188体育

Duration

3 years

How much you鈥檒l be paid

拢203 per hectare (ha) per year

Action鈥檚 aim

This action鈥檚 aim is that there鈥檚 a cover crop on land, which:

• is not at risk of soil erosion or surface runoff
• follows the early harvest of a maize crop
• is well-established during the winter months

The purpose of this is to:

• reduce the risk of soil erosion and surface runoff
• slow water runoff and allow soil to settle out, to reduce losses of sediment, nutrients and chemicals carried in the surface water
• help take up nutrients and reduce nitrate leaching through the soil profile

Where you can do this action

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

• used to grow maize crops
• identified by you as not being at risk of soil erosion or surface runoff 鈥� you must keep written evidence of this
• 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	Eligible land cover	Compatible land use code
Arable land used to grow crops	Arable land	Land use codes for arable crops or leguminous and nitrogen-fixing crops
Temporary grassland	Arable land	TG01
Arable land lying fallow	Arable land	FA01

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 鈥楲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

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

• 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

What to do

After harvesting a maize crop, you must establish a winter cover crop which will not be harvested as a cash crop.

You must do this by either:

• establishing a quick growing cover crop as soon as possible after harvesting the maize crop, in time to establish before winter (this will usually be no later than around mid-October)
• maintaining a cover crop that was established by under-sowing the maize crop earlier in the year that remains after the maize crop is harvested

A 鈥榗ash crop鈥� means a crop grown to be harvested for commercial use.

You must maintain the cover crop in a way, and for a period of time, that can reasonably be expected to achieve this action鈥檚 aim.

For the purposes of this action鈥檚 aim, the cover crop will be well-established if there鈥檚:

• leafy vegetation that鈥檚 sufficiently well grown to protect the soil surface during the winter months (usually from early December until late February)
• minimal bare soil

You can graze the cover crop with livestock, but it must still be well-established over the winter months.

Once the maize crop has been harvested, you must not apply fertilisers or manures to the winter cover crop during the autumn or winter months.

If you鈥檙e establishing an early-sown spring crop, you may destroy the winter cover crop before the end of the winter months. You must not do this more than 6 weeks before you establish the early-sown spring crop.

When you destroy the cover crop, you should try to minimise risks such as compaction, poaching, soil runoff or erosion.

If something happens which means you cannot complete this action, you must tell the Rural Payments Agency about this in writing as soon as possible. For example, if there鈥檚 prolonged adverse weather. Read section 13.2 鈥榃hat you must do if you cannot comply with your agreement鈥� in the SFI scheme information to find out how to do this..

When to do it

You must do this action each year of its 3-year duration.

If this action鈥檚 start date means it鈥檚 too late for you to do this action, you must start doing it within 12 months of the action鈥檚 start date.

In the final year of this action鈥檚 duration, you must do this action until the end of the winter months or this action鈥檚 end date, whichever is earlier.

How to do it

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

You must keep written evidence that land entered into this action is not at risk of soil erosion or surface runoff. You can use the soil management plan produced for CSAM1 or SAM1 to identify this.

You must also 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
• photographs and 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

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	OFC3, OFM4, AGF1, AGF2, PRF1, PRF2, PRF3, PRF4, SOH1, SOH2, CIPM1, CIPM4, CNUM1, CSAM1
SFI 2023 actions	IPM1, IPM4, NUM1, SAM1
CS options	OR3, OT3
ES options	No ES revenue options
SFI pilot standards	No area-based SFI pilot standards

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

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

Choosing your cover crop

You can choose what quick growing cover crop to use. It can be a:

• mix, such as rye, vetch, phacelia, barley, mustard or tillage radish
• single crop, including grass, such as Italian ryegrass

To help you achieve this action鈥檚 aim, the cover crop will need to be frost tolerant, so there鈥檚 a well-established cover crop during the winter months.

Which cover crop you choose will depend on factors such as:

• herbicide use and application rates on the preceding maize crop
• the other crops you grow in the rotation
• if and how the cover crop will be destroyed for the following spring crop

If you鈥檙e in an area with a shorter growing season you may need to choose plants that germinate and grow in cooler weather.

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

You may find it helpful to read the Agriculture and Horticulture Development Board (AHDB) .

Where to establish the cover crop

When you establish the cover crop, 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.

How to establish the cover crop

To establish the cover crop, you can:

• remove areas of soil compaction, as long as you avoid causing damage to historic or archaeological features
• drill or broadcast the seed mix 鈥� this can include undersowing before you have harvested the maize
• sow at a suitable seed rate to provide a well-established cover during the winter months 鈥� your seed supplier can advise on a suitable sowing rate

Doing this action next to a watercourse

If you鈥檙e doing this action on a land parcel that鈥檚 next to a watercourse, you could consider doing the following SFI actions on areas next to the maize and cover crops:

• CAHL4: 4m to 12m buffer strip on arable and horticultural land
• BFS1: 12m to 24m watercourse buffer strip on cultivated land

These buffer strips actions can help to capture any sediment or organic materials carried in runoff water.