Stewardship schemes provide peace of mind with paperwork – help with BPS, NVZ, annual claim forms, derogations etc as well as help with grant applications, such as LEADER and Countryside Productivity Fund. These pots of funding can be worth up to 40% of the total cost of equipment so are worth considering if the farm is thinking of moving towards a precision farming approach for example.
Our Associate, Laura Francis, has extensive experience of Countryside Stewardship including Mid-tier and Higher-tier applications and ongoing management of the scheme. A joint meeting is organised and where possible, our Edaphos agronomist will attend too, therefore aiming to ensure the agreement is tailored to your farm’s requirements. Countryside Stewardship helps ensure marginal areas work harder; putting them into environmental options often gives a better return than cropping them. Other options, such as cover cropping, may be something the farm is already doing without realising you can get a payment for them! If your farm falls into a target area for diffuse pollution, you may also be eligible for options such as concreting, biobeds, roofing etc – We are happy to help you to identify and address potential diffuse pollution issues through the improvement of farm infrastructure.
Laura is FACTS and BASIS qualified Farm Consultant with over 12 years experience advising farmers across England on a range of issues from Agronomy to BPS to Countryside Stewardship. Laura has also worked as a Catchment Adviser in both North Devon and the Cotswolds so has a very good knowledge of resource protection issues including NVZs, yard infrastructure and soils. Currently, Laura has a 100% success rate with LEADER and Countryside Productivity Grant applications – obtaining funding for a range of kit from seed drills to sheep handling equipment. She has also submitted successful mid-tier and higher tier Countryside Stewardship and LEAF Marque applications.
