topping, and putting some flower seeds in some of it.
I didn't like the look of it initially, and still don't on the arable land standards.
But the soils standards, and water buffers could potentially pay me iro £20k. And a large part of it, I'm already doing, I could potentially claim some capital grants towards flotation tyres on trailers,
Perhaps something to get me further on the CTF bandwagon.

 

[Jackov Altraids]

I've just read through DEFRAs new guidance on how we should manage grazing published here: https://www.gov.uk/guidance/graze-with-livestock-to-maintain-and-improve-habitats

I wonder who wrote it and what their background is? It reads to me like it's been written to suit a typical Wildlife Trust grazing scheme applicant. What do you think?

I would say it reads like guidance notes for land managers with little knowledge and no practical experience and are about to take control of newly nationalised land.

If farmers are expected to fill the role suggested rather than farm in a sensitive manner, they should be paid as managers and not dribble fed small tokens for meeting inane requirements.

 

[Tubbylew]

I've just read through DEFRAs new guidance on how we should manage grazing published here: https://www.gov.uk/guidance/graze-with-livestock-to-maintain-and-improve-habitats

I wonder who wrote it and what their background is? It reads to me like it's been written to suit a typical Wildlife Trust grazing scheme applicant. What do you think?

Feck, that is probably the most patronising load of guff they've written lately.

 

[delilah]

Any chance of the NFU poaching Anna Hill from farming today ? She has a far better grasp on all of this that the NFU chap she interviewed.
I can see this ending up in court; Defra saying that it is open to all when it patently isn't.

 

[delilah]

Perhaps something to get me further on the CTF bandwagon.

Spoke to a farmer yesterday who ploughs everything, plenty of traffic, some folks came found as part of a study (adas think he said) and tested the soil for compaction. Didn't remotely give them the results they expected, he reckons they wont be included in the final write-up. That's not a bandwagon, that's corruption.

 

[delilah]

It has been niggling me how much it would cost to prove the 'increase SOM' arable soils requirement. Needn't have worried, I think we have a spade.

How to tell if soil organic matter is increasing
Dig 20cm deep soil pits and look for darker coloured topsoil. As organic matter increases it will become similar in colour to uncultivated topsoil, like nearby hedge banks.


I do hope the ponzi carbon schemes are all using the same level of scientific rigour.

 

[delilah]

Still doesn't answer the equally important question. What if your SOM is already at a healthy level ? Seems there's only two options; don't apply as the SFI is written to exclude you, or lie when you do these self-assessment soil pits.

 

[Overby]

There must be some more info to come as there will surely be options in ELMs that need to match or exceed the likes of mid tier? You can currently whack in a 5ha block of AB9 returning £660/ha (minus costs) and get the BPS on it, there will need to be similar options somewhere or the amount of land in enviro schemes may actually go down!

 

[GeorgeK]

Still doesn't answer the equally important question. What if your SOM is already at a healthy level ? Seems there's only two options; don't apply as the SFI is written to exclude you, or lie when you do these self-assessment soil pits.

 

[Jackov Altraids]

There must be some more info to come as there will surely be options in ELMs that need to match or exceed the likes of mid tier? You can currently whack in a 5ha block of AB9 returning £660/ha (minus costs) and get the BPS on it, there will need to be similar options somewhere or the amount of land in enviro schemes may actually go down!

Farmers are being offered sums that do not cover income foregone through lower productivity and there are no payments to cover the application,administration and maintenance work.
Farmers will be signing away access/ inspection rights and be at the mercy of changes to the rules and reclassification of the land.
I would be shocked if the amount of land in enviro-schemes doesn't go down.

 

[AndrewM]

both soil new soil standards dont look too much work for the money. nor does the grassland stanadard or the basic £16 hedgerow standard. maybe water buffering standard but not sure yet whether that land would be better going towards 5% scrub for the grassland standard. Its the arable standard that looks to be alot of work and not alot of reward? unless you have a pheasent shoot there is alot more costs invovled sowing wildflowers and bird feeding strips for the arable standard than leaving 2m of grass cut around a 33% of a silage field for the grassland standard.

 

[Inky]

I've just read through DEFRAs new guidance on how we should manage grazing published here: https://www.gov.uk/guidance/graze-with-livestock-to-maintain-and-improve-habitats

I wonder who wrote it and what their background is? It reads to me like it's been written to suit a typical Wildlife Trust grazing scheme applicant. What do you think?

As someone who conservation grazes i would agree that this is not written for your average farmer who makes a livelihood from livestock.

Within the context of balancing production, profitability and ecological benefits it needs to be recognized that regenerative / holistic grazing is the most realistic option we have to meet those outcomes.

 

[Princess Pooper]

Couple of things jump out after scanning through that.
firstly it seems Cultivation’s are encouraged to help alleviate compaction ( doesn’t this go against the no till mantra.
And I thought they said Elms would be simple for farmers to comply WITHOUT using advisors ( not if the second pic is anything to go by, where it seems you need a Basis qualified soil assessor )View attachment 972425View attachment 972426

You CAN get advice from. not you must.

 

[holwellcourtfarm]

You CAN get advice from. not you must.

But want the aspiration that we wouldn't NEED advice for SFI?

 

[Northern territory]

30 lapwings while out in a crop of fodder beet just now. Conventional mixed farming. Who needs cover crops.

 

[delilah]

Tad confused on the soil cover aspect. I thought there was a payment in css to leave overwintered stubble ? But this says you can't leave it as stubble ? Which bit am I reading wrong ?