Review your business
What is a farm management plan?
At its most basic, a farm management plan is a process of reviewing the current state of a farm business and benchmarking existing performance, before examining areas for potential efficiencies and opportunities to increase business sustainability (financial as well as environmental) and overall resilience.
Our detailed farm management plans offer clear, practical guidance (usually for a 12-month period) and key performance indicators such as soil organic matter and soil organic carbon that will help to measure regenerative improvements over time, as well as what you can expect to see in terms of yield and other outcomes. Ongoing support means we will be with you every step of the way, ensuring your farm management plan is continually on track for success.
Importance of soil
Planning is essential
While we all know that financial assessments are essential for any successful farm business, your soil is your most important asset.
With the threat of climate change and the shifting focus of government policies toward rewarding good soil management, taking steps to benchmark key soil health indicators and improve the overall resilience of your farming system is more important than ever.
Every farm is unique
Planning for success
We understand that every farm—and every farmer—is unique. Working closely with you, we will help you to assess your personal goals and business objectives, before reviewing your farm business and, where appropriate undertaking baseline assessments of your soil, crops, forage, feed, and more.
Using this data, we will develop a farm management plan with evidence-based advice and practical solutions to increase performance, decrease inputs, and improve your bottom line.
Benefits of planning
The benefits of farm management plans cannot be overemphasised, especially with the increasing threat of climate-related extreme weather events.
How we can help you
Grassland management
We can help you examine your grassland management, exploring the potential to improve grazing resilience and forage production. Have you considered deep-rooting herbal leys or drought-resistant sainfoin to provide more reliable grazing and forage supplies? We can devise plans for the establishment and management of diverse leys using a dedicated mix of plant species that we know will work for you and your farm—not the latest fashions.
Soil scanning and analysis
We work with farms and businesses across the UK to benchmark and monitor soil health and nutrient status, using a variety of techniques from hi-tech soil scanning to laboratory testing and in-field soil health assessments. We will not only help to establish your current baseline position, but we can build a detailed farm management plan with short, medium, and long-term changes in practices, techniques, and machinery to improve it.
Cropping
We will work with you to assess your current rotation and the health status of your soils to identify possible changes to what crops to grow – and in which fields — to help maximise yields and/or profitability. Using our GPS-located soil analysis and soil scanning equipment, we can not only tell you exactly where inputs are needed and where they are not needed, but we can also create prescription variable rate drill plans for your cropping campaign, reducing overall input costs and minimising potential environmental impacts.
Soil carbon
Measuring and managing carbon stocks on your farm is essential. Not only will building soil organic matter help to improve the overall resilience of your farming system in the face of weather extremes, but gathering actual data will enable you to communicate the benefits of your farming system to customers and potential funders. Ongoing monitoring will also stand you in good stead as policymakers increasingly look to reward farms that are actively improving soil health, sequestering soil carbon, and increasing biodiversity.