Duration

3 years

How much you’ll be paid

£102 per hectare (ha) per year

Action’s aim

This action’s aim is that there are legumes growing from spring until early autumn.

The purpose of this is to:

• manage nutrient efficiency
• protect the soil surface
• provide root growth that maintains soil structure, supports soil biology, and minimise nutrient leaching, soil erosion and runoff
• support an integrated pest management approach if located close to cropped areas

Where you can do this action

You can do this action on agricultural land located below the moorland line that’s:

• an eligible land type (as defined in section 5.1 ‘Eligible land types for SFI’ in the SFI scheme information)
• registered with an eligible land cover on your digital maps
• declared with a land use code which is compatible with the eligible land cover

Eligible land

Eligibility of protected land

Available area you can enter into this action

Total or part of the available area in a land parcel.

Rotational or static action

This action is rotational or static. This means you can either:

• move its location for the second and third years of this action’s duration
• do it at the same location each year of this action’s duration

What to do

You must establish and maintain legumes on improved grassland entered into this action.

You can use one or more type of legume, such as:

• red clover
• white clover
• alsike clover
• sainfoin
• lucerne
• bird’s foot trefoil

You can establish the legumes by:

• adding them to an existing grass sward
• sowing a mix of grass and legumes

Once established, you must maintain the legumes. To do this, you must manage them in a way that can reasonably be expected to achieve this action’s aim.

You can maintain existing areas of legumes on improved grassland to get paid this action if they:

• meet this action’s requirements
• are not already being for under another environmental land management scheme option, such as (Countryside Stewardship (CS) option GS4 (legume and herb-rich swards)

When to do it

If you’re doing this action on the same area of land for this action’s 3-year duration, you must:

• establish the legumes within 12 months of this action’s start date
• maintain the area of legumes in each subsequent year of this action’s duration

If you’re rotating this action around your farm, each year of your SFI agreement you must do it for a period of time that could reasonably be expected to achieve this action’s aim.

How to do it

It’s up to you how you do this action, as long as you:

• follow this action’s requirements – these are identified by a ‘must’
• do the action in a way that could reasonably be expected to achieve this action’s aim

You may find it helpful to read the ‘advice to help you do this action’, but it’s not part of this action’s requirements.

Evidence to keep

You must keep evidence to show what you’ve done to complete this action, such as:

• field operations at a land parcel level and associated invoices
• photographs or other documentation

If it’s not clear that you’ve done this action in a way that could reasonably be expected to achieve its aim, we may ask for this evidence. You must supply the evidence if we ask for it.

Other actions or options you can do with this action

You can do the following actions or options on the same area in a land parcel as this action. Some actions or options can only be done on the same area if they’re done at a different time of year to this action. For example, winter cover followed by a summer companion crop. Read ‘What to do’ and ‘When to do it’ to find out when this action must be done.

If an action or option cannot be located on the same area, you may be able to do it on a different area in the same land parcel. Read section 6. ‘Eligible land in other funding schemes’ in the SFI scheme information for more details.

You can do the following actions or options on the eligible boundaries of a land parcel entered into this action:

• SFI 2024 actions: CHRW1, CHRW2, CHRW3, BND1, BND2 and WBD2
• SFI 2023 actions: HRW1, HRW2, HRW3
• CS option BE3 (management of hedgerows)
• the introductory level of the SFI pilot hedgerows standard

Advice to help you do this action

The following advice may help you to do this action, but it’s not part of this action’s requirements.

Choosing a seed mix

Sainfoin, lucerne and alsike clover are more suited to grassland that you cut.

Your seed supplier can help you choose a seed mix that’s the best match for your land and local conditions.

Where to sow the seed mix

When you establish the legumes, by law you cannot cultivate or apply fertilisers or pesticides to land within 2m of the centre of a hedgerow. Read the guidance on Hedgerow management rules; buffer strips to understand how these rules apply to you.

It can help to sow the seed mix where you want to reduce fertiliser use.

To help you plan where and how to do this action, you may find it helpful to do CNUM1 (assess nutrient management and produce a review report).

Nitrogen fixation from the legumes will reduce if the soil phosphate and pH are not at optimal levels.

Spreading the legume areas across the farm can help to provide a network of habitats for farmland wildlife.

How and when to sow the seed mix

Your seed supplier can advise you on an overall sowing rate for the seed mix you choose.

You can sow the seed mix shallowly into a firm seedbed or overseed into an established grass sward.

Sowing the seed mix in March or April can help germination.

Alternatively, you can sow after a silage cut, as the grassland is likely to be more open. You may get better results after the second silage cut (or late hay cut), as the regrowth is less vigorous.

Legumes sowed after August may not establish before the winter.

During establishment of the legumes

It’s advisable to keep livestock off the areas of legumes while the seedlings establish. This will prevent new grasses or legumes being grazed out.

Maintaining established legumes

Once the legumes are established, you can cut them or graze them with livestock providing you do it in a way that could reasonably be expected to achieve this action’s aim. This will help to reduce competition from existing plants.

You may find it helpful to read Farm Wildlife’s advice on rotational legume and herb-rich swards for livestock farming. This includes guidance on how you could manage the legume areas under ‘ongoing management’.