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Know How / Payments, schemes and grants

Support payments are a vital income stream for almost every farm business – whether they are delivered through the Basic Payment Scheme (BPS) or one of a range of agri-environment schemes.

This page offers the latest news on the main schemes operating across each of the devolved regions and also highlights other opportunities for farmers to access grant funds.

Key areas of focus:

  • Basic Payment Scheme developments
  • Agri-environment grant schemes
  • Grants to support equipment purchases
  • Rural development grant funding
  • Bursaries and scholarships

Case studies

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ARABLE

How SFI actions closely align with Herefordshire mixed farm

Chris Greenaway, farm manager at Garnstone Farms in Herefordshire is advising farmers to make the most of the Sustainable Farming Incentive (SFI), given the accelerated reduction in Basic Payment Scheme…

ARABLE

What the Budget means for new Arable Insights farmer panel

As farmers head to Westminster to protest at Budget measures affecting their businesses, including the unwelcome changes to inheritance tax, we look at the practical implications of the new regime…

ARABLE

No-till provides zero cost way into support scheme

Kent grower Richard Day is set to use his adoption of direct drilling and precision fertiliser techniques under new environment schemes to gain more than 40% of his old direct…

GRASSLAND MANAGEMENT

Why simple herbal ley mix benefits Durham mixed farm

Government clarification that growing one herb, one legume, and one grass together qualifies as a herbal ley under the Sustainable Farming Incentive is grist to the mill of a County…

ROTATIONS

How arable estate gets the best out of stewardship schemes

Agri-environment schemes have already provided resilience and risk management at Buckminster Farms, a large-scale farming business on the Leicestershire/Lincolnshire border. The challenge ahead is to integrate elements of the Sustainable…

CROP MANAGEMENT

Arable Insights farmers share how SFI fits into their businesses

How have our new group of Arable Insights farmers implemented SFI into their businesses, and what’s the latest in Scotland and Northern Ireland? West Midlands: Rob Atkin, Staffordshire Accepted on…

Practical advice

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ENVIRONMENTAL SCHEMES

A guide to staying SFI compliant

Unlike more rigid support schemes of the past, the Sustainable Farming Incentive (SFI) is all about giving farmers greater flexibility to make actions work for their farm, while simultaneously delivering…

ARABLE

Tips on achieving healthy hedgerows on farm

Hedges are a defining feature of our countryside and one of the best habitats for wildlife on any farm.  Far more than being a boundary, they also support farm business…

ENVIRONMENTAL SCHEMES

Nutrient mitigation market merits careful consideration

Headlines about housebuilding being held up by environmental measures have abated to some extent, but the need to ensure that new development does not increase the nitrogen and phosphate loading…

ARABLE

How SFI grassy corners and blocks can work most effectively

Grassy corners and blocks are perhaps potentially one of simplest of all the Sustainable Farming Incentive (SFI) options to implement, but, as ever, to deliver the maximum benefit for the…

BUSINESS

How to bounce back from bad weather and drop in farm support

Labelled as a perfect storm, declining support payments, a new government, extreme weather and market disruption have combined to cause uncertainty and put incomes under pressure in 2024. Transition from…

CROP MANAGEMENT

Making the most from pollen and nectar mixes in SFI

Only about 5% of Sustainable Farming Incentive (SFI) agreements in the 2023 scheme have opted for pollen and nectar flower mixes (AHL1). This makes it one of the least popular…

BPS calculator

BPS online calculator

Direct Payments in England will be phased out from 2021 to 2027 and details of the percentage reductions have now been released by Defra. Download this calculator, provided by Albert Goodman, to see how this affects you.

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Insights

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MARKETS AND TRENDS

Private nature funding opportunities for farmers

Private investment funds have repeatedly claimed that billions of pounds are available to be invested in nature. However, so far, little has actually found its way into farmers’ pockets. One…

PAYMENTS, SCHEMES AND GRANTS

SFI 2024 update: All you need to know

Starting your Sustainable Farming Incentive (SFI) journey is becoming an increasingly urgent task for farm businesses looking to increase resilience and improve cashflow. SFI has been through multiple revisions since…

BUSINESS

How farms are generating income from the environment

Flood-prone land in west Norfolk that is difficult to farm productively is being turned into wetland – thanks to a mix of public funding and private investment. Using “blended finance”…

PAYMENTS, SCHEMES AND GRANTS

Scottish agricultural support scheme changes: What we know

The Scottish government has provided further detail on its post-Brexit farm support policy. Here consultants and policy experts give an insight into this summer’s update and their views on the…

SOILS

New reports reveal arable's impact on the environment

Two new reports are being said to provide a clear roadmap for improving soil health, reducing carbon emissions and supporting biodiversity, while also enabling farm businesses to continue operating profitably.…

SOILS

SFI 2024 changes: What they mean for arable farmers

Arable farmers considering the expanded Sustainable Farming Incentive (SFI) 2024 scheme are being reminded that changes to actions and agreements were introduced in early August. The Defra update provided some…

COVER CROPS

How to get the most from SAM2 overwinter cover crops

Many growers will have experimented with overwintered cover crops in recent seasons, with, it’s fair to say, varying levels of success. In terms of area, overwintered cover crops is the…

PAYMENTS, SCHEMES AND GRANTS

Expanded SFI 2024 offer: What it means for arable farmers

The new expanded Sustainable Farming Incentive (SFI) for 2024 brings together the existing SFI 2023 offer, amended Mid-Tier Countryside Stewardship (CS) options and some new actions, moving it closer to…

PAYMENTS, SCHEMES AND GRANTS

The grant support available to landowners for tree projects

The push to encourage more UK landowners to plant trees has seen Defra and the devolved administrations committing more grants to woodland creation, and to maintaining existing plantings across a…

OTHER CROPS

How to get the best out of IPM3 companion cropping in SFI

Companion cropping is perhaps one of the easier options to include in Sustainable Farming Incentive (SFI) agreements, particularly if you’re growing oilseed rape or perhaps maize, or for an end…