‘MORE SKIN THE GAME’

SUFFOLK FWAG, AWARDS TWO FARMS FOR EXCELLENCE IN THE BUSINESS OF ENVIRONMENTAL AGRICULTURE!

SFWAG opened 2024’s farm walks and talks programme, with the question: How are you Replacing BPS?

"After depressing week in agriculture following the budget, I left uplifted, more confident and reassured after SFWAG Awards." This is one of the many pieces of feedback we have received after the event.

SFWAG are bringing the best business tools to market available for Environmental Agriculture and we opened this door at the start of the year by asking how are you replacing BPS? This turned out to be a loaded question especially.

Peewit Award – Oliver Paul, Lodge Farm, Freston

200 Closed herd of Red Pole on a pasture-fed system – direct market outlet at Suffolk Food Hall

And

Tim Sloane Award – Catherine and James Scarff, Scarff Farm and Burnt House Vineyards and Winery/Venue

350 acres of Regenerative Arable and 26 acres of vines planted in 2017 plus direct sales and Event Winery.

These farms demonstrate we cannot separate food from the environment and Natural Capital is not a sacrifice – it is a business Decision.

Over the last 7 years Suffolk FWAG have been advocating and promoting A Systems Led approach to Environmental Agriculture – The Business Case.

So, we have been busy developing and forging strong relationships with partners adept in delivering a ‘bullet proof suite of tools’ for Environmental Agriculture in all its guises.

The Suffolk FWAG Farming for Life Plan is the culmination of 7 years work – providing farmers with a consolidated and integrated roadmap for life. It uniquely provides a ranked and prioritised business ‘Revenue’ portfolio for each farm, obtained through extensive evaluations across the farm operations.

Building vast amounts of Natural Capital whilst producing nutritionally rich food is the ‘goldilocks’ zone of sustainable agriculture. Quite simply - It solves a multitude of problems, and this type of farm profile is a key ‘attractor’ for business and investment!

Suffolk FWAG’s two winners showcase The VALUE of NATURAL CAPITAL IN BUSINESS in Spades! These two Farms generously shared their experience of the transition to date and how they navigated the journey, talking about: their operations and practice, their decisions, their plans and their business markets. Together, these farms showcase two of the most talked about farm ‘types’ in recent months: Pasture Fed Livestock and the beef industry which recent figures suggest is actually increasing in demand, despite the messy carbon debate and the growing industry of viticulture in the UK – which has gone from 80 vineyards in 2023 to 1000 in just one year later. Vineyards now account for over 10,000 acres across England and its growing!

Both these farms deliver public and private Goods in the high value food and drink they produce whilst securing the public goods on which we depend: biodiversity, enhanced landscapes, and carbon budgets.

These two farms have individually and in context embraced the new approach and navigated the pathways of change using an integrated whole farm approach to deliver a food centric business where VALUE begins in the field, in the soil and in the crop. This has resulted in new and evolving market opportunities for both farms including Retail and Tourism and more diverse forms of on-farm revenue. They are spreading risk and capitalising from new enterprise through direct and local high value markets and farm diversification to include and private events and exclusive Airbnb. Watching how production on these farms moves through the food system is where they obtain end-end True Cost Accounting

What we do know, is that Environmental Agriculture has capacity to deliver both human and environmental wellbeing whilst simultaneously, providing solutions to reverse global warming. This all feeds into the Business Case for Environmental Agriculture and the need for more systems led approaches to food production.

This year saw the culmination of 7 years development as an Advisory Organisation in finally addressing ‘The Actual Business of Environmental Agriculture: Planning, Positioning and Prioritising. Inviting members to join this year’s journey, with the question: How are you replacing BPS? This was kind of a trick question because we suspected that most farmers would respond ‘with ELMS and SFI’ which, of course, was never designed to replace actual farm revenue. It was designed to protect and secure the nation’s assets, currently valued at £1.3 Trillion.

This dependence and misunderstanding could lead Farmers down the former route of over-reliance on scheme pay-outs in lieu of developing new opportunity.

Environmental Agriculture is complex, dynamic and rapidly changing. Independent Advice must also evolve to ensure the tools and services that support a new approach are fit for purpose and reliable.

This always starts with a plan and a roadmap.

The 7 P’s extracted from Military Operations are a reliable reference to the importance of planning!

Prior Planning and Preparation Prevent Piss Poor Performance!

So, over the last year, Suffolk FWAG have developed the Farming for Life Plan. Because Planning ‘buys you time’ – a valuable attribute for both sustainable and successful business because it gives you time to ADAPT.

So, without sounding like a Marks and Spencer’s advert – This is NOT JUST ANY PLAN – THIS IS AN ADAPTIVE PLAN

A systems led approach considers the whole farm as one interconnected ecosystem. The point of natural capital baselines is to evaluate the extent and quality of your natural assets because this is your ‘skin in the game’. Your resilience and ability to bounce back after disturbance fiscally, naturally and socially.

Natural Capital baselining really assess and evaluates your farms recovery and regeneration rates following disturbance. It is therefore an indicator of the real health of your farm business – This is Resilience – the ability to bounce back from disturbance. This is the evidence that informs the practice.

Business planning addresses potential areas of vulnerability in advance, as well as highlighting areas of investment and emerging opportunity thereby providing the farm with TIME to position and prioritise. This is adapting to change.