The paid not to farm (SFI) thread

deere66

deere66

Well-known member
Probably worthy of its own thread but I'd better not ask anyone in power to start moving posts across 🙄

Personally, I'm not into the "management" options. Having to pay the agronomist to draw up a plan will take a chunk of the payment, what's left wouldn't be worth the aggro for me so keep it simple.
Hedges, also a no go for the moment. Writing down which bit to cut this year and which bit to leave is going to get complicated so let's stick to the simple stuff for now.
Buffer zones of NR grass, wild flowers/ legume fallow or cover crops seem doable. Got plenty of areas that basically grow winter wheat or nowt and that's if the blackgrass isn't too bad. Too wet then too dry for spring cropping but could sow a flower mix in May/June after the spring drought. The timing is then the problem, if I get "agreed" in the next couple of months then it will end at the same time of year which would mean 6 months wasted waiting to get WW in again. August would be the perfect time to start but that would mean no £££ this season. Having said that, I had 8 or 9ac last year doing nowt as it dried out quickly and some spring barley that barely did a tonne, too late and dry.
Got 20ac rented, basically because it's next door and he's a nice guy, far from good land. If I tell him he could have £280/ac less seed and drilling to look at wild flowers he might jump at the chance. There's always the chance that the cereal price shoots up again but you're stuck for 3 years. Needs some more:unsure::unsure::unsure::unsure:
 
The paid not to farm thread but at the same time food company manufacturers and supermarkets want agricultural/horticultural produce at ,near or below cost from the farmer/grower/ producer....




One doth think the financial dynamic is a wee bit off....






Maybe Pierre Trudeau was right with supply management, let the producers dictate the agricultural/horticultural produce price.....
 
Message from my agronomist yesterday, did I want my management plans filling in for SFI. Replied that I wasn't doing the management plans just simple fallow/wild bird food. "Oh well I would if I were you, it's easy money". "Ok I'll have a look"

Easy money for who? The agronomist? The soil testing people? The bit that's left isn't worth the hassle to me, then Rishi's given me another grand for my basic SFI agreement in the afternoon 😊

Sounds to me like a lot of the ag supply people are getting wind up. With all this non-farming there'll be nowt for them to do, meanwhile the RPA keep their well paid jobs administering it all. Job's fooked
 
I'm sure it was one of the Welsh politicians trying to justify their policies by saying the general public want to see a return for the payments farmers receive.
I'm just wondering when there is either food shortages and / or more expensive food on the supermarkets shelves how quickly it will register in the politicians brain cell that all along the public have been enjoying that return in the form of cheaper food in generally plentiful supply.
Some will counter that argument with the cheap import threat, but in the real commercial world I think things are only ever available cheap if you don't really need them, as soon as they are essential (due to shortages) the suplly chain sniffs a profit and suddenly everyone wants a cut.
 
opininionated said:
I'm sure it was one of the Welsh politicians trying to justify their policies by saying the general public want to see a return for the payments farmers receive.
I'm just wondering when there is either food shortages and / or more expensive food on the supermarkets shelves how quickly it will register in the politicians brain cell that all along the public have been enjoying that return in the form of cheaper food in generally plentiful supply.
Some will counter that argument with the cheap import threat, but in the real commercial world I think things are only ever available cheap if you don't really need them, as soon as they are essential (due to shortages) the suplly chain sniffs a profit and suddenly everyone wants a cut.
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I'm in various anti 20mph groups on Facebook, I'm shocked at the support for farmers on there
I think a lot of people got their eyes opened during COVID
 
opininionated said:
but in the real commercial world I think things are only ever available cheap if you don't really need them, as soon as they are essential (due to shortages) the suplly chain sniffs a profit and suddenly everyone wants a cut.
Click to expand...
It seems to happening now with spring barley seed, prices banded about of £700/t a few weeks ago. Now they're dropping like a stone, either everyone's bought up or decided not to both through weather or SFI.

On a lighter note, Dad told a story of being in the motor factors in York when another customer walked in and asked for some brake pads for a *******. Proprietor comes back with the pads and asked for (£5). Bloke says "they're only £4.50 across the road" "Why didn't you get them there then?" says the store owner. "They're out of stock." "Well come back when I'm out and you can have mine for £4.50"🤣
 
FatBelinda said:
Me too. Inclined not to sign up to any of it.
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Not delved into the grassland options although I gather there's certain low input mixtures that can be grazed. I wasn't interested a couple of years ago when wheat was £300/t but now it's heading for 150 it's a different matter. Spring barley or beans on strong land doesn't do well and OSR seems to be a disaster more often than not locally. Don't agree with taking land out of production but ££££ is what's needed at the end of the day
 
deere66 said:
It seems to happening now with spring barley seed, prices banded about of £700/t a few weeks ago. Now they're dropping like a stone, either everyone's bought up or decided not to both through weather or SFI.

On a lighter note, Dad told a story of being in the motor factors in York when another customer walked in and asked for some brake pads for a *******. Proprietor comes back with the pads and asked for (£5). Bloke says "they're only £4.50 across the road" "Why didn't you get them there then?" says the store owner. "They're out of stock." "Well come back when I'm out and you can have mine for £4.50"🤣
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Obviously wasn't a BMW!!!
AC Delco pads for a Cavalier or Astra???
 
FatBelinda said:
Me too. Inclined not to sign up to any of it.
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Come down here then you can sign up to 10% trees and another 10% habitat areas, must have at least two ponds on farms upto 80ha, more on bigger farms.

17 basic universal requirements to be reported on to RPW and all field work of any sort sent in annually. So far no mention of what will be paid for all the data provided back to govt
It will spawn a whole industry of record keepers and advisors all over again.
Meanwhile English and Scottish farms do very well thank you
 
I'm wondering that if I put any of my farm into a scheme or other will it risk devalueing it in the future to be tied up in that way.

Years ago I had a successful application for the AECS but, upon reflection, decided to decline the contract because I thought that after the 5 year term the farm would be left in a worse state and that it would take an amount of money equivalent to the scheme money to rectify the mess and get the land back into full production.

The farm is bonnie enough as it is, with bags of wildlife and biodiversity as far as I can see.
 
Choochter said:
I'm wondering that if I put any of my farm into a scheme or other will it risk devalueing it in the future to be tied up in that way.

Years ago I had a successful application for the AECS but, upon reflection, decided to decline the contract because I thought that after the 5 year term the farm would be left in a worse state and that it would take an amount of money equivalent to the scheme money to rectify the mess and get the land back into full production.

The farm is bonnie enough as it is, with bags of wildlife and biodiversity as far as I can see.
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What's to stop "them" a few years down the line slapping an SSSI on it and then its subject to a load of rules and regulations and useless from an agricultural point of view?
 
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