Who are we… and what do we do?

Abacus provides independent advice with a practical, hands-on approach to integrated farm management and agronomy for organic and low input agriculture. Our services focus on profitable and sustainable farming systems that follow best practice commercial principles for business, soils and the environment.

Our regional team of consultants combine local knowledge with a wide range of technical expertise covering many aspects of livestock and crop production, policy and regulation. Our clients include farmers, growers, processors, retailers large and small across the supply chain in the UK and internationally.

Tailored for you…

Our farm consultancy services are tailor made to your business with key areas of expertise summarised in these easy to navigate panels. If you can’t find what you’re looking for please get in touch…

Stephen Briggs on 07855 341309 or
Ian Knight on 07775 842444 or send us an email to:
advice@abacusagri.com

Current Market Data

Full credit for these graphs and market data goes to Farmers Weekly. For full and accurate information on farming market data, please visit their website.

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Farming Calendar

Things that rural grant claimants should (and shouldn’t) do throughout the year:

1st January – Official start of the BPS 2018 scheme year.

1st January – 31st December

  • Land used to claim BPS must be eligible all year
  • Ecological focus area (EFA) period for hedges and trees in
    a line (which must be present all year unless newly planted)
    and buffer strips and field margins (which must be present
    all year)
  • Environmentally sensitive permanent grassland must be
    retained all year
  • Cross compliance rules must be followed all year

1st January – 30th June – EFA period for EFA fallow land.

13th March – Application window opens.

1st May – 30th June – Crop diversification period and EFA period for nitrogen-fixing crops.
15th May (midnight)

  • BPS 2018 application deadline to avoid late application
    penalties.
  • Deadline for RPA to receive supporting evidence to prove
    young farmer or new farmer status, to avoid late application
    penalties.
  • Deadline for BPS 2018 entitlement transfers (only the
    person who holds an entitlement on this date can use it to
    be paid for BPS in 2018).
  • Land used to claim BPS in 2018 has to be ‘at your disposal’
    (only the person who has the land at their disposal on this
    date can use it to be paid for BPS in 2018).
  • Deadline for RPA to receive applications for new
    entitlements from young or new farmers.
  • Deadline for RPA to receive applications for young farmer.

31st May (midnight) – Deadline to make certain changes to an application received by 15 May without a penalty (for more information read the ‘Basic Payment Scheme: rules for 2018’).

11th June (midnight) – ‘Late application’ deadline. Deadline for late applications, or late amendments, with penalties. Any applications or supporting evidence received after this date will not be accepted.
20th August – EFA catch crops must be established by this date.
1st October  – EFA cover crops must be established by this date.

14th October – EFA catch crops must be retained until at least this date.

1st December – BPS 2018 payments window opens.

31st December – Official end of the BPS 2018 scheme year.

15th January 2019  – EFA cover crops must be retained until at least this date.

30th June 2019  – Payment window ends.

If you have read about our new No-till services in the media and would like to go straight to the No-till Decision Tree, then please use the button below:

No-till Decision Tree