Make money by planting trees

Tree planting can complement your farm business, giving you the chance to diversify, generate extra income, increase farm productivity, and enhance your land.

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Free app proves “invaluable” for Surrey farmer in BNG project

Fourth generation mixed farmer Tim Hopkin has undertaken planning for biodiversity net gain as a means of diversifying his farm’s income stream through upfront funding to enable the implementation of a regenerative agriculture plan.

Tim developed the free land management tool Land App in 2015 to help farmers maximise the pro tability from their land, when he was faced with the loss of his own family farm.

Now, working with Surrey Wildlife Trust advisors, Land App has been “invaluable” in drawing up future plans, assessing costs and working with professionals to review opportunities for making the farm pro table, whilst working with nature. “The costs and time saved with Land App mean we would recommend anyone setting up a free account if they are considering diversifying their farm,” he says.

Land App allows farmers to work easily and e ectively with advisors, minimising burdens and costs as much as possible, as farmers face the uncertainty and challenges that come with losing basic payments.

“We’re trying to remove all blockers for farmers to make the best-informed decisions possible and working collaboratively is essential here to help them ensure they have a viable business going forward. Entering the market would otherwise be di cult and expensive, and risks leaving people behind. The platform seeks to ensure this won’t happen,” Tim concludes.

To nd out more visit: www.thelandapp.com FG

New grant funding initiatives could facilitate diversification

Round two of the Farming Equipment and Technology Fund will get many farmers thinking about how best to buy new machinery for their business –but you can also use the new grant funding initiatives to diversify into a whole new revenue stream, says Rural Asset Finance.

The tech grants will pay up to £25,000 and 40% of the cost of speci c machinery, but many farmers are also thinking about the longer term – and realising the overarching Farm Innovation Fund can help secure their entire future.

Diversi cation possibilities are endless, and these projects become more feasible when using government grants as a deposit and funding the rest through specialised rural asset nance, the company explains. This not only gives you the funds you need, it helps protect your own cash ow, preserving your own funds for unforeseen working capital requirements until your new venture starts to pay for itself.

Rural Asset Finance o ers tailored repayment schemes on xed-term, xed rate loans secured on land and buildings, often in combination with equipment nance, also on xed-term, xedrate hire purchase or lease.

“We understand farmers’ challenges and are committed to helping them fund the future they want, whether that’s traditional farming, green energy installations, innovative food production or environmental protection and sustainability,” says founder Matthew Smart.

For more information, visit www.ruralasset nance.com FG

Software to help you save time and work smarter

Forget the clunky spreadsheets and paper records –Farmplan Business Cloud is a complete accounting solution designed speci cally for the agricultural community, the company says. The handy software means that those more time-consuming and complicated data entry tasks become e ortless, so farmers have more time to do what you do best. Whether on the farm or in the o ce, you can access and share your data from any device, anywhere, and automate those time-stealing tasks.

Farmplan Business Cloud allows farmers to stay in control of their data and choose who can access what, from family members to trusted advisors. Keeping data safe and secure ensures they’ll always be compliant with current regulations.

The software is designed to help farmers make informed decisions, such as: Where is a farm performing well? What needs to happen so the business can grow?

Farmplan Business Cloud allows farmers to analyse their business in as much detail as they need, so they can answer these questions and more.

The software is capable of handling data for all types of enterprise, from traditional farm enterprises to farm diversi cation projects, helping farm businesses grow with ease, Farmplan says.

It also o ers the added function of being able to automatically bring transactions in from the bank and post them direct to the ledgers, so you can manage money in one place. FG