In our August blog from Lockerbie based Owen Farm Services , company founder David Owen discusses early payments of this years SFP and the loss of 2020’s agricultural shows this year due to Covid and the importance of Soil Sampling.
Single Farm Payment (SFP) Update
The Scottish Government recently announced it would be providing early payments of SFP this year. Using a similar scheme to previous years farmers will receive letters through the post during August advising of an option of early payment. The Scottish Government are encouraging (and we would as well) that farmers where possible reply to these offers by email. If you do not accept the early payment offer, there is no date at this time for when you will receive your SFP.
It is expected that payments will be processed and be arriving in bank accounts in September. This payment will be 95% of the total SFP and Greening payment due for 2020.
There is normally some confusion around interest payable on these loans. As this loan is State Aid whilst interest is added, the farmer does not normally need to pay the interest. For the vast majority there will be no interest payment. For some farmers this may be an issue so if you are in doubt please give us a call to ask.
Overall, our advice is to accept the scheme and get the 95% payment. The other 5% will follow sometime, so there is nothing to lose, and there is no timescale for a full payment later in the year.
August Agricultural Shows
Unfortunately, it doesn’t look like we will be at any shows anytime soon. Stewartry and Dumfries shows have been our main local shows over the past few years and are always hard work, but good fun. AgriScot in Edinburgh in November became the latest casualty of the show season last week, having been postponed until next year.
Hopefully 2021 will see shows restarting. We are looking forward to returning to the shows we’ve previously attended as it’s great to support these local events.
PRODUCT FEATURE
Soil Sampling
At Owen Farm Services we believe in utilising all the data you have available on farm, but we grew by the on farm soil sampling results available. All to often we were being asked to provide detailed advice based on a simple averages which came from the “w” pattern method. While these provide a starting point, it is not ideal for any who wants to make the most of their land. With this in mind we set about finding a better solution.
System
We looked at various GPS sampling solutions. There are multiple ways of utilising GPS but they all have the same principle in that a repeatable point is selected to draw a sample from. Where they differ is deciding where to take that sample from. Some companies use a grid system to select a core and pull a sample ever hectare using this grid. Other “zone” the field using existing data or images. The grid system provides a sample across the farm but can miss key variations within the grid, and while a zoning method allows a farmers knowledge to be applied, all to often in grassland there isn’t the data available to zone reliably.
Under both systems the soil is sent to a lab and a map is produced with associated files to allow variable rate applications. These results are delivered on proprietary systems which have not integrated with any other on farm record management in the past.
We weren’t very happy with either approach and spend around 18 months looking around the world for different solutions. Some are quite promising but not yet proven and other are eye wateringly expensive.
One solution we did find was TerraMap high resolution soil mapping. Instead of defining zones or grids, a vehicle mounted scanner takes a constant reading across the whole field. This is then calibrated at set intervals by taking physical samples to be sent to a lab. The result is high definition maps giving over 800 data points per hectare. This is then sent into a cloud based platform for presentation and interaction. We were impressed by what we saw and the people involved that we now work with Hutchinson’s to provide this service across Scotland and the North of England. We have also undertaken a full case study across 400 acres to ensure there is a payback to the farmers using the service.
To bring this service onto the ground we invested in our own specialised vehicle. It is road legal, but also very light on its feet, with ground pressures similar to a quad bike, but a slightly nicer place to be on a cold day.
Results
The Soil Optix Terra Map has two levels of service providing up to 21 map layers.
(NOTE – the URL of this image is https://www.omniaprecision.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/sites/5/2020/03/TerraMap-Service-Levels-visual.jpg)
While the standard service is the one that most clients will start with, and we are currently looking at a case study on some of the trace elements in the premium service which is looking quite interesting. More of this will be on the 5|Agri website in due course.
Integration
One of the key attractions on the Hutchinson’s system is the Omnia platform they send the data back to. This system brings all of the soil data into one place, and combines it with a full nutrient management package, and NVZ tool. This concept of having everything in one place really appealed to us, and saves our clients time while providing a better service.
With one of our consultants doing the scanning, we get a great overview of the farm, precise data, and the platform lets us bundle the whole lot into one place that allows us to improve the output of your land.
Further Information
If you are interested in this service, please do get in touch for more information and pricing. We can be reached on the phone (01461 600540), email ([email protected]), social media (@farmadvice), or speak to your Hutchinson’s agronomist.
