EDIT: Helpful update from Oliver Munn in the comments below confirming there have been many more than the 1200 applications I had originally suggested in Window 1 so far, meaning c. 60% (not 80%) of farms may miss out:
🐄🌾 Another £50m went into SFI26 on Friday. After the summer we've had I expect it's still going to run out very quickly.
A few thoughts below on why, what to think about now, and a new SFI planning tool we've built to help.
🌾 On track for the worst harvest since 1984
🐄 Grass growth has stopped, and lots of farms already using up winter forage
☀️ All of England now officially in drought, and a straw shortage on top
SFI is about the only income on a farm that doesn't depend on the weather. £532/ha guaranteed for a legume fallow, or £224 for a herbal ley on grassland, starts to seem appealing as farmers look at this year's yields, particularly on lighter ground, and the stubbornly high input costs of having another stab next season. And in theory those deep-rooting mixes should help the ground cope with these extremes of wet and dry.DEFRA have added £50m into SFI to help farms "adapt to the risk of future droughts". That takes SFI26 to £290m (£230m in Window 2 next month).
Will it be enough? Some (very) rough maths:
📌 The SFI23/24 average was £21k and with rate cuts and no more planning actions, that number may well be lower in SFI26 (Oliver Munn has kindly confirmed that RPA will publish figures soon on average Window 1 agreement size).
📌 Even at a conservative £15k, Window 2's £230m funds <16,000 agreements
📌 England has roughly 60,000 full-time farms, and this summer has been brutal
📌 Take off the 19,300 with ongoing SFI24 deals and c. 40,000 are left potentially wanting SFI26
With budget for only c. 16k, 60% won't get in - i.e. first come, first served - as SFI24 was!
(Worth noting that Window 1, for 3-50ha farms and anyone without an existing agreement, does have a bit left - it closes 11:59pm on 28th Aug. If you're eligible, worth getting in now rather than waiting for Window 2.)
If you're over 50ha and waiting for the main window, I'd start planning now / speak to an agent. Working out how to stack 71 actions, what you keep farming with SFI on top and what comes out, takes a while. Leave it until the window opens and I fear you'll miss the boat.
As the drought went on and SFI climbed up people's lists, users asked if we could link in the farm and soil data they already have with us and make it easier. So we've developed SFI Shepherd. You can build up applications field-by-field, with incompatible actions and caps flagged as you go, and can compare multiple drafts side by side.I'm excited to be launching it with a webinar on Monday at 13:00 - sign up at soilbenchmark.com/learn . (I'll also run through the other parts of the platform, which has been completely revamped over the last few months. Soil Benchmark is now a comprehensive farm management system - from costing & stock to sprays, nutrients & soil.)
