Haines Watts Rural Business' Summer Bulletin

  Haines Watts Rural Business

Summer Bulletin

Are you eligible for Basic Payment Scheme? On the 1st January 2015, Single Farm Payment will be replaced by the Basic Payment Scheme (BPS). Under BPS you will have to be eligible to claim, and greening requirements will make up 30% of your BPS payment.

To be eligible for BPS you will need to:
1. be an active farmer
2. have at least 5 hectares of eligible BPS land
3. have at least 5 BPS entitlements

Greening: Crop Diversification (also known as the three crop rule), is mandatory under the BPS greening rules, which may require farmers to grow a minimum number of different crops on their arable land. There are five exemptions to the rule. This includes land which is certified organic; farmers who have less than 10ha of arable land and where more than 75% of the arable land is temporary grassland, fallow or a combination of these uses, and the remainder of the arable land is 30ha or less. Farmers who are not eligible for an exemption will be subject to crop diversification. Where farmers have between 10-30ha of arable land, they will have to grow at least two different crops with the largest crop not covering more than 75% of the arable land. Farmers with over 30ha of arable land will have to grow at least three different crops, where the largest crop shall not cover more than 75% of that arable land. In addition the two largest crops together cannot cover more than 95% of that arable land.

Ecological Focus Areas (EFA). EFA’s are a requirement under Greening. Farmers with over 15ha of arable land (which is not exempt from greening) will be subject to the EFA rules. The requirement is that an area that is equivalent to 5% of the total arable land which is farmed by the applicant will be designated as an EFA.
To reach the EFA requirements cover/catch crops, nitrogen fixing crops, fallow, buffer strips and hedgerows can be used. It is important to note that it is expected that there will be a delay in BPS payments for farmers who select to use hedgerows as an EFA due to mapping. It is essential that farmers take all “greening” information into account when planning their autumn planting.

SPS 2014 – Don’t forget the SPS and Cross Compliance Rules! The Rural Payments Agency (RPA) are still undertaking inspections throughout 2014, so now that your 2014 Single Farm Payment Forms (SPS) have been submitted it is important to remember to stay within the SPS and Cross Compliance rules. It is imperative that you complete and update your 2014 Soil Protection Review continuation sheet and be prepared to present it if you are selected for an inspection.

Ladies in Dairy: Haines Watts Rural Business held a joint meeting with DairyCo on 8th July 2014 at St Giles on the Heath Village Hall, with over 35 ladies attending. There was a presentation on calf rearing, followed by a discussion on future topics which will include bookkeeping, record keeping, a first aid course and the best wellies to wear on the farm! Meetings will be held on a quarterly basis, either on farms or in village halls. For more information or to attend a “Ladies in dairy meeting” contact Lucy Thomas.

Holsworthy Show – Thursday 28th August 2014:

Haines Watts Rural Business and Haines Watts North Devon LLP are once again sponsoring the main ring at Holsworthy Show. We look forward to welcoming you to our hospitality marquee for refreshments on Stand 156. Once again we are raising funds for Children’s Hospice South West (CHSW) a worthy local cause and have great charity raffle prizes.

Rearing dairy heifers to calve at 24 months

Heifer rearing is often one of the largest costs to the modern dairy farms; it’s a significant drain on resources and land/ building use.

Rearing dairy heifers to calve at 24 months is the most economical way of rearing heifers, and optimises lifetime performance and fertility.

With heifer weight and height (at withers) determining when heifers are ready to bull, this is one of the most difficult mind-sets to overcome. However it is the weight that determines a heifer’s puberty and oestrus cycling not her age.

It is important to reach growth targets; Holstein heifers are ready to bull when they are 420 kg in

weight and 129 cm to withers; usually around 15 months old. Friesian’s at the same age are expected to reach 350 kg and 122 cm to withers. Despite these targets if a heifer reaches height and weight earlier than 15 months old, then there is no reason not to put her to the bull. It is the height and weight that determines if she is ready to be bulled, not age. (There is a full height and weight table available from HWRB for ages from 2 months to 24 months which helps to record and see if targets are going to be hit). It is important post service that growth and height targets are monitored as weight gain can be excessive if incorrect amounts of concentrate are fed. Monitoring the weights and heights reduces the risk of fertility being compromised in future servings.

An easy way to measure your dairy heifers can be anything as simple as a mark on a wall or a mark on a gateway in a field, thereby enabling easy and quick selection of suitable stock to bull. A weight band can also be used for measuring weights. It is very useful to keep a record of these weights to record progress and growth.

Calving at 24 months is possible on both a grass and straw /concentrates based systems. When using a grass based system it is critical that the heifers are fed with good quality grass with weight and growth rates being recorded on a regular basis. Supplementary feeding may be required to reach targets. When out wintering heifers it is critical to ensure shelter is available (i.e. large hedgerows) and where possible it is important that heifers which are struggling to reach targets are provided with housing. This will provide warmth and good shelter reducing energy to keep warm and enabling more energy to be utilised for growth. Out wintering heifers can be hard work on the heifers and to calve at 24 months it is essential that growth targets are reached.

When feeding heifers on a straw/concentrate system it is important to provide good protein levels to provide the energy which is required to reach growth rates and target weights. It is important to make sure that the heifers do not get over fat. Body condition scoring is essential to ensure that heifers are going to bull at the correct height, weight and body condition.

 For more information on calving at 24 months please contact Mike or Lucy

Mike Feneley - Partner - mfeneley@hwca.com - 07974 707 317                                                                                                                 

                     Lucy Thomas - Consultant -  lthomas@hwca.com - 07711 002786                                                              

                                                                                                                                              

www.hwca.com/agricultural_consultants
Although every effort has been made to ensure accuracy neither Haines Watts Rural Business nor the author can accept liability for errors and omissions

Farming Consultancy offers South West farmers assistance with Grant applications

Haines Watts Rural Business farming consultant Lucy Thomas has been kept busy helping agricultural clients to apply for the latest round of ‘Catchment Sensitive Farming’ Capital Grants at various locations around the South West.  

The scheme is part of the Catchment Sensitive Farming project which provides advice to farmers to help them implement changes in farming that reduce the risk of both water pollution, and the regulation being applied to farming to achieve required water quality standards.  Catchment Sensitive Farming (CSF) delivers practical solutions and targeted support to enable farmers and land managers to take voluntary action to reduce diffuse water pollution from agriculture to protect water bodies and the environment.  

Mike Feneley, Partner and Lucy Thomas, Farming Consultant of Haines Watts Rural Business LLP 

A joint project between the Environment Agency and Natural England, it is funded by Defra and the Rural Development Programme for England, working in priority catchments within England. The Catchment Sensitive Farming Capital Grant Scheme (CGS) is open for applications from 1 February to 31 March 2014 with successful applicants having works completed by 31 January 2015.

Haines Watts Rural Business LLP provide a unique combination of agricultural and financial expertise to rural business in the South West. The firm offers both personal and business support to managers and owners to develop and put in place tailored farm strategies, annual plans and improvement projects together with technical advice.  In addition they can provide grant advice and assistance with applications including RDPE grants and offer practical advice on planning applications.  


Lucy Thomas, Farming Consultant – Haines Watts Rural Business LLP says:  “There are many opportunities to apply for agricultural grant funding and we offer a personal service to our clients to make them aware of what is out there and also help secure funds.   The hard-working farmers work very long hours whilst constantly battling against the elements, particularly with the severe flooding in the early part of this year.  As a result they may not be aware of what is available for them.  Also it’s not easy to find the time to complete the paperwork and this is where Haines Watts Rural Business steps in.  My role as farming consultant is to take this extra work off their shoulders and ensure that we put in the best possible bid to give a better chance of securing funding, particularly in such a competitive market with limited funds available.”

One of Lucy’s farming clients who utilised her expertise to gain a successful grant application for the (CSF) 2013 scheme is dairy farmer Andrew Allin of RJ Allin & Sons, based at Clawton, Holsworthy.   Lucy assisted Andrew throughout the application process by completing the necessary forms and arranging meetings with CSF officers.  She then organised the submission of the CSF form with the items Andrew required and how they would benefit the farm and were most suited to the scheme. 

The farm with 230 dairy cows and 450 acres is in the ‘Catchment Sensitive’ area of Tamar Tavy and the application was for some hard-standing cow tracks to be installed with fencing alongside.  Lucy worked closely with Andrew to achieve the items of particular interest for funding in this catchment to:

• Reduce run-off of soil and nutrients into watercourses from yards and field
• Reduce potential damage to soil caused by vehicles and/or livestock movements or grazing during wet conditions
• Improve field operations to limit sources and pathways for soil wash and run-off into water courses
• Reduce the requirement for spreading manure and slurry at times that can result in a high risk of run-off

 Lucy calculated eligible areas to maximise the grant funding on behalf of her client and even applied for an extension as work was delayed due to some of the worst flooding seen in the area for many years.   

Andrew Allin, RJ Allin & Sons, Holsworthy says: “The service offered by Lucy at Haines Watts Rural Business was invaluable. She really knows her way around the forms and goes that extra mile by getting in touch with the relevant bodies to gain maximum funding.  The works had to be completed by 28th February this year, however due to the severe wet weather conditions, this was delayed as we could not gain access to the land.  Lucy contacted Natural England on our behalf and successfully negotiated an extension which has given us peace of mind.”


www.hwca.com/agricultural_consultants

Rural Consultancy Appoints New Farming Consultant

Haines Watts Rural Business LLP, sister firm to Bideford-based Chartered Accountants Haines Watts North Devon LLP announce the appointment of Lucy Thomas as a farming consultant.  Rural Business LLP agricultural consultants assist with decision making in response to ever-changing agricultural market conditions and cover all aspects of farm business management with clients across the South West.

A farmer’s daughter, Lucy graduated from Harper Adams with honours gaining experience in Land agency including Land Sales, Single Farm Payment and Planning when working for Rendells.  Lucy followed on as a South West Food and Farming Adviser for the National Farmers Union prior to joining Haines Watts Rural Business. 

Lucy’s new role is to be actively involved with clients offering sound advice and support in response to the dynamic agricultural market.   She will provide farm consulting on all aspects of rural business including budgeting, landlord and tenant matters, planning applications, grant schemes and technical performance across the region.

 

Lucy Thomas, Consultant – Haines Watts Rural Business LLP says: “I am passionate about farming and very excited about this new role with a well-respected firm which specialises in the agricultural sector. I am looking forward to supporting the team and also working with clients and getting in new business.”

Mike Feneley, Partner Haines Watts Rural Business LLP says: “At Haines Watts Rural Business we understand the challenges faced by progressive and dynamic agricultural enterprises.   Lucy has farming in her blood and her knowledge and passion for agriculture will be a great asset to the Haines Watts team.  As the youngest member of the team she has a dynamic and enthusiastic personality coupled with impressive qualifications and practical experience. We are delighted to have her on board.”

www.hwca.com/agricultural_consultants