Spring is just around the corner and thoughts turn to warmer weather and the grass growing. The market has already seen sales of ewes with lambs at foot and the number of in-lamb ewes has been increasing each week. As graziers start to plan their summer grazing if you have any grass keep to let, please do let us know, we have received a lot of enquiries from interested parties.

The recent announcement of the latest Sustainable Farming Incentive (SFI) standards is a welcome addition to the existing 3 standards and will hopefully be a useful source of funding for farmers.

The new standards are:

Improved Grassland

Farmers will be paid for actions such as taking grassland out of management, managing grassland for winter bird food and establishing and maintaining buffer strips at the edge of fields to help wildlife and biodiversity.

Low Input Grassland

Farmers will be paid to manage low input grassland to improve biodiversity, soil management and water quality.

Nutrient Management

Farmers will be paid to make an assessment and produce a report of their management of nutrients, helping to encourage them to understand how they are managing nutrients and to take further action to deliver environmental benefits such as reducing fertiliser to prevent runoff into water courses. In addition, there are payments for those who incorporate legumes into the crop and grassland management.

Integrated Pest Management

Farmers will be paid to carry out an assessment and produce an integrated pest management plan, establishing and maintaining flower-rich grass margins, blocks, or in-field strips, including payments for not using insecticides and for planting companion crops.

Hedgerows

Farmers will be paid to assess the condition of hedgerows and manage them in a way that will work for wildlife and improve biodiversity.

Arable and Horticultural Land

Farmers will be paid for actions including establishing and maintaining areas of nectar-rich flower mix; establishing and maintaining flower-rich grass margins, blocks, or in-field strips; providing winter bird food; establishing and maintaining grassy field corners and blocks; and establishing and maintaining buffer strips.

Payments are now based on actions and options and in some ways are similar to the Countryside Stewardship options. For example, under the Improved Grassland standard a payment of £235/ha to establish a 4 – 12 metre buffer strip and the same option under the Arable and Horticultural standard pays £451/ha is available. Completing an Integrated Pest Management plan under that standard pays £989/annum. In addition a SFI Management Payment of £20/ha for the first 50ha of the agreement up to a maximum of £1,000 is available. As you are able to upgrade SFI agreements annually, you can add new standards into existing agreements.

The second round of the Landscape Recovery Programme is set to open in the Spring and is aimed at large scale nature recovery projects focusing on net zero, protected sites and habitat creation.

Please do contact a member of the Agricultural team, in particular myself, Grace Millbank or Rob Russell if we can be of assistance with SFI, Landscape Recovery and Countryside Stewardship. We are happy to discuss the payment rates and assist in producing a scheme that will suit your farm.

I would like to take the opportunity to introduce you to Alexandra (Alex) Abrahams who has just joined Bletsoes as a Graduate Rural Surveyor who will primarily be working in the Agricultural Team and will be getting involved in all aspects of the business. Alex hails from Cirencester where she also attended the Royal Agricultural University where she undertook a degree in Rural Land Management. In her spare time she enjoys trampolining and horse riding (not at the same time).

I hope you have a successful lambing, calving and Spring drilling and hope that the weather is kind.

Richard Spendlove

Rural Chartered Surveyor & Auctioneer