Multiple merits of countryside scheme
Farmers with an expiring Entry Level Stewardship agreement should consider the Countryside Stewardship Scheme - it has financial merits, as well as environmental ones.
The scheme differs from ELS in that it is competitive and you have to pick options that match local priorities, but it can offer some surprisingly high levels of payments.
This could help farm cashflows at a time when commodity prices are still subdued and subsidy payments declining.
Some options also bring management benefits, such as helping to achieve cultural control of problematic grassweeds.
Take for example, a 550ha predominantly arable farm business recently moved to the new scheme. Under ELS, the bulk of points came from extended overwintered stubbles, buffer strips including woodland edge management, plus hedgerow and field corner management and small areas of permanent grassland.
We analysed the value of these options under CSS. The points previously scored for the farm environment record and ditch management were removed, and field corner management replaced by flower rich plots. Under CSS, an additional 15ha will also be managed under a two-year sown legume fallow to combat blackgrass, and the shoot gets 2.5ha of additional winter bird food.
Comparing the similar options produces a CSS revenue of £15,900 a year versus £16,500 a year under ELS. But with an additional £9,430 per year for the sown legume fallow and winter bird food options, the scheme is then worth £25,330 a year, exceeding ELS by 54 per cent.
There is of course, a management cost. But for the 51ha taken out of production (this includes the overwintered stubbles and two year sown legume fallow, the latter still being able to be cropped for hay or silage), it equates to a £497/ha hectare gross margin on some pretty marginal areas of the farm.
Farm consultant James Turner cautions new growers seeking to make a Mid-Tier Countryside Stewardship Scheme application to “ensure they are prompt in submitting their completed applications forms by July 31 and are in regular contact with their advisor and Natural England staff."
Unlike historic schemes the new options are competitive and dependent on the species and environments Natural England staff are seeking to conserve and develop in the area.
Response times for 2016 applications were, in many cases, significantly longer than expected and we would encourage interested parties to start application in the near future to ensure the best chance of early submission to reduce delays as much as is reasonably possible.
Matthew Martin is a farm consultant with Strutt & Parker, Shrewsbury
