Robert Law © Tim Scrivener

Protecting and improving the environment is a priority for Robert Law, who has always made good use of agri-environment schemes across the 1,800ha of farmland that he oversees on the Hertfordshire/Cambridgeshire border.

It was this focus on stewardship which led to him taking the bold decision to take 17% of one farm out of production in 2021.

Over the past 30 years, the business has been involved in a continual programme of restoring existing woodlands and hedgerows, as well as planting new ones.

See also: Countryside Stewardship – key changes for 2023 agreements

Alongside this, pollinator mixes and farmland bird margins have been established, habitat for ground-nesting birds has been created and species-rich chalk grassland in a site of special scientific interest (SSSI) has been protected with careful grazing.

“Our environmental commitments are just as important as our farming ones. We have made them work together, so that they go hand in hand, and are mutually beneficial,” says Mr Law, who is hosting Cereals for the fifth time this year.

Good option at the time

Arable reversion has been used before at Thrift Farm, but Mr Law recognises that what can seem a good option at the time does change – pointing out that the two-year rotational sown legume fallow option AB15 looked very attractive before the Russian-Ukrainian conflict.

“With wheat well over £300/t, these decisions aren’t as straightforward as they were. Putting in vast tracts of AB15 at £569/ha has lost its appeal, so I’m pleased we didn’t go down that route,” he says

Depending on the site, having livestock makes it easier where there’s archaeology or an SSSI to protect, as they are keen for these areas to be grazed, he says.

As far as his farming activities are concerned, high-value crops are grown for seed and human consumption, while an 1,800 breeding ewe sheep enterprise is an integral part of the system and helps to maximise the use of every hectare.

Cattle are a more recent introduction, with a 50-strong suckler herd making good use of stewardship grass and permanent pasture.   

New Stewardship Scheme

Back in 2019, bringing a new 150ha farm into the Law Farming fold gave him the opportunity to look at how he could use a new Mid Tier Countryside Stewardship (CS) agreement to deliver environmental benefits.

Working with Katie Hilton at Cheffins, the main consideration at Heath Farm was the presence of a Scheduled Monument in a large arable field, which Historic England was keen to see protected.

As Ms Hilton explains, the decision was made to take 26ha out of arable production and put it down to grass, using the archaeological grassland option HS2, which has a payment rate of £459/ha.

“It was a major change, as it accounted for 17% of the farm. We also got a capital works grant, which meant that we could put in the fencing and water infrastructure required to put the sheep on it in the summer,” she says.

The commitment with HS2 is that a grass sward has to be maintained over the archaeological feature, while any soil disturbance and surface damage must be minimised, she explains.

“In this case, it was easy for Mr Law to take on such an ambitious plan, as he moves the sheep around the farms and uses the grazing for his dry ewes. Putting it into grass made sense,” she says.

Hedgerow restoration

Other options taken up were capital grants for hedgerow restoration and both AB8 (flower-rich margins) and AB9 (winter bird food), which pay £628/ha and £640/ha respectively.

“It was all designed in such a way that we developed a network of margins that link to the area of archaeological grassland, so there is connectivity of habitats,” she says.

The whole farm agreement started in 2021 and the options and grassland have established well, with the hedgerow restoration work also completed.

Since it started, CS payment rates have gone up by an average of 30%, in a bid to attract more farmers to sign up, with the promise of transferring into the local nature recovery level of the Environmental Land Management (ELM) scheme.