August 2008 - The John Nix Farm Management Pocketbook

The next edition of The John Nix Farm Management Pocketbook will be published at the start of September 2008.

The Pocketbook has been fully revised incorporating the dramatic changes in the economics of all sectors of UK agriculture this year. The ‘Nix’ has over 270 pages of updated information including:

• over 100 gross margins

• a new section on Renewable Energy

• Government Support

• chapters on overheads including labour, machinery, other ‘fixed’ costs

• capital and finance information

• other budgeting information such as a chapter on agricultural taxation

If you are farming, advising in agriculture, studying agriculture, or involved in the industry in any way, a copy of the ‘Nix’ is an essential to keep in your pocket.

Phone 01664 564 508 now to order your copy or click here to download an order form or view the contents pages.

 

July 2008 - 2009 Budgeting Figures Published

Recent cost increases have reduced projected returns for 2009 dramatically compared to the current year. This is demonstrated in new budgeting figures recently produced by Agro Business Consultants (ABC). To read the complete article click here.

July 2008 - Set-Aside Goes After 20 Years

Farmers planning their autumn plantings can safely count on not having to set any of their land aside. The EU Commission has confirmed that compulsory set-aside will not return for the 2009 harvest. This marks the end of this policy after being in place in one form or another for 20 years.

It will be November before political agreement on the Health Check would be achieved – including any deal to end set-aside. This potentially left Europe’s farmers in a dilemma. They would be planting their crops in autumn 2008 without knowing for certain there would be no set-aside for the 2009 harvest. Although it was a very remote prospect, there was a possibility that the Health Check negotiations could result in set-aside being retained.

The EU has addressed this problem by issuing a statement from the Special Committee on Agriculture (SCA). This states that ‘the vast majority of Member States will agree to abolish set-aside . . . farmers can already benefit from the measure as from their autumn 2008 and spring 2009 sowings’. In fact, it is reported that only the Belgians were in favour of retaining set-aside – and they wanted it set at 0%!

The statement gives farmers ‘legitimate expectations’ that set-aside will definitely go for harvest 2009 (and afterwards). The Commission would probably face a raft of legal challenges if they subsequently tried to re-impose set-aside. Therefore it’s as good as certain that farmers have seen the back of this supply control measure, first seen in 1988.

Therefore from 1st January 2009 there will be only two types of entitlement left, Normal (or Standard in Scotland), and Special (but there are very few of these in UK). Set-aside entitlements will become Normal ones and retain their current valuation basis. In England this will be the regional flat rate, increasing from an estimated €192.2 per Ha in 2009 to the final €330.7 per Ha flat rate in 2012 in England Non SDA (before any deductions).

June 2008 - Focus On Renewable Energy

A detailed Economic Assessment of Anaerobic Digestion Technology and its Suitability to UK Farming and Waste Systems has been published. This was undertaken by The Andersons Centre on behalf of the National Non-Food Crops Centre (NNFCC). The full report can be downloaded by clicking here. A downloadable cost calculator for estimating costs of anaerobic digestion (AD) facilities was also built by The Andersons Centre as part of the project and can be found by clicking here.

Work was also undertaken by The Andersons Centre for the East Midlands Development Agency (emda) that provides an Economic Evaluation of Biodiesel. This is avaliable by clicking here.

For further information on the services that The Andersons Centre offers in the renewable energy sector please contact Graham Redman on 01664 503 200.

Andersons at the Cereals Event

Andersons will be at the 2008 Cereals Event at Heath Farm, Leadenham, Lincolnshire. Please come and see us on Stand 213 on 11th and 12th June.

 

May 2008 - FREE Business Support

A FREE business advice and support service is now available for any Land Based Business in the East Midlands. This service is being delivered by specialist Business Link rural advisors. Please contact Oliver Lee on 01664 503 200 for further information or to arrange a FREE business visit.

April 2008 - RDPE Grants Now Available

A range of rural grants are now available for land-based businesses throughout England.  These grants are being delivered under the Rural Development Programme for England (RDPE) 2007-2013.  The grants are being administered on a regional basis through the respective Regional Development Agencies (RDA’s) in each English region.

Please contact The Andersons Centre for further information or for assistance in developing an RDPE grant application. Please call Richard King or Oliver Lee on 01664 503 200.

March 2008 - Single Payment Claims 2008

It will soon be time again to make a Single Payment claim.  SP5 claim forms are currently being distributed by the RPA to English claimants.  The deadline date to submit a claim form without penalty is Thursday 15 May 2008.  Although presented in a similar format to previous years, the forms have been updated as a result of policy changes and for easier completion.  As ever, The Andersons Centre is advising claimants to check their pre-populated claim forms for mistakes as soon as possible to avoid any last minute difficulties.

Claim forms are also currently being distributed by the Welsh Assembly and Scottish Government in their respective regions.

Please feel free to contact us for over-the-phone support on completing 2008 Single Payment forms - call 01664 503 200

February 2008 - FOR SALE

Award winning territorial cheese business for sale. For further details contact dneill@theandersonscentre.co.uk’

January 2008 - LAMMA 2008

Andersons are pleased to be exhibiting at LAMMA 2008, to be held at the Newark & Nottingham Showground on 16th & 17th January 2008. This will be the first time Andersons have had a stand at this increasingly popular show. As ever, specialist consultants from The Andersons Centre will be on hand to shed more light on the latest legislative and economic issues facing the farming industry.

The stand will have an environmental theme along with the usual Andersons industry projections. Information, advice and updates regarding Nitrate Vulnerable Zone (NVZ) rules, Environmental Stewardship and regional Rural Development grants will be available. Additionally, a full version of the all-new ABC Farm Machinery Costs Analyser will also be on display.

Andersons will be exhibiting at Stand No. 259 in Hall 2. For further details or to book a FREE appointment at the show with an Andersons consultant please call 01664 503 200.

December 2007 - Andersons Seminars

Andersons are again running their highly popular series of Seminars this spring.

Our Seminars provide a thorough update on profitability, policy and markets, and look ahead to forecast how the strucutre of UK agriculture will change over the coming years. The last few months have been a rollercoaster for UK farming - vastly improved prices in some sectors, animal diseases causing crises in others, much higher costs all round, and topped-off, as always, by the unpredictable British weather. Can the industry look forward to a more settled period ahead? Or are markets due for a correction; and will a further round of CAP reform cause more upheaval? The Seminars should be of interest to all professionals and companies working in agriculture and dealing with farmers. As usual, the sessions will be led by members of the Andersons Research Team - Francis Mordaunt, Richard King and Graham Redman.

This spring the Seminars will be held in February and March and there is a choice of 11 locations. Please download the booking form which sets out in more detail the venues and the programme.

>>Download Booking Form

November 2007 - Health Check Proposals

The EU Commission is releasing its initial plans for the next round of CAP reform on 20th November. Known as the 'Health Check' the idea is to make the current SPS simpler and more effective at delivering EU policies. It is not expected to lead to change on the scale of the Fischler Reforms that led to the Single Payment. However, the effects on the industry could be important. If you would like to discuss how these policy changes might affect your business please contact one of our consultants. Andersons Consultants

October 2007 - New 'Nix' Published

The latest edition of the Farm Management Pocketbook by John Nix is now available. Now in its 38th Edition the 'bible' of farm management continues to be an indispensible tool for anyone involved in the business of farming. For more details go to the website at The Pocketbook Website

September 2007 - Dairy Event Cancelled

It is with disappointment that the 2007 Dairy Event at the NAC at Stoneleigh, Warwickshire has had to be cancelled due to the current Foot and Mouth outbreak. We are currently in the process of posting copies of our 2007 Dairy Brief leaflet to selected individuals. Please contact us to request your copy(ies).

August 2007 - On-Farm Biofuel Production

Biofuels are obviously a hot topic within the farming industry at present. Much of the focus has been on the large-scale plants looking to produce fuel from crops on an industrial scale. But many farmers are also interested in processing their own crops into fuel for use in their vehicles. To read the complete article download On-Farm Biofuel Production.

July 2007 - Modulation Across the UK - Effect on Single Payment

The devolved administrations in Scotland and Wales have now both announced their voluntary modulation rates for the 2007-12 period. To read the complete article download Modulation across the UK - Effect on Single Payment.

June 2007 - Andersons at the Cereals Event

Andersons will be at the 2007 Cereals Event at Vine Farm Nr Royston, Cambridgeshire. Please come and see us on Stand 522 on the 13th and 14th June. To read the complete article download Andersons at the Cereals Event.

May 2007 - New Budgeting Figures Published

The latest edition of the Agricultural Budgeting and Costing (ABC) Book has just been published. The 64th Edition of the 'Green Book' was released at the beginning of May. To read the complete article download New Budgeting Figures Article

April 2007 - The Future of the Single Payment

The announcement at the end of March by David Miliband on the level of ‘voluntary’ modulation in England has focused attention on how Single Payments are likely to reduce as we go forwards. This article looks at some of the issues involved. To read the complete article download Single Payment Article

March 2007 - A Biofuel Bubble?

The UK arable sector has become quite excited over the past few months about the burgeoning biofuels industry, and the prospects that it could mean higher long-term grain prices. The Andersons Centre, without wanting to be pessimistic, believes a degree of caution needs to be maintained. To read the complete article download BioFuels Article.

February 2007 - Farm Income Figures

Figures for farm incomes in the UK during 2006 have recently been released. They are higher than last year, and close to Andersons estimates published in Outlook 2007 in the autumn. For more details and comment please download Farm Income Figures article .

January 2007 - Andersons Seminars

Andersons are running a series of seminars again this spring looking at the future prospects for the farming industry.

Every year, hundreds of professionals, and those in industry dealing with farmers, use these seminars to keep informed of current issues and the long-term strategic development of the sector. The sessions are led by members of Andersons Research Team - Francis Mordaunt, Richard King and Graham Redman.

The sessions will be held in March at a series of 11 locations around Great Britain. Please download the booking form for more details of venue and the content of the talks.

>>Download Booking Form

December 2006 - Andersons Oxford Breakfast

As in previous years Andersons will be hosting a breakfast on the second morning of the Oxford Farming Conference on Thursday 4th January 2007.  Held in the gracious surroundings of the Fellows Dining Room of the University College, the breakfast will be an informal affair where the great and the good from agriculture have a chance to exchange their thoughts on the state of the industry.

Please contact us if you are going to Oxford this year.

November 2006 - Voluntary Modulation Rejection to Cause Grant Delays

The EU Parliament has rejected the concept of voluntary modulation. MEPs voted 599 to 64 to throw out the EU Commission's current proposals, reasoning that it distorts competition within the EU, and threatens the basis of the 'Common' Agricultural Policy. As reported in the last Bulletin, MEPs cannot prevent the policy being introduced, but their vote will delay things.

Once the EU Commission formally rejects the Parliaments views' (expected shortly), the Parliament has two months to reconsider its position. If this fails to produce any change, the Farm Council (i.e. EU Farm Ministers) can adopt the measure anyway. The issue is due to be agreed at the February Farm Council. Further complicating matters is that a number of important issues remain unresolved within the current VM plans. As set out in the September Bulletin, this includes regionalisation (i.e. whether or not separate rates can be used for England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland), and the franchise.

Until the voluntary modulation negotiations are concluded at the EU level, a decision on the rate of UK VM and the total budget for the UK Rural Development programme cannot be confirmed. Once the budget is known the various administrations have to work out the details of their programmes and submit them to Brussels for approval. This could take a further six months.

David Miliband provided a written ministerial statement on 1 st November conceding that the Rural Development Programme for England (RDPE) will not be able to start on time on 1 st January 2007. In fact, new schemes - especially the replacement for the 'project based' programmes like the RES, PMGS etc. may well not open until the summer. There are also question-marks over the schemes that will be rolled over into the RDPE. It should be possible to pay existing agreement holders under the ELS, HLS and CSS. However, funding for new agreements may be restricted. Rather than closing the schemes it is likely that provisional ELS and HLS agreements will be offered where agreements are not in place by 31 st December. Therefore, landowners can still continue to apply if they wish.

As well as delaying new applications under agri-environmental schemes, the delay in getting approval for the various UK Rural Development Programmes will have a knock-on effect on hill farm support.

2005

The Andersons Centre has completed a study to assess farmers’ attitudes towards training and learning on behalf of Defra. The full report can be downloaded by clicking here.