Duration

3 years

How much you’ll be paid

£163 per hectare (ha) per year

Action’s aim

This action’s aim is that there’s a well-established summer-sown multi-species cover crop which is present between harvesting a cash crop, until either:

• the next cash crop is sown
• a winter cover crop is sown

The purpose of this is to:

• protect the soil surface
• provide root growth that benefits soil structure, supports soil biology and minimises nutrient leaching, soil erosion and runoff
• add organic matter

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 a multi-species cover crop mix during the summer months (usually between June and August) which will not be harvested as a cash crop.

A ‘cash crop’ means a crop grown to be harvested for commercial use.

You must use a rapid growing seed mix that contains at least 4 species. This must include 2 species from two or more of the following plant families:

• brassicas
• legumes
• cereals and grasses, with grasses making up no more than 25% of the total mix by weight
• herbs

The seed mix must not contain:

• Japanese reed millet
• maize
• miscanthus or reed canary grass
• sorghum (all varieties)
• artichokes
• sweet fennel

You must avoid growing deep rooted species on any area within a land parcel with historic or archaeological features identified in your SFI HEFER. Read section 5.6 ‘Land with historic or archaeological features’ in the SFI scheme information for more details.

You must maintain the multi-species cover crop in a way, and for a period of time, that can reasonably be expected to achieve this action’s aim.

For the purposes of this action’s aim, the cover crop will be well-established if there’s:

• leafy vegetation that’s sufficiently well grown to protect the soil surface
• minimal bare soil

You must not do the following on the well-established cover crop:

• cut it or graze it with livestock (other than when destroying the cover crop)
• mechanically apply any fertilisers or manures
• destroy it more than 2 weeks before you intend to establish the next main crop

When you destroy the cover crop, you should try to minimise risks such as compaction, poaching, soil runoff or erosion.

If something happens which means you cannot complete this action, you must tell the Rural Payments Agency about this in writing as soon as possible. For example, if there’s prolonged adverse weather. Read section 13.2: ‘What you must do if you cannot comply with your agreement’ in the SFI scheme information to find out how to do this.

You must not use the following to meet this action:

• a multi-species temporary grass ley, such as a mix of grass and clover, that is being used for grazing
• a multi-species crop which you intend to harvest as a cash crop, such as a mix of wheat and clover

You can only use an existing multi-species cover crop to meet this action’s requirements if you overseed it. This includes a cover crop already paid for under an environmental land management scheme action, such as SOH2 (multi-species spring-sown cover crop).

When to do it

You must do this action each year of its 3-year duration.

If this action’s start date means it’s too late for you to do this action, you must start doing it within 12 months of the action’s start date.

In the final year of this action’s duration, you must do this action until the next main crop is sown, or this action’s end date, whichever is earlier.

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, including details of the seed mix used
• photographs and 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 on the same area as 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. See 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.

Growing cover crops on land used for permanent horticultural crops

If you’re doing this action on land used to grow permanent horticultural crops, you can plant cover crops:

• around fruit or nut trees
• between rows of trees

Choosing a seed mix

This action explains the minimum requirement for species in the seed mix (under ‘What to do’). Table 1 shows examples of what you could use.

Table 1: Species you could use

Choosing a varied mix (with multiple species from different plant families and with different characteristics) will normally bring greater benefits to your soil.

If you’re in an area with a shorter growing season, you may need to choose plants that germinate and grow in cooler weather.

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

You may find it helpful to read the Agriculture and Horticulture Development Board (AHDB) information sheet about cover crops.

Where to establish the cover crop

When you establish the cover crop, 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.

How to sow the cover crop

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

You can drill or broadcast the seed mix. Drilling seeds is usually more reliable and gives a higher germination success than broadcasting. However, broadcasting is cheaper.

After you have sown the seed mix you can roll the seeds if the soil is dry enough. This can help to:

• improve seed-to-soil contact
• retain moisture
• reduce the risk of slug damage

Maintaining the cover crop

The cover crop will usually provide the most benefits to your soil if you maintain it for a period of at least around 8 consecutive weeks. However, this may differ depending on your crop rotation and geographical location.

How to destroy the cover crop

If you’re destroying the multi-species cover crop, you can choose what method you use.

Improving soil health

You can increase the benefits to soil of cover crops by combining them with:

• minimum tillage or no tillage (‘no-till’) systems – you may want to consider SOH1: No-till farming
• organic farming – there are several SFI actions which support this (search ‘organic’ in the ‘Find funding for land or farms’ tool)