Farmers Weekly Podcast Ep 323: SFI scramble, sugar beet arbitration
© Tim Scrivener Farmers face a race to secure funding when the Sustainable Farming Incentive reopens – with warnings that the available money could be allocated within just 24 hours.
We look at how to prepare an SFI26 application, why growers should resist simply chasing grant money and what could happen to farmers whose existing agreements prevent them joining this time around.
See also: SFI26 Window 2: Two-thirds of eligible farms could miss out
Sugar beet growers face another period of uncertainty after price negotiations between NFU Sugar and British Sugar break down. With the 2027-28 contract heading to arbitration, we ask whether the crop can continue to earn its place in the rotation.
After one of the earliest maize harvests on record, we examine maize quality, forage shortages and why regular silage analysis could prove particularly important this winter.
And former farm minister Daniel Zeichner gives an extraordinary account of life inside Defra – including his claim that he knew nothing about the government’s inheritance tax changes until after they were announced in the 2024 Budget.
This episode is brought to you by Bayer Crop Science – weeding out uncertainty.
The Farmers Weekly Podcast is co-hosted by Johann Tasker, Louise Impey and Hugh Broom. Edited and produced by Johann Tasker.
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