OAKBANK NEWS AND BLOG

Supplementary winter feeding bridges the "hungry gap" for farmland birds from December to April, when natural seed sources run low. Under Countryside Stewardship (AB12) and Sustainable Farming Incentive (SFI, AHW2), farmers supply a compliant seed mix weekly across a minimum of two feeding sites per hectare. Using small seeds alongside cereals, feeding little and often and placing feed near existing habitat helps support species such as yellowhammer, corn bunting, linnet and

Tens of thousands of agreements are about to end, the new SFI26 round has been a scramble for a fixed pot and Higher Tier is coming back gradually. Here is the picture as it stands in October 2026. England is heading towards the biggest churn of agri-environment agreements for some time. SFI26 Window 2 opened and closed in under 6 hours on 22 September 2026 - bringing an enormous amount of stress that our industry just didn’t need right now. 12,204 applications were submitted

Two changes to Countryside Stewardship Higher Tier (CSHT) were announced this month: Agreement holders who have five-year options which expire in December 2026, as well as options which run until 2031, will be invited to extend them for another five years, to maintain the environmental benefits of the scheme. This will allow all options to expire at the same time. On 21st July, applications opened to farmers and land managers in England for the new single-focus Higher Tier (C

Companion cropping has been moving from niche practice to mainstream arable management for a few years now. Increased interest from growers has looked to improve resilience, reduce inputs and build healthier soils. As the 2026 drilling season approaches, Phil Jarvis, Head of Operations at Oakbank, and Harry Moffat, Senior Advisor, discuss why the focus is not simply on growing a crop, it is also on choosing the right companion for the right outcome. Oilseed rape is coming bac

If SFI26's £100,000 annual cap means your habitat is no longer funded, you still have realistic options: Countryside Stewardship Higher Tier, an alternative land use such as BNG, renewables or woodland, or returning the land to production. Sadly the imposition of a monetary cap, rather than a percentage of land cap, will have huge negative effects on the provision of wildlife habitats across England. However, before you go and plough out areas of now unfunded habitat to bring

The government's 25-year roadmap puts soil, habitat and farm wildlife at the heart of food production. We'd urge every land manager to read carefully how it intends to pay for all this, because the smart money may be on acting now. Yesterday (24th June), Defra published Farming Roadmap 2050: Growing England's Future, alongside its response to Baroness Batters' Farming Profitability Review. For those of us who have spent our careers arguing that productive farming and a recove

The UK’s funding mechanisms for supporting innovation in agriculture have repeatedly exposed gaps between agricultural research and real-world application. Farmers looking for financially beneficial and environmentally responsible production systems often hit the buffers when it comes to interpreting complex trials data and results. So, the latest ADOPT fund (Accelerating Development of Practices and Technologies) was launched last year. In particular an Oakbank/Toby Simpson/

Defra has unveiled new details of the Sustainable Farming Incentive (SFI) 2026 scheme in England. Announced today at the NFU conference, the SFI 2026 offer will reopen with some significant changes, including more restricted options and a £100,000 payment cap on agreements. At the Oxford Farming Conference in January, Environment Secretary Emma Reynolds already signalled fewer, more targeted options, highlighting that 90% of SFI spending went on fewer than 40 of the 102 avail

As I made my way to Oxford for my second year at the Conference, the weather warnings made a part of me wonder if we’ll all end up snowed‑in together in the Examination Rooms, Ministers included. It would certainly allow plenty of time for the kind of in‑depth conversations farming needs right now! Joking aside, the Oxford Farming Conference always feels like the perfect place to take stock of where policy in practice is heading, particularly in England. December brought some

This month we bid fond farewell to Ian Gould, who retires from the Oakbank business at the end of 2025, and Jamie Gunn, who is beginning an exciting new chapter in the North of England. We salute their achievements and celebrate how Oakbank-trained talent is helping shape the UK countryside and our industry. Ian Gould: cover-crop revolutionary As co-founder of Oakbank alongside Tim Furbank, Ian has spent more than two decades setting Oakbank up for success as a centre of exce

There’s never a day without food on the ground at Brewery Farm, Suffolk. That’s how farmer and keeper Graham Denny has managed to ring over 80,000 birds across his 200-acre holding - proof that when supplementary feeding is done right, it transforms the fortunes of farmland wildlife. Graham’s approach is simple but relentless. Most mornings through winter, he’s out on the quad scattering seed by hand; feeding along the hedgerows and into the cover crops where the little birds

Defra confirms a one-year Countryside Stewardship Mid-Tier extension for over 5,000 English farmers, offering payment continuity and environmental delivery support.

This season is the first where growing a cover crop after maize is funded under the Sustainable Farming Incentive (SFI) 2024, offering...

You can hardly go to an arable farming event without hearing about "cover crops" and "catch crops". But are they worth the space, time...

Herbal leys are more than just a latest fashion in livestock grazing swards - they play a strategic role in arable rotations, delivering...

Maximising IPM and soil health with well-designed companion crops under IPM3 / CIPM3. Establishment guidance, research and practical tips.

With hot, dry days dominating much of the UK and some combines already rolling across the South and East before the end of June, many...

There is no hiding the fact that our wildlife is in need of some help. In the UK, 41% of species have experienced declines since 1970. Farmland birds have been some of the hardest hit, with an overall 56% decline in populations in the same 50 years. Corn bunting, grey partridge, turtle dove and tree sparrow have all declined by over 90%, with the turtle dove fast approaching extinction in the UK. As farmers, gamekeepers, and land managers, many are well placed to contribute t

What is a living mulch? A living mulch typically consists of low-growing plants - often clovers or another legume - sown between or...

At Hadleigh Castle, a new chapter in the landscape's history is unfolding. Beneath its ancient ruins, over 100 hectares of tired arable land are being transformed into vibrant wetland through a Higher-Tier Countryside Stewardship project. Designed to support lapwing, redshank and other wildlife, the scheme blends ecology with regenerative farming, using native grazing livestock, predator-proof fencing, and expertly crafted habitats.