Throughout the calendar year, it is important to remember the dates in which farm tasks need to be completed as well as dates in which schemes and grants close.

We have provided some useful dates to add to your calendar. The dates for 2018 are as follows:

JANUARY

• 1st January - NVZ areas. You can apply organic manure with a high, readily-available nitrogen content. For example, slurry, poultry manures or liquid digested sewage sludge to grassland and tillage land on shallow or sandy soils from this date, if conditions are suitable and you adhere to the quantity restrictions for application of these manures.

• 1st January – NVZ areas. Beginning of the year for assessing the annual amount of livestock manure can be applied to your land.

• 1st January - Start of the ecological focus area (EFA) period for hedges, which must be present all year unless newly planted and buffer strip, which must be present all year. (Basic Payment Scheme)

• 1st January - Start of period for EFA fallow land. (Basic Payment Scheme)

• 15th January - EFA cover crops declared in the 2017 scheme year must be retained until at least this date. (Basic Payment Scheme)

 

FEBRUARY

• 27th February - If you are cutting hedges which are in option BE3, this must be completed by this date
  

 

APRIL

• 2nd April - The Farming Rules for water requirements come into effect on this date.

• 16th April - You must not burn heather, rough grass, bracken, gorse or vaccinium in upland areas from this date. 

• 30th April - NVZ: You must have recorded the number of ‘specified’ livestock kept on your farm during the previous calendar year and calculated the amount of nitrogen they produced. You must also record the number and type of livestock in a building or hardstanding during the previous storage period.

• 30th April - If you held an NVZ grassland derogation for 2017, you must submit your 'fertilisation account' to the Environment Agency by this date.

 

MAY

• 1st May - You must not carry out hedge or tree coppicing, or hedge laying from this date.

• 1st May - Crop diversification period and EFA period for nitrogen fixing crops begins (until 30 June).

• 15th May - BPS 2018 application deadline to avoid late application penalties. 

• 31st May - If you are applying for Mid Tier Countryside Stewardship this year (to start in January 2019), you must apply for your application pack by this date. Call natural England on 0208 026 1089.

 

JUNE

• 30th June - End of crop diversification ‘cropping’ period and end of Ecological Focus Area (EFA) fallow period. (Basic Payment Scheme 2018)

 

AUGUST

• 1st August - Start of closed period for applying organic manure with a high, readily available nitrogen content (for example, slurry, poultry manures or liquid digested sewage sludge) to tillage land on shallow or sandy soils except where crops will be sown on or before 15 September

• 1st August - If you have been granted a derogation by the Rural Payments Agency, you may be able to cut or trim hedges throughout August and to sow oilseed rape or temporary grassland.

• 20th August - EFA catch crops must be established by this date (and retained until at least 14 October). (Basic Payment Scheme 2018)

 

SEPTEMBER

• 1st September - You can cut or trim hedges and trees from this date.

• 1st September - Start of closed period for applying organic manure with a high, readily available nitrogen content (for example, slurry, poultry manures or liquid digested sewage sludge) to grassland on shallow or sandy soils.

• 1st September - Start of closed period for applying manufactured nitrogen fertilisers to tillage land.

• 15th September - Start of closed period for applying manufactured nitrogen fertilisers to grassland.

• 16th September - Start of closed period for applying organic manure with a high readily available nitrogen content (for example, slurry, poultry manures or liquid digested sewage sludge) to tillage land on shallow or sandy soils which have been sown with crops on or before 15 September.

  

OCTOBER

• 1st October - You can burn heather, rough grass, bracken, gorse or vaccinium on land in upland areas from this date.

• 1st October - Start of closed period for applying organic manure with a high readily available nitrogen content (for example, slurry, poultry manures or liquid digested sewage sludge) to tillage land on soils which are not shallow or sandy.

• 1st October - EFA cover crops must be established by this date (and retained until at least 15 January 2019).

• 14th October - EFA catch crops must be retained until at least this date.

• 15th October - Start of closed period for applying organic manure with a high readily available nitrogen content (for example, slurry, poultry manures or liquid digested sewage sludge) to grassland on soils which are not shallow or sandy. 

• 31st October - If you hold a summer water abstraction licence (authorising abstraction wholly within the months of April to October), the Environment Agency will make actual abstraction return forms available to you from 31 October. You then have 28 days to send your readings to the Environment Agency. 

 

NOVEMBER

• 1st November - You can burn heather, rough grass, bracken, gorse or vaccinium on land, other than in upland areas, from this date.

• 30th November - If you have a two-part tariff agreement for your water abstraction licence, expect to receive your second part charge after 30 November. 

 

DECEMBER

• 1st December - BPS 2018 payment window opens.

• 1st December - You need to carry out your annual inventory of sheep and goats.

• 31st December - Official end of the BPS 2018 scheme year.