Making the most of your land – Renewables, Woodlands & GAEC, Event summary

With the current Brexit situation and uncertain red meat markets, farmers need to explore how to ‘Make the most from their land’.  By maximising output from your farmland, you can improve your business profitability and reduce your carbon footprint.  The topics explored at this meeting included farm woodlands, renewable energy and ensuring compliance with GAECs.

Sixteen local land managers attended the meeting to hear presentations from Woodland Consultant Douglas Priest and Renewables Consultant John Farquhar on ways in which farm businesses can diversify.   Douglas’ presentation slides are available to read here & John’s presentation about renewables is available here.

During the afternoon session, Hamilton Brothers and Bomford gave a joint demonstration of Bomfords Flailbot.  The Flailbot can be used to help manage areas of bracken and whins, both of which are invasive and will reduce the available grazing area of grassland.  By managing these species effectively farm managers can improve their output from grass and reduce reliance on additional feedstuffs.

Main take home messages

• Well designed woodlands such as shelterbelts can have minimal impact to, and even result in improvements to how the farm is run practically.  Benefits can include improved cashflow, tax relief, and increasing (growing) asset, diffuse pollution mitigation, ground stabilisation, shelter & improvements in infrastructure (roadways and fences).
• Renewable grant incentives (e.g. Feed In Tariffs (FiTs)) are reducing, however the viability of such schemes can be very much site specific – the benefit may no longer be a large subsidy payment, but rather a significant reduction in energy cost.
• Support payments (particularly BPS, LFASS & AECS) are a large part of most farm business incomes.  Ensuring all GAECS, SMRS & cross compliance regulations are adhered to is crucial to maximise this income source.
• Although the Tayvallich area is not within one of SEPA’s diffuse pollution priority catchments, there General Binding Rules still apply and keeping on the right side of them can have benefits to the farm business which include improved biosecurity and nutrient management.  Further information on how to reduce diffuse pollution on your farm is available at Farming And Water Scotland

Downloads related to the topics discussed at the meeting are available below.

Very often slight changes in management can result in improved productivity on your farm, leading to increased profitability and a reduced carbon footprint.  Read what changes other farmers have made at Farming For a Better Climate.