AHW6: Basic overwinter stubble
What you must do to get paid for this action and advice on how to do it.
This is an action in the Sustainable Farming Incentive (SFI) scheme: expanded offer for 2024. You must read the SFI scheme information to understand the scheme rules and how to apply.
Duration
3 years
How much you’ll be paid
£58 per hectare (ha) per year
Action’s aim
This action’s aim is that there’s a post-harvest stubble remaining over the autumn and winter months.
The purpose of this is to provide:
- a winter food source for seed-eating farmland birds
- foraging habitats for farmland wildlife
Where you can do this action
You can do this action on agricultural land located below the moorland line that’s:
- identified by you as not being at risk of soil erosion or surface runoff – you must keep evidence of this
- 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
| Eligible land type | Eligible land cover | Compatible land use code |
|---|---|---|
| Arable land used to grow cereals (not maize or sorghum), oilseed rape or linseed | Arable land | Land use codes for arable crops |
Eligibility of protected land
| Protected land | Eligibility |
|---|---|
| Sites of special scientific interest (SSSIs) | Eligible – you must get SSSI consent before you do this action (read section 10.3 ‘SSSI consent’ in the SFI scheme information to find out how to do this) |
| Historic and archaeological features | Eligible – you must get a SFI HEFER before you do this action (read section 5.6 ‘Land with historic or archaeological features’ in the SFI scheme information to find out how to do this) |
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 it can either:
- move location within your crop rotation for the second and third years of this action’s duration
- remain at the same location each year of this action’s duration
What to do
You must not apply pre-harvest desiccants to the cereal crop, oilseed rape or linseed.
After harvest, you must leave the stubble from a cereal crop, oilseed rape or linseed until around mid-February.
You must not do the following on the stubble area:
- top or graze it
- apply post-harvest herbicides
- apply any fertilisers, manures or lime
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 the action until around mid-February 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 written evidence that land entered into this action is not at risk of soil erosion or surface runoff. You can use the soil management plan produced for CSAM1 or SAM1 to identify this.
You must also 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 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.
| Scheme | Action or option codes |
|---|---|
| SFI 2024 actions | AHW5, AHW10, AHW11, OFC3, OFM4, AGF1, AGF2, PRF1, PRF2, PRF4, SOH1, SOH2, SOH3, CIPM1, CIPM4, CNUM1, CSAM1 |
| SFI 2023 actions | IPM1, IPM4, NUM1, SAM1 |
| CS options | AB5, AB7, AB9, AB10, AB11, AB13, AB14, AB15, HS3, OR3, OT3, SW5 |
| ES options | No ES revenue options |
| SFI pilot standards | No area-based SFI pilot standards |
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 the right location
Overwinter stubbles are suitable for most soil types. Spring-sown crops (especially barley) can produce the best overwinter stubbles.
You can leave unmanaged overwinter stubbles across a whole field or a strip, if the land has been identified by you as not being at risk of soil erosion or surface runoff. You can do CSAM1 (assess soil, produce a soil management plan and test soil organic matter) to help you identify this.
You can have several areas of stubbles spread across your farm to link non-crop habitats (such as hedgerows, ponds and field margins). This can help wildlife to move between these habitats, especially in large fields (for example, over 20 hectares (ha)).
As this action requires you not to use post-harvest herbicides, try to locate the overwinter stubbles in fields which do not have a history of hard to control weeds. For example:
- black-grass
- couch
- docks
- sterile brome
- thistles
- wild oats
It’s usually best to locate strips of overwinter stubbles along south-facing boundaries. This will allow more beneficial weeds to grow, so more seeds are produced for birds to eat.
How to increase environmental benefits from the stubbles
To help to increase the environmental benefits provided by the overwinter stubbles, you can establish them:
- near to high-value habitats, such as hedgerows, scrub and woodland
- close to other seed-rich habitat
- in fields used by nesting lapwing or skylark
- close to areas of scrub which are suitable for nesting turtle dove
- on warm, sunny, south-facing headlands which support rare arable plants
You can provide the greatest range of habitat for wildlife by having different stubble heights across your farm. You can do this by lowering and raising the combine header.
Skylark and yellowhammer prefer shorter stubble, while other species like grey partridge shelter in taller vegetation.
After you harvest your crop, you can broadcast beneficial seed and nectar-producing plants (such as mustard and fodder radish) into the stubble.
Other ways to enhance stubbles for farm wildlife include:
- carrying out winter supplementary feeding for farmland birds next to areas of winter bird food
- managing your preceding crop with less inorganic nitrogen fertiliser and fewer herbicides
Updates to this page
Published 21 May 2024Last updated 15 August 2024 + show all updates
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AHW8, AHW9 and SOH4 removed from SFI 2024 actions.
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Where you can do this action - an eligible land type is defined in section 5.1 ‘Eligible land types for SFI’ in the SFI scheme information. Eligibility of protected land - updated link to section 10.3 ‘SSSI consent’ in the SFI scheme information. What to do - you must not apply pre-harvest dessicants to the cereal crop, oilseed rape or linseed. Published voluntary advice to help you do this action, but it's not part of this action’s requirements.
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First published.