Agriculture Flashcards
What are the common agricultural practices in your area?
Beef Sheep & Dairy
Mixed farming livestock & arable
What are common Crop Rotations?
Why are crop rotations used?
To improve soil health, control pests and diseases
How is agriculture affected in your area affected by:
Rainfall
NVZ
Topography
NVZ
Specific designations
What is a gross margin?
Total Farm Output less Total Variable Costs
What goes into a gross margin?
Why is a Gross Margin Used?
What are current prices for commodities?
Wheat -
Barley -
Maize -
Hay -
Straw -
Silage -
What are current prices for livestock?
Store Cattle
What are the key factors affecting markets and commodity prices at the moment?
How are livestock identified?
Cattle Ear Tags - DEFRA/ BCMS
Sheep ear tags - DEFRA/LIS
How are livestock movements undertaken / governed?
See auctioneering slides
What is ELM?
Environmental Land Management Schemes which comprises a system of payments to pay farmers/land managers to farm & produce food in an environmentally friendly/sustainable way.
What is countryside Stewardship?
No longer exists with the last year for applications being 2023 with those agreements commencing 1st September 2024
Lasting for 5 years with capital items being completed within 3 years
Comprised Revenue and Capital items in the one agreement
Two options:
Higher Tier - used for most environmentally important sites that need complex management eg creating or restoring habitats.
Mid-Tier - Improve diversity of wildlife, water quality, air quality and natural floor management.
What is CSF?
Catchment Sensitive Farming
Joint initiative between Defra, NE & EA which aims to provide free one-to-one advice to farmer to help them produce water and air pollution
There are certain items under the Capital Grants that require support from CSF Advisors - such as:
RP28: Roofing (sprayer washdown area, manure storage area, livestock gathering area, slurry stores, silage stores)
RP15 Concrete Yard Renewal
RP4: Livestock and machinery hardcore tracks
What is SFI?
Sustainable Farming Incentive - 3 year agreement
Currently suspended with details of revised SFI expected this summer
The Sustainable Farming Incentive (SFI) gives farmers a choice of actions that reward and support sustainable food production while protecting and enhancing nature
offers 102 actions
What is BPS?
Basic Payment Scheme - payment providing financial support for farmers - component of the EU’s CAP requiring cross compliance
Based on number of entitlements - 1 entitlement/hectare.
Minimum area to apply for BPS - 5 acres with each land parcel being at least 0.1 ha
Last year to claim BPS was 2023 with payments becoming delinked.
Delinked payments based on a reference amount calculated from 2020, 2021 & 2020 payment data.
Paid on reducing scale and ceasing in 2027.
After the Autumn budget the government announced all delinked payments would be capped at £7,200 for 2025.
What is the current situation for BPS? Why is this important?
After the Autumn budget the government announced all delinked payments would be capped at £7,200 for 2025.
BPS has provided an financial safety net for farmers since 2015 and as the level of support has continued on a reducing nature farmers are having to fins other sources of income or way to reduce costs
Dunsford Grazing License, what did you do?
I wrote to the Licensor in on 2nd January to establish if he wanted to renew the Grazing License with the grazier for the coming year.
He contact me via phone to confirm he wished to continue on the same basis as last if the grazier was in agreement and I confirmed the conversation via email.
I contacted the grazier via email to establish if they wanted to renew the License for 2025 confirming that it would be on the same basis as previous years.
The grazier confirmed his acceptance via email.
I then drafted the Agreements including plans. Sending 3 copies to to be signed by each party. once signed by the parties we returned a signed copy to each party and retained one for our records.
why was the licensor contacted first?
The licensor was contact first as if they did not wish to continue with the agreement then there would be no agreement.
How you determine appropriate terms for the coming year?
What do you take into consideration?
Fertiliser
Water
Attention
Type of stock allowed
Is mowing allowed?
What are Key points included in licences?
Schedule of land
Purchase Price
Licensor
Licensee
Dates of access
Payment dates
Type of stock allowed and what dates
Mowing allowed/not - conditions
Responsibility for stock
Responsibility for damage caused by stock
No application of organic/inorganic fertilisers
Obtain TLA
To permit the Lincensor access at all reasonable times
