188体育

Duration

3 years

How much you鈥檒l be paid听

拢593 per hectare (ha) per year

Action鈥檚 aim听

This action鈥檚 aim is that there鈥檚 an established legume fallow with plants that:

• grow and flower from late spring and during the summer months
• provide green cover over the winter months

The purpose of this is to:

• manage nutrient efficiency and improved soil health
• provide food for farmland wildlife, such as pollen and nectar for pollinators and farmland birds
• support an integrated pest management approach by reducing grass weeds and, if located close to cropped areas, encourage natural crop pest predators

Where you can do this action听听

You can do this action on agricultural land located below the moorland line that鈥檚:

• an eligible land type (as defined in section 5.1 鈥楨ligible land types for SFI鈥� in the SFI scheme information)
• registered with an eligible land cover on your digital maps
• declared with a land use code which is compatible with the eligible land cover

Eligible land

Eligible land type听	Eligible land cover听	Compatible land use code听
Arable land used to grow crops听	Arable land听	Land use codes for arable crops or leguminous and nitrogen-fixing crops听
Temporary grassland听	Arable land听	TG01听
Arable land lying fallow听	Arable land听	FA01听
Permanent crops 鈥� horticultural听听	Permanent crops听	TC01听

Eligibility of protected land

Protected land	Eligibility
Sites of special scientific interest (SSSIs)	Eligible 鈥� you must get SSSI consent before you do this action (read section 10.3 鈥�SSSI 肠辞苍蝉别苍迟鈥� in the SFI scheme information to find out how to do this)
Historic and archaeological features	Eligible 鈥� you must get a SFI HEFER before you do this action (read section 5.6鈥�鈥橪and with historic or archaeological features鈥� in the SFI scheme information to find out how to do this)

Available area you can enter into this action

Total or part of the available area in a land parcel.

Rotational or static action听听听

This action is rotational or static. This means you can either:鈥�鈥�

• move its location for the second and third years of this action鈥檚 duration
• do it at the same location each year of this action鈥檚 duration鈥�

What to do

You must establish a legume fallow on land entered into this action.

You must use a seed mix which contains at least 6 flowering species, including legumes. The seed mix can contain legumes such as:

• alsike clover
• bird鈥檚 foot trefoil
• black medick
• common vetch
• lucerne

The seed mix can also include:

• non-legume flower species
• grasses, such as cocksfoot or timothy, which can help to control blackgrass

You must avoid growing deep rooted legumes, such as lucerne, on any area in a land parcel that contains historic or archaeological features. These are identified in your SFI HEFER.

Once the legume fallow is established (usually from the second spring after sowing), you must maintain it. To do this, you must manage it in a way, and for a period of time, that can reasonably be expected to achieve this action鈥檚 aim.

You must not do the following on the established legume fallow:

• graze it with livestock 鈥� if you want to do this you may want to consider action CSAM3 (herbal leys) instead which allows grazing activity
• use the area for regular vehicular access, turning or storage (for example, storing bales or machinery)
• cut it, except to prevent blackgrass from setting seed or to control other annual grass weeds
• apply any fertilisers and manures
• apply pesticides, except for herbicides to weed wipe or spot treat to control injurious weeds, invasive non-native species, or nettles

You can maintain an existing legume fallow to get paid for this action if it:

• meets this action鈥檚 requirements
• is not already being paid for under another environmental land management scheme option, such as Countryside Stewardship (CS) option AB15 (two year sown legume fallow)

When to do it听

You must:

• establish the legume fallow by the autumn, within 12 months of this action鈥檚 start date
• maintain the legume fallow at the same location for a period of time that can reasonably be expected to achieve this action鈥檚 aim 鈥� this will usually be until the end of the second summer after sowing
• re-establish the legume fallow by the following autumn (either at the same location or a different location) and maintain it until this action鈥檚 end date

If you want to establish a legume fallow in the spring and remove it in the summer during the same year, you should apply for spring-sown or summer-sown cover crops actions (SOH2 or SOH3).

How to do it听

It鈥檚 up to you how you do this action, as long as you:

• follow this action鈥檚 requirements 鈥� these are identified by a 鈥榤ust鈥�
• do the action in a way that could reasonably be expected to achieve this action鈥檚 aim

You may find it helpful to read the 鈥榓dvice to help you do this action鈥�, but it鈥檚 not part of this action鈥檚 requirements.

Evidence to keep听

You must keep evidence to show what you鈥檝e done to complete this action, such as:

• field operations at a land parcel level and associated invoices, including details of the seed mix used
• photographs or other documentation

If it鈥檚 not clear that you鈥檝e done this action in a way that could reasonably be expected to achieve its aim, we may ask for this evidence. You must supply the evidence if we ask for it.

Other actions or options you can do on the same area as this action听

You can do the following actions or options on the same area in a land parcel as this action. Some actions or options can only be done on the same area if they鈥檙e done at a different time of year to this action. For example, winter cover followed by a summer companion crop. Read 鈥榃hat to do鈥� and 鈥榃hen to do it鈥� to find out when this action must be done.

Scheme	Action or option codes
SFI 2024 actions听	OFC3, OFC4, OFC5, OFM4, OFM5, OFM6, AGF1, AGF2, PRF2, CIPM1, CNUM1, CSAM1听
SFI 2023 actions听	IPM1, NUM1, SAM1听
CS options听听	OR3, OR4, OR5, OT3, OT4, OT5听听
ES options听	No ES revenue options听
SFI pilot standards听	No area-based SFI pilot standards听

If an action or option cannot be located on the same area, you may be able to do it on a different area in the same land parcel. Read section 6. 鈥楨ligible land in other funding schemes鈥� in the SFI scheme information for more details.

You can do the following actions or options on the eligible boundaries of a land parcel entered into this action:

• SFI 2024 actions: CHRW1, CHRW2, CHRW3, BND1, BND2 and WBD2
• SFI 2023 actions: HRW1, HRW2, HRW3
• CS option: BE3 (management of hedgerows)
• the introductory level of the SFI pilot hedgerows standard

Advice to help you do this action鈥�

The following advice may help you to do this action, but it鈥檚 not part of this action鈥檚 requirements.鈥�鈥�

Choosing a seed mix鈥�

This action explains the minimum requirement for flowering species, including legumes, in the seed mix (under 鈥榃hat to do鈥�).

Your seed supplier can help you choose a seed mix that鈥檚 the best match for your land and local conditions.鈥�

Where to sow the seed mix鈥�

When you establish the legume fallow, by law you cannot cultivate or apply fertilisers or pesticides to land within 2m of the centre of a hedgerow. Read the guidance on Hedgerow management rules; buffer strips to understand how these rules apply to you.

When you sow the seed mix, it can help to use sites:鈥�

• that receive plenty of sunlight, for better foraging habitat for pollinators and other beneficial insects鈥�
• where you wish to control grass weeds, such as blackgrass鈥�
• where soil health and compaction need improving鈥�
• where you want to reduce soil run-off during winter鈥�
• where you want to reduce your fertiliser use鈥痠n the following crop鈥�

Try to avoid sowing the seed mix on sites that are:鈥�

• difficult to access and manage (like remote field corners)鈥�
• known to contain rare arable wildflowers鈥�
• known to support injurious and other broad-leaved weeds which can be difficult to control, such as common ragwort, creeping thistle, spear thistle, broad-leaved dock, curled dock鈥�

Spreading the legume fallow areas across the farm can help to provide a network of habitats for farmland wildlife.鈥�

How and when to sow the seed mix鈥�

Your seed supplier can advise you on an overall sowing rate for the seed mix you choose.鈥�

It can help the seeds to germinate if they鈥檙e sown:鈥�

• into a consolidated seedbed that鈥檚 firm, fine, level and weed free鈥�
• when the weather and soil moisture is best for the crops in your seed mix鈥�鈥� this is usually spring or autumn, but it will be easier to control grass weeds in spring-sown fallows

You can either:

• broadcast the seeds onto the surface of the seedbed to help germination
• shallow-drill the seeds up to a depth of 1 centimetre (cm) - small seeds usually struggle to germinate when sown deeper than 1cm

After you have sown the seed mix (if the soil is dry enough), you can roll the seeds to:鈥�

• improve seed-to-soil contact鈥�
• keep moisture鈥�
• reduce the risk of slug damage鈥�

During establishment of the sown legume fallow鈥�鈥�

In the first few months after sowing, it鈥檚 advisable to check the area for successful germination and pest damage.鈥�鈥�

If establishment is poor, you may need to re-sow part or all the area. Your seed supplier can help you if you鈥檙e unsure what to do.鈥�

Maintaining established areas of legume fallow鈥�鈥�

Once the area is established, you can maintain it by managing it in a way that could reasonably be expected to achieve this action鈥檚 aim.鈥�

During the first spring and summer after sowing, you can control annual grass weeds, such as blackgrass, by:鈥�

• cutting as soon as it starts to produce seed heads鈥�
• doing follow up cuts as necessary to remove further seed heads鈥�

During the second year after sowing, you can control blackgrass by:

• cutting between March and mid-June
• leaving the area uncut for around 8 weeks between June and August 鈥� this will help to allow plants to flower for as long as possible to provide pollen and nectar for insects

Check the area for signs of nesting birds before you cut it. Birds, nests and eggs are protected by law, so if you see signs of nesting birds, delay cutting until the birds fledge鈥�

Remove the cut vegetation (where possible) to limit weeds and reduce the risk of it smothering the flower species. If this is impractical, you can finely chop the vegetation to spread them as thinly as possible.