AHW10: Low input harvested cereal crop

What you must do to get paid for this action and advice on how to do it.

• From: Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs and Rural Payments Agency
• Published: 21 May 2024
• Last updated: 27 March 2025 바카라 사이트� See all updates

• Land types: Arable
• Areas of interest: Crops, Integrated pest management and Pollinators and wildlife
• Payment types: Revenue

This is an action in the Sustainable Farming Incentive (SFI) scheme: expanded offer for 2024. You must read the SFI scheme information to understand the scheme rules and how to apply.

Duration

3 years

How much you바카라 사이트檒l be paid

拢354 per hectare (ha) per year

Action바카라 사이트檚 aim

This action바카라 사이트檚 aim is that there바카라 사이트檚 a low input, open-structured cereal crop growing:

• in strips or plots
• during the spring and summer months until it바카라 사이트檚 harvested

The purpose of this is to:

• enable wildflower species to grow within the crop
• provide summer foraging sites for declining and localised farmland birds, such as yellowhammer and reed bunting
• provide habitat for skylarks, farmland wildlife and pollinator species

Where you can do this action

You can do this action on agricultural land located below the moorland line that바카라 사이트檚:

• an eligible land type (as defined in section 5.1 바카라 사이트楨ligible land types for SFI바카라 사이트� 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 (not maize)	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 바카라 사이트� you must get SSSI consent before you do this action (read section 10.3바카라 사이트�바카라 사이트�SSSI 肠辞苍蝉别苍迟바카라 사이트� in the SFI scheme information to find out how to do this)
Historic and archaeological features	Eligible 바카라 사이트� you must get a SFI HEFER before you do this action (read section 5.6바카라 사이트�바카라 사이트楲and with historic or archaeological features바카라 사이트� 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 is a rotational or static action 바카라 사이트� this means you can either:

• move its location for the second and third years of this action바카라 사이트檚 duration
• do it at the same location each year of this action바카라 사이트檚 duration

What to do

You must establish an autumn or spring cereal crop (not maize):

• in strips or plots
• at a seed rate that바카라 사이트檚 reduced to a level that can reasonably be expected to achieve this action바카라 사이트檚 aim

As long as this action바카라 사이트檚 aim can reasonably be expected to be achieved, you can:

• undersow a seed mix into the spring cereal crop
• use a blend or mix of cereals

Once the cereal crop is established, you must manage it in a way that can reasonably be expected to achieve this action바카라 사이트檚 aim until it바카라 사이트檚 harvested.

You must not:

• harvest the crop before it can reasonably be expected to achieve this action바카라 사이트檚 aim (usually not before around mid-July)
• apply insecticides after around mid-March, until the crop is harvested

You must not apply herbicides, apart from those containing the following permitted active ingredients:

• amidosulfuron
• clodinafop-propargyl
• fenoxaprop-P-ethyl
• pinoxaden
• tri-allate

It may not be possible for you to use these permitted active ingredients on all crops. It바카라 사이트檚 your responsibility to confirm whether herbicides are approved for use on the affected crop.

You can use an existing cereal crop to get paid for this action if it:

• meets this action바카라 사이트檚 requirements
• is not already being paid for under another environmental land management scheme action or option, such as Countryside Stewardship (CS) option AB14 (harvested low input cereal)

When to do it

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

If this action바카라 사이트檚 start date means it바카라 사이트檚 too late to establish the cereal crop, you must establish it within 12 months of this action바카라 사이트檚 start date.

In the final year of this action바카라 사이트檚 duration, you must do this action until the crop is harvested or this action바카라 사이트檚 end date, whichever is earlier.

How to do it

It바카라 사이트檚 up to you how you do this action, as long as you:

• follow this action바카라 사이트檚 requirements 바카라 사이트� these are identified by a 바카라 사이트榤ust바카라 사이트�
• do the action in a way that could reasonably be expected to achieve this action바카라 사이트檚 aim

You may find it helpful to read the 바카라 사이트榓dvice to help you do this action바카라 사이트�, but it바카라 사이트檚 not part of this action바카라 사이트檚 requirements.

Evidence to keep

You must keep evidence to show what you바카라 사이트檝e done to complete this action, such as:

• field operations at a land parcel level and associated invoices
• photographs or other documentation

If it바카라 사이트檚 not clear that you바카라 사이트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 they바카라 사이트檙e done at a different time of year to this action. For example, winter cover followed by a summer companion crop. Read 바카라 사이트榃hat to do바카라 사이트� and 바카라 사이트榃hen to do it바카라 사이트� to find out when this action must be done.

Scheme	Action or option codes
SFI 2024 actions	AHW6, OFA1, OFC3, OFM4, AGF1, AGF2, PRF1, PRF2, PRF3, PRF4, SOH1, CIPM1, CNUM1, CSAM1, CSAM2
SFI 2023 actions	IPM1, NUM1, SAM1, SAM2
CS options	AB2, AB5, AB6, AB9, HS3, HS9, SW6, OP1, 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 바카라 사이트楨ligible land in other funding schemes바카라 사이트� 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 it바카라 사이트檚 not part of this action바카라 사이트檚 requirements.

Choosing a cereal crop

It바카라 사이트檚 up to you which cereal crop (not maize) to use for this action.

If you바카라 사이트檙e undersowing a seed mix into the spring cereal crop, you can sow it either:

• at the same time as the spring cereal crop, using a mix of cereal and companion crops (including pulse crops, such as field beans, lupins and combining peas)
• as a separate pass into the spring cereal crop

Undersowing the spring cereal crop with a flowering companion crop mix can provide flower and insect-rich foraging habitat for farmland birds and pollinator species.

If you바카라 사이트檙e using a blend or mix of cereals, it can include crops such as:

• barley
• oats
• red millet
• rye
• triticale
• wheat
• white millet

Choosing the right location

When you establish the autumn or spring cereal 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.

The best sites are those with low levels of pernicious weeds such as:

• blackgrass
• couch
• brome
• ryegrass
• wild oats

How to sow the crop

To help you achieve this action바카라 사이트檚 aim, you can sow your cereal crop strips or plots at a seed rate that바카라 사이트檚 either:

• around 50% to 60% of the normal seed rate
• to a maximum of around 100 kilograms (kg) per hectare (ha) 바카라 사이트� for barley, oats, rye, triticale and wheat it바카라 사이트檚 usually between 70kg and 100kg per ha; for red and white millet crops it바카라 사이트檚 usually between 10kg and 15kg per ha

It may also help if you sow your crop with wider spacing (for example, between 20cm and 25cm) between the rows.

To minimise damage to plants and wildlife you can:

• avoid carrying out in-crop mechanical activities between May and harvest
• sow your crop by the end of April, where possible

Published 21 May 2024

Last updated 27 March 2025 + show all updates

1. 21 March 2025

   Added detail to explain how Hedgerow Regulations may affect how a farmer does an action, and signpost to detailed guidance on the Management of Hedgerows Regulations.

2. 13 August 2024

   SOH4 removed from SFI 2024 actions.

3. 2 August 2024

   Where you can do this action - an eligible land type is defined in section 5.1 바카라 사이트楨ligible land types for SFI바카라 사이트� in the SFI scheme information. Eligible land - added 바카라 사이트榥ot maize바카라 사이트� to eligible land types. Eligibility of protected land - updated link to section 10.3 바카라 사이트楽SSI 肠辞苍蝉别苍迟바카라 사이트� in the SFI scheme information. What to do - replaced 바카라 사이트榮ow바카라 사이트� with 바카라 사이트榚stablish바카라 사이트�. Published voluntary advice to help you do this action, but it's not part of this action바카라 사이트檚 requirements.

4. 21 May 2024

   First published.