Why Are You Not doing a Soil Management Plan?

Under SFI, SAM1 is now paying £6/ha and £97 per agreement, per year.  The requirements of the options are that a soil management plan is produced (a soil management plan written in the last 12 months can be used) and the soil organic matter must have been tested on land entered into the option, within the last 5 years.

So, you can enter any fields into SAM1 that you already have a valid soil organic matter test for, and any fields that you intend to test within the next 12 months.  Though you can put a proportion of your farm into SAM1 in year one, and then will add in more on the first and second anniversaries of the agreement, you can put it all in initially and you will receive the maximum money but will have all the soil testing to do in the first 12 months of the agreement.  You do not have to have another SFI option on a field to enter it into SAM1, and most CS options are also eligible to be located in the same parcel as SAM1.

A likely income from SAM1 for a 150ha farm with 25 fields grouped into 10 soil samples by soil type and management (assuming starting from scratch, and testing the whole ), with you applying for the SFI  as follows;

Year 1-3             150ha @£6 + £97 =            £997 x 3 years = £2991

Cost for the three years above in region of Soil Management Plan & Soil Analysis £1300.  This money will be recouped within 18 months of the three years and more importantly, you have up to date soil and nutrient status information on which to make fertiliser and other management decisions.  The money may be the attraction, but the information gained will pay many times over if USED!

What are you waiting for?  Contact the office today and arrange for Morgan or Ellice to visit and incorporate this option as part of a larger SFI plan for your farm, by contacting Ellice at ellicehahne@fcgagric.com or Tel: 07944 680469.