This week, DEFRA expanded the number of Sustainable Farming Incentive (SFI) options from 23 to over 100 covering 10 different land types from Grassland and Arable to Coastal and Moorland. Many of these options can be applied on the same land as Countryside Stewardship Scheme (CSS) options. One client farm was able to increase total RPA payments by over 50% with a number of low maintenance SFI options on grassland in addition to the existing CSS agreement.
There is no downside to looking at SFI options for your farm either as your first scheme or as an addition to CSS. Here are 5 considerations in evaluating whether to apply for SFI.
#1 - Get free assessment of options and revenue
Demand Economics will visit you, understand any existing CSS agreement and walk through your objectives including a detailed review of your farm fields. We then revert within a few days on several scenarios for SFI options on specified fields and the likely revenue associated. Finally, we meet up again and work through in detail what options to apply for. All of this is initial no-fee consulting so that you are bearing no financial burden whilst SFI choices are evaluated.
#2 - Understand what SFI options you can select
Farm Economics is helping a number of farms both enhance farm income and meet the SFI aims by making SFI applications on land that is already part of their Countryside Stewardship Agreement. In the table below you can go directly to the relevant DEFRA web page to see the details of all the options.
You can also carry out a quick search below to see if your parcel with a CSS option could also be eligible for an SFI option on the same piece of land. For example, if you have some fields with GS2 as a CSS option, type 'GS2' in the 'Keyword Search' field then press 'Search', and all the SFI options that you could carry out on that piece of land are shown - in this example there are 8 SFI options that you can carry out on some land within the GS2 option.
Take a look below.
Farm Economics is now carrying out SFI applications for farms. To get some key tips and find out more see our latest blog on the topic HERE.
Contact Adam Donaldson at Farm Economics to discuss how to enhance your farm income with SFI.
#3 - Simplify the Application process
We want to let you get on with farming, so Demand Economics will complete all aspects of the application process including detailed maps.
#4 - Manage your agreements with the "Farm Economics App"
Whenever you have a CSS or SFI agreement in place, as part of the agreement you are required to keep specified records for each option and each field. The record keeping requirements in general are less 'onerous' for SFI than for CSS, but the obligation still exists. Failure to produce records on request has in cases resulted in non-payment and retrospective claw-back of any payments made in previous years.
Demand Economics has developed the 'Farm Economics App' over the past few years to:
Store all your agreement details for both CSS and SFI
Access all your maps online including if they are developed on The Land App or Google Maps - with all the benefits of being able to zoom in to great detail, overlay satellite imagery, include and exclude 'layers' to make it easier to understand which options are where
Store all your required information for each option and parcel together with a monthly reminder of how many you still have to complete
A smartphone app 'Farm Economics' which is available on Google Play or Apple Appstore to enable you to take photos, make records whilst in the farm and away from the farm office. Any information you gather using the smartphone app is automatically integrated with your desktop view of the app
Full reporting of all completed actions which can be made available to RPA when requested.
You can find out a bit more about the Farm Economics App by clicking on the button below - the App is now functioning for SFI as well as CSS.
#5 - You want to farm, let us sort out your SFI application
Demand Economics offers full service for your CSS and SFI agreements - from initial application through to the unique offering of ongoing agreement management with the Farm Economics App. Our purpose is to help you maximise your net farm income through these agreements whilst letting you get on with farming.
Do get in touch if you'd like a no obligation evaluation of the potential for SFI to enhance your income and meet the aims of SFI.
Adam Donaldson, T: 07907 581094, E: adam.donaldson@demand-economics.com or just click the button below to drop me a note.
Company registration number: 08285264.
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