Setting The Scene
Sustainability and positive environmental outcomes, rather than area based payments, are going to become the drivers for continued financial support for all farming businesses. Now is a good time to review and plan for profitability.
Why Act Now?
Current financial support – in the form of direct payments - is calculated to represent, on average, 61% of the profit generated across all farm settings in the UK. It is widely agreed that if you take beef and sheep farms alone, this proportion of annual profits is greater still.
The current (EU-linked) direct payment scheme is set to be phased out over the next 7 years. The reductions in payments have already started in 2021, with a 50% decrease scheduled by 2024. The rate of reduction will be fastest for those claimants who have historically received more than £30,000 per annum.
The replacement Environmental Land Management (ELM) scheme will have a firm focus on environmental protection – bearing many similarities to the outgoing Environmental Stewardship schemes. There will be many more ‘strings attached’ to the reduced amount of money that will be on offer in the future. This is the confirmed plan ahead for England. Welsh future policy on the issue isn’t yet clear but the total amount of money available is expected to be significantly reduced.
The effects of Brexit are just starting to be felt in the UK agrifood marketplace. AHDB analysis expects that the increase in EU trade friction will put up the cost of red meat export activities by 6-8%. It is highly likely that producers will be expected to absorb these additional costs.
Why do YOU need a health plan?
We know that infectious diseases cost the industry between £650-750 million per year, so control is paramount to success for any livestock rearing business.
Many of these diseases can be avoided through good biosecurity and vaccination programmes - others, like those caused by parasitic worms and liver fluke, require a more considered approach, informed by risk assessment.
We need to achieve high levels of reproductive efficiency to make best use of the available feed and labour on farm
We aim to take a fresh approach to herd and flock health, using the pasture management & planning exercise as a springboard to make targeted and impactful decisions about animal health and production.
Why Manage Your Pasture?
We know that on a pence/kilogram of dry matter/hectare (p/kgDM/Ha) basis: grown grass is 60% cheaper than feeding silage and upwards of 75% cheaper than purchased feed.
Adopting a rotational grazing strategy can increase grass growth from between 50-150% and utilisation by up to 20%, over a more traditional set-stocking approach.
Greater output from pasture reduces the need for expensive inputs i.e. purchased feed and fertiliser.
We can help assess: the available grazing, stocking rate and demand. We aim to implement the principles of rotational grazing and produce a tailored grazing management plan for the specific needs of your farm.
Why Use Farm management Software?
When looking to maximise grass growth and utilisation, the best software packages have powerful mapping tools to simplify grazing planning & management. They have the potential to replace traditional paper-based medicine records and provide an electronic data resource for: grass growth, demand and animal performance. The ability to input financial information allows real time tracking of production cost.
Our exclusive partnership with AgriWebb gives you 4 months free when signing-up to any of their annual plans. Our members will gain access to personalised training & setup assistance, administered through Agriwebb’s dedicated Farm Success team.