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Integrated Land Management Plans: How to improve production efficiency and identify new opportunities

14 June 2022

An Integrated Land Management Plan (ILMP) is an excellent advisory tool. It can be used to assess the current physical and financial production efficiency of a farming business in relation to the capability of the land and the soil type being farmed.

ILMPs allow business owners to call in an independent farm adviser to carry out a thorough assessment of current business performance and review against expected performance levels. From this, the adviser can then provide options which build on strengths, eliminate weaknesses, explore opportunities and reduce threats to the business.

An ILMP can help with a range of issues, including:

  • Setting targets for basic soil fertility to maximise grass and cereals yields.
  • Target applications of farmyard manure to reduce purchased fertiliser costs.
  • Management and control of perennial weeds.
  • Set financial targets to increase net worth.
  • Identify environmental measures that protect biodiversity and promote development of new habitats.
  • Implement reseeding programmes and grassland management systems to fix atmospheric nitrogen.
  • For big-bale systems – match cutting dates to stock performance.

 

To apply or for more information, visit https://www.fas.scot/integrated-land-management-plans-ilmps/ Alternatively, call 0300 323 0161 or email advice@fas.scot.

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