Why we’re putting area limits on some SFI actions
Defra's Future Farming Blog
by The Team
2d ago
Credit: Andrew Whether you’re designing a new product or policy, testing and gradual rollouts allow teams to gather feedback, grow in understanding and make improvements in a controlled way. From the beginning — and for all our schemes — this has been our approach. We designed SFI with farmers, for farmers. One of the most important things that they asked for was flexibility around how to achieve the aims of the actions. They also wanted the administration to be as simple as possible. For that reason, we didn’t place limits on any actions. Rather, we wanted to see how farmers responded to th ..read more
Visit website
Farming Podcast: improving animal health and welfare on your farm  
Defra's Future Farming Blog
by Martin Jenkins
6d ago
https://defrafarming.blog.gov.uk/wp-content/uploads/sites/246/2024/03/martin-jenkins-karen-halton-james-russell-improving-animal-health-and-welfare-on-your-farm.mp3 In this episode of the Farming podcast, our lead for healthier animals, Martin Jenkins, talks to dairy farmer Karen Halton. They are joined by infectious disease expert and vet James Russell.   Karen has 500 ProCROSS cows and 260 followers on her farm in Congleton, Cheshire. She recently accessed the SFI annual health and welfare review which is part of the wide range of support offered through the Animal Health and Welfare P ..read more
Visit website
From application to agreement: making the process to join SFI simple
Defra's Future Farming Blog
by The Team
1w ago
When you apply for the Sustainable Farming Incentive (SFI), we want your experience to be smooth and we want to offer you as much flexibility as possible.   In this post, we’ll set out what you can do and what we’re doing to make the process of applying as straightforward as it can be, so you can join the 14,000 other farmers, growers and land managers who've already applied. Preparation   Our new online SFI actions checker tool will help you filter the actions you can get paid to do on your land. It complements the scheme guidance which you can find on GOV.UK and in the SFI Ha ..read more
Visit website
Blending private and public finance 
Defra's Future Farming Blog
by The Green Finance Team
2w ago
Credit: cattan2011 We want farmers and land managers in England to confidently and securely access payments from both the public and private sector for the environmental benefits and food they produce.   In March 2023, we published a refreshed Green Finance Strategy and the first Nature Markets Framework. These documents set out what we’re doing to provide clarity and ambition for the development of nature markets.    We set out our commitment in both the Nature Markets Framework, and the payment principles for environmental land management to support the combin ..read more
Visit website
Grants available in 2024
Defra's Future Farming Blog
by The Team
2w ago
Credit: David S In this post, we’ll give you a summary of the grants to look out for this year.  The information published in this post is correct at the time of publication but please note that blog posts do go out of date. For the definitive, up-to-date list of all farming payments and guidance in England, bookmark Funding for Farmers and Land Managers on GOV.UK. The page contains both our grants and our ongoing payments. It also includes Countryside Stewardship grants and it is updated regularly.  SFI annual health and welfare review  Summary: Farmers who keep cattle ..read more
Visit website
The evidence we use to develop our environmental land management schemes 
Defra's Future Farming Blog
by Dr Anchen Kehler
2w ago
Credit: Kumweni We’re committed to ensuring that the policies underpinning our environmental land management schemes are based on the very latest and best possible evidence.  By using quality evidence, we can deliver value for money, meet our environmental targets & climate commitments, maintain food production and support resilient rural communities.    Bringing together the latest scientific literature and practitioner data is vital.   One evidence source is the recently published qualitative environmental impact assessment (QEIA). In this post I’ll give a ..read more
Visit website
Webinar follow up: the offer for arable and horticulture growers
Defra's Future Farming Blog
by Becky Briggs
2w ago
On Thursday 29 February, we held a webinar for arable and field horticulture growers in England. In the session, we covered the Sustainable Farming Incentive (SFI), Countryside Stewardship (CS), the Improving Farm Productivity (IFP) grant and the Farming Equipment and Technology Fund 2024. We explained how SFI supports both productivity and the environment and went through the wide range of actions including for soils, nutrient management and integrated pest management. In this post, I’ll summarise the themes that emerged in the questions and I’ll set o ..read more
Visit website
Farming Equipment and Technology Fund: improving productivity and slurry management grants available
Defra's Future Farming Blog
by Laurren March
3w ago
Credit: Steve Knight I am pleased to say you can now apply for a productivity and slurry management grant through the Farming Equipment and Technology Fund (FETF) 2024.  Last month, I blogged about the FETF and improvements we've made. I also included a link to the official FETF 2024 guidance. We recently made an update to it, so please note that the online guidance on GOV.UK is the very latest guidance. In this post, I’ll set out the process to apply and how you can learn more.   Overview  The FETF provides grants for farming equipment and technology that supports improv ..read more
Visit website
The future of hedgerow protections in England: consultation response
Defra's Future Farming Blog
by Richard Harrison
3w ago
Credit: Peter O'Connor Hedgerows are a vital part of our countryside. They benefit our wildlife, the environment and our landscapes.   Hedgerows play an important role in farming. They slow soil erosion and support an integrated pest management approach.    We know that our farmers and land managers value hedgerows. In England, there are now over 90,000 kilometres of hedgerows with one or both sides managed under 16,000 Countryside Stewardship and SFI agreements. Through Countryside Stewardship capital grants, over 13,000 kilometres of hedgerows have been created or restored ..read more
Visit website
FiPL spotlight: improving nutrient use and reducing nitrate and phosphate pollution in the Broads
Defra's Future Farming Blog
by Juliette Howlett
3w ago
The Waveney Farming Cluster receiving a talk from a soil compaction specialist. With a population of just over 6,000, spread across 303 square kilometres, the Broads, located in Norfolk and Suffolk, is among the smaller National Parks. The landscape is characterised by shallow lakes formed from peat digging in medieval times, seven rivers and more than 125 miles of navigable waterways. This flat and wet environment creates a haven for over a quarter of Britain’s rarest species, including the Norfolk hawker dragonfly and fen raft spider. The Broads has a long history of land drainage for the ..read more
Visit website

Follow Defra's Future Farming Blog on FeedSpot

Continue with Google
Continue with Apple
OR